Another barnstormer of a round-up from you, Kate. I really appreciated your insights on the Reddit piece and look forward the the Atlantic piece coming out from behind the paywall so I can read that in full. Your final news note, starting with “Gentlemen” had me laughing out loud. Love your wit! FYI, some here may also be interested in this piece, which was published 2 days ago, aimed toward teachers about what is happening in schools. We have learned that, within 24 hours, it became the most read piece ever on the education site where it appeared, has garnered a lot of positive feedback, and has spurred some good discussions. https://intrepidednews.com/gender-identity-ideology/
Thank you, Susan, will check out the link, and shoot, does the archive html not give access to the full Atlantic article? It's hard for me to test properly since I have a subscription.
Thanks for this! As a retired Early Childhood Specialist, I know that children ideate all sorts of pretend ideas: humans can fly if you put on a cape, Hello Kitty is real, Ice cream is nutritious, and you can be a boy even if you're a girl!
One item of concern this week was the JAMA article by a bevy of surgeons (I think), funded by the Plastic Surgery Foundation, that claimed high satisfaction and "no regret" from gender-affirming mastectomies. I've seen at least one skeptical response to this study (https://www.voidifremoved.co.uk/p/headline-based-medicine). It does seem that the study warrants close scrutiny.
Yes, I saw that too. The study's median age (26-27) tells a different story, I think, than the story of today's teens and college students. And, because it studies 100-something women over 30 years (the 41% of the 230-something who responded to the survey), many of them will have made those decisions to proceed without the drumbeat of Tumblr and Youtube urging them on. That feels like a very different - and possibly irrelevant - situation, no?
Ava, Suzanne, you may well have seen this, but in case not, “Jeremy Shaw MD” on Twitter was one of the commenters on the study with a helpful analysis:
This study claims a 0% regret rate among trans patients who underwent mastectomies. However, after skimming through, certain issues come to light:
Among the 235 individuals considered eligible for the study, approximately half (~41%) did not provide responses. Additionally, the participants who responded had a notably shorter postoperative follow-up period compared to those who did not respond, and this difference held statistical significance. This raises concerns for a selection (responder) bias. Also, among the responders, 13 participants were also excluded from the study because their regret scores and satisfaction scores contradicted.
The median age at the time of surgery was 27.1 years, with all subjects being above 18 years old. This is relevant because the authors hinted at their opposition to restrictions on gender-affirming surgery (which is primarily focused on minors), but this study consisted entirely of adults.
On a 5-point scale, the median Satisfaction with Decision Scale score was 5.0 (IQR, 5.0-5.0), meaning almost every respondent indicated a "5/5" level of satisfaction. Similarly, the median Decision Regret Scale score was 0.0 (IQR, 0.0-0.0) on a 100-point scale, with almost every respondent selecting a score of 0. On a 100 point scale, you would at least expect some variation.
This raises concerns about potential Hawthorne (observer effect) bias. This is a bias where the respondents alter their responses because they are aware that they are being observed or studied.
Encountering improbable outcomes such as a 0% regret rate should raise a red flag rather than a green one.
It's worth repeating that the regret rate for mastectomies among women with *breast cancer* typically falls within the range of 5-18%. However, in the case of trans individuals, the claimed regret rate is purportedly 0%.
My understanding is that there are basic issues with the methodology and the assumptions made by the authors, beginning with the fact that nearly half of the patients did not respond, and the nonrespondents were the ones who had had the most time to develop regret. Anyway, I would just like someone smarter than me (hey, Jesse!) to take a closer look at it.
I agree that these are not children undergoing the procedure. But from my vantage point, knowing lots of 30- and 40-somethings who are caught up in this madness, 26 seems very young. After all, Tumblr has been around for more than 15 years.
I was refreshed to hear of one residential school that bucked the trend and reversed course on how they treat gender confused kids. This is the kind of therapeutic care that our kids deserve. Its a model that needs to be widely disseminated. An actual developmentally appropriate, family and systems focused, child-centered but not child-led care appproach, for once: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2wvniJNEHb8ldDII05UKfC?si=3468c918bb984632
In the event there's anyone here who hasn't read the Atlantic article Kate referenced, it is indeed excellent, and I second Kate on her comment that "Lisa’s rationality shines through as usual." I was also struck by Helen Lewis's observation: "One of the most frustrating aspects of writing on this subject is that many liberals don’t know what they don’t know." I really do hope the Atlantic article is widely circulated and read.
