BROADview in Brief

Gender ping-pong

Photo by Rae Wallis on Unsplash

This gender ping-pong game sure is giving me whiplash. Bans overturned, whistle-blowing doctors indicted, swimmers relegated to sex-based pools, anti-debaters humming loudly so as to not have to listen to school board members assert why they think girls should be consulted in regulations regarding sports, sex, and gender. It is profoundly disappointing to see the issue continue to unfold as a battle for victory instead of for truth. (Can’t take credit for that line—I stole it from a rabbi I heard speak the other night.)

One slightly brighter spot: last night’s Braver Angels debate with Jamie Reed, Corinna Cohn, and Julia Malott (though Malott seemed to have not found the experience so bright). At least opponents could have a conversation!

Now onto Alejandra Q’s remarkable roundup:

Summaries

·       Judge Robert L. Hinkle of a Federal District Court in Tallahassee ruled Tuesday that Florida can no longer prevent trans-identified minors from receiving “gender affirming” medical interventions, calling the state ban “unconstitutional.” The ruling, which also affects the parts of the Florida law that limit access to such interventions for adults, comes after three families claimed that the law stripped them of their parental right to make medical decisions on behalf of their children. According to Judge Hinkle, “gender identity is real” and puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones are a “widely accepted standard of care.” Replying to a reporter Wednesday, Gov. Ron DeSantis addressed the matter of why taxpayer dollars will go to appeal the recent court ruling: “Because it’s wrong to mutilate minors. It is wrong to perform a sex change on a 16-year-old. You’re not allowed to get a tattoo, but somehow you can have your privates cut off? Give me a break. This is wrong.”

·       Several outlets from across the political spectrum reported on a new poll that was released as collaboration of the LA Times, University of Chicago’s NORC, and the California Endowment. The coverage on the poll varied based on the outlet’s political leaning. For example, conservative Washington Times focused on the support for transgender and non-binary individuals lagging behind the support for gays and lesbians (80% of those surveyed felt “somewhat” or “strongly” in agreement of gay and lesbian people “living as they wish,” as opposed to 67% who say the same about transgender and nonbinary individuals). The New York Post highlighted how the same survey found that two thirds of voters were against the participation of trans-identified males in female sports. In contrast, Pink News emphasized how those surveyed approved of transgender and non-binary individuals “living as they wish.” In the meantime, another new poll by Gallup found that a small majority of Americans (51%) believe that changing gender is morally wrong. This same survey also found that more than 62% of respondents are against banning “gender affirming” treatments and medical procedures while 61% oppose barring “gender affirming” psychological support, hormonal treatments, and medical surgeries.

·       The Transgender and Gender Diverse (TGD) Wellness and Equity Program, a new Illinois state initiative, launched by the Illinois Department of Human Services and the Public Health Institute of Metropolitan Chicago, seeks to “support and