The notion that the [Gender] War is Over is, I'm sorry to say, not remotely close to true. A few minor skirmishes have been won lately, but the blue state of Washington has just passed new laws to remove children from parents who do not "affirm", joining California and mutiple other blue states. A tennis official in Wyoming may have resigned, but the men-allowed-in-women's-events policy continues anyway, as it does in almost all sports in the US. In October, Biden's Dept of Education will almost certainly ban single-sex sports in schools nationwide.
Follow the money. Puberty blockers, hormone replacement therapy and surgery are not provided for free. Thirty years ago it was so-called therapists and unscrupulous prosecutors who benefited financially and politically from the False Memory hysteria before that craze ran its course. Cui bono now?
Why on earth would you be troubled by layoffs at AB InBev? The boycott of ALL brands of AB InBev (helpful list here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AB_InBev_brands ) should continue until the company's stock is worthless and every employee has gotten a job at a different company that does not celebrate the mutilation and sterilization of children. In fact those employees should all be leaving now.
Beer consumption is not down, only AB InBev is down. And down down down is where it needs to keep going.
I have the same assessment as you (and it gives me no pleasure to say this..)- I couldn’t disagree more that any tide is turning in the US. I do have heightened annoyance for traditional Dems who don’t see that it’s ‘our party’ that is doing this- and are clinging to a notion that this will just blow over and go away; how can they fool themselves when an army of gender (and freedom) annihilators are flowing from higher education and flooding every institution..even more so than currently. I’m in Oregon- the legislation exploiting and sexualizing children being passed here is unconscionable- it gets worse and worse- (CNN, NPR, The Times don’t cover it), there is no bottom.. and the same laws are being proposed in every single blue and purple state.. and even gurgling in the red states.
An anonymous Reddit post (or even a thousand) is meaningless except to those cowering in the shadows reading tea leaves for hope. Anyone even remotely concerned should pull every dollar and every vote from those not visibly fighting against this monumental monstrous, indoctrination … and that means Democrats.
No punches pulled from me! I am a 67-year-old lifelong Democrat who has worked as a volunteer on mulitple Democrat campaigns over the past half century, but I began voting straight Republican in 2022 because of the trans madness, and will continue to do so as long as the Democrats continue to support the madness.
"The right must be able to air concerns without demonizing trans people."
Is this really happening? In my view the right has been focused on youth gender care and keeping womens spaces single sex. they have done so without "demonizing trans people". histrionic activists and their media lackies claim that restoring rights stolen by gender activists is somehow an act against "trans". its not. "trans" people already have every right anyone else has. all biological men are safer in mens restrooms, despite false claims to the contrary. ppl everywhere already have the right to ID as another gender. kids dont need to be sterilized for them to do so.
there have been some mistakes and nasty comments about "trans" by some right wing people. but these comments are few and far between. its not surprising anyone is confused about the subject matter given the purposefully manipulative and deceptive language gender activists engage in; even the activists and their lackey leaders rarely are consistent. why are the right expected to do better?
"Both liberals and conservatives should stop throwing around accusations of child abuse toward parents doing their best"
why? parents are doing their best? yeah i guess so? not really?
"the gender war can end—if the broad, tolerant middle asserts itself.”
not sure why the author is so allergic to people expressing their opinions?
gender ideology is a religion that has been implimented without most people knowing about it, without anyone voting on it, via a huge slate of misinformation. people are correct to be upset about it. people are correct to push back against it. even at this hour, most still have no idea of the scope of the fraud and deception. as more people become aware expect more of the same "opinions".
Another barnstormer of a round-up from you, Kate. I really appreciated your insights on the Reddit piece and look forward the the Atlantic piece coming out from behind the paywall so I can read that in full. Your final news note, starting with “Gentlemen” had me laughing out loud. Love your wit! FYI, some here may also be interested in this piece, which was published 2 days ago, aimed toward teachers about what is happening in schools. We have learned that, within 24 hours, it became the most read piece ever on the education site where it appeared, has garnered a lot of positive feedback, and has spurred some good discussions. https://intrepidednews.com/gender-identity-ideology/
Thank you, Susan, will check out the link, and shoot, does the archive html not give access to the full Atlantic article? It's hard for me to test properly since I have a subscription.
Kate: it works! Dumb me, I already had this flagged & it didn’t occur to me to check YOUR link! Yay, can hardly wait to read it.
Thanks for this! As a retired Early Childhood Specialist, I know that children ideate all sorts of pretend ideas: humans can fly if you put on a cape, Hello Kitty is real, Ice cream is nutritious, and you can be a boy even if you're a girl!
One item of concern this week was the JAMA article by a bevy of surgeons (I think), funded by the Plastic Surgery Foundation, that claimed high satisfaction and "no regret" from gender-affirming mastectomies. I've seen at least one skeptical response to this study (https://www.voidifremoved.co.uk/p/headline-based-medicine). It does seem that the study warrants close scrutiny.
Yes, I saw that too. The study's median age (26-27) tells a different story, I think, than the story of today's teens and college students. And, because it studies 100-something women over 30 years (the 41% of the 230-something who responded to the survey), many of them will have made those decisions to proceed without the drumbeat of Tumblr and Youtube urging them on. That feels like a very different - and possibly irrelevant - situation, no?
Ava, Suzanne, you may well have seen this, but in case not, “Jeremy Shaw MD” on Twitter was one of the commenters on the study with a helpful analysis:
This study claims a 0% regret rate among trans patients who underwent mastectomies. However, after skimming through, certain issues come to light:
Among the 235 individuals considered eligible for the study, approximately half (~41%) did not provide responses. Additionally, the participants who responded had a notably shorter postoperative follow-up period compared to those who did not respond, and this difference held statistical significance. This raises concerns for a selection (responder) bias. Also, among the responders, 13 participants were also excluded from the study because their regret scores and satisfaction scores contradicted.
The median age at the time of surgery was 27.1 years, with all subjects being above 18 years old. This is relevant because the authors hinted at their opposition to restrictions on gender-affirming surgery (which is primarily focused on minors), but this study consisted entirely of adults.
On a 5-point scale, the median Satisfaction with Decision Scale score was 5.0 (IQR, 5.0-5.0), meaning almost every respondent indicated a "5/5" level of satisfaction. Similarly, the median Decision Regret Scale score was 0.0 (IQR, 0.0-0.0) on a 100-point scale, with almost every respondent selecting a score of 0. On a 100 point scale, you would at least expect some variation.
This raises concerns about potential Hawthorne (observer effect) bias. This is a bias where the respondents alter their responses because they are aware that they are being observed or studied.
Encountering improbable outcomes such as a 0% regret rate should raise a red flag rather than a green one.
It's worth repeating that the regret rate for mastectomies among women with *breast cancer* typically falls within the range of 5-18%. However, in the case of trans individuals, the claimed regret rate is purportedly 0%.
My understanding is that there are basic issues with the methodology and the assumptions made by the authors, beginning with the fact that nearly half of the patients did not respond, and the nonrespondents were the ones who had had the most time to develop regret. Anyway, I would just like someone smarter than me (hey, Jesse!) to take a closer look at it.
I agree that these are not children undergoing the procedure. But from my vantage point, knowing lots of 30- and 40-somethings who are caught up in this madness, 26 seems very young. After all, Tumblr has been around for more than 15 years.
Yes, agreed!
This came out on SEGM's website over the weekend: https://segm.org/long-term-regret-satisfaction-mastectomy-critical-appraisal
Thank you! I hadn't seen this.
And another reflection: https://thecritic.co.uk/voices-of-regret/
I was refreshed to hear of one residential school that bucked the trend and reversed course on how they treat gender confused kids. This is the kind of therapeutic care that our kids deserve. Its a model that needs to be widely disseminated. An actual developmentally appropriate, family and systems focused, child-centered but not child-led care appproach, for once: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2wvniJNEHb8ldDII05UKfC?si=3468c918bb984632
In the event there's anyone here who hasn't read the Atlantic article Kate referenced, it is indeed excellent, and I second Kate on her comment that "Lisa’s rationality shines through as usual." I was also struck by Helen Lewis's observation: "One of the most frustrating aspects of writing on this subject is that many liberals don’t know what they don’t know." I really do hope the Atlantic article is widely circulated and read.
The notion that the [Gender] War is Over is, I'm sorry to say, not remotely close to true. A few minor skirmishes have been won lately, but the blue state of Washington has just passed new laws to remove children from parents who do not "affirm", joining California and mutiple other blue states. A tennis official in Wyoming may have resigned, but the men-allowed-in-women's-events policy continues anyway, as it does in almost all sports in the US. In October, Biden's Dept of Education will almost certainly ban single-sex sports in schools nationwide.
On and on.
Follow the money. Puberty blockers, hormone replacement therapy and surgery are not provided for free. Thirty years ago it was so-called therapists and unscrupulous prosecutors who benefited financially and politically from the False Memory hysteria before that craze ran its course. Cui bono now?
Why on earth would you be troubled by layoffs at AB InBev? The boycott of ALL brands of AB InBev (helpful list here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AB_InBev_brands ) should continue until the company's stock is worthless and every employee has gotten a job at a different company that does not celebrate the mutilation and sterilization of children. In fact those employees should all be leaving now.
Beer consumption is not down, only AB InBev is down. And down down down is where it needs to keep going.
I have the same assessment as you (and it gives me no pleasure to say this..)- I couldn’t disagree more that any tide is turning in the US. I do have heightened annoyance for traditional Dems who don’t see that it’s ‘our party’ that is doing this- and are clinging to a notion that this will just blow over and go away; how can they fool themselves when an army of gender (and freedom) annihilators are flowing from higher education and flooding every institution..even more so than currently. I’m in Oregon- the legislation exploiting and sexualizing children being passed here is unconscionable- it gets worse and worse- (CNN, NPR, The Times don’t cover it), there is no bottom.. and the same laws are being proposed in every single blue and purple state.. and even gurgling in the red states.
An anonymous Reddit post (or even a thousand) is meaningless except to those cowering in the shadows reading tea leaves for hope. Anyone even remotely concerned should pull every dollar and every vote from those not visibly fighting against this monumental monstrous, indoctrination … and that means Democrats.
So yeah, thanks for not pulling punches, MarkS.
No punches pulled from me! I am a 67-year-old lifelong Democrat who has worked as a volunteer on mulitple Democrat campaigns over the past half century, but I began voting straight Republican in 2022 because of the trans madness, and will continue to do so as long as the Democrats continue to support the madness.
Awesome! If we value Reddit post we should probably screenshot the whole thing now, before the TRA get wind of it and pressure Reddit to take it down.
Encouraging--thank you!
And I agree with (and laughed out loud with) Susan Scheid re: your final news note :-)
"The right must be able to air concerns without demonizing trans people."
Is this really happening? In my view the right has been focused on youth gender care and keeping womens spaces single sex. they have done so without "demonizing trans people". histrionic activists and their media lackies claim that restoring rights stolen by gender activists is somehow an act against "trans". its not. "trans" people already have every right anyone else has. all biological men are safer in mens restrooms, despite false claims to the contrary. ppl everywhere already have the right to ID as another gender. kids dont need to be sterilized for them to do so.
there have been some mistakes and nasty comments about "trans" by some right wing people. but these comments are few and far between. its not surprising anyone is confused about the subject matter given the purposefully manipulative and deceptive language gender activists engage in; even the activists and their lackey leaders rarely are consistent. why are the right expected to do better?
"Both liberals and conservatives should stop throwing around accusations of child abuse toward parents doing their best"
why? parents are doing their best? yeah i guess so? not really?
"the gender war can end—if the broad, tolerant middle asserts itself.”
not sure why the author is so allergic to people expressing their opinions?
gender ideology is a religion that has been implimented without most people knowing about it, without anyone voting on it, via a huge slate of misinformation. people are correct to be upset about it. people are correct to push back against it. even at this hour, most still have no idea of the scope of the fraud and deception. as more people become aware expect more of the same "opinions".
I appreciate these Friday write ups. Thank you!
Thank you, as always, Kate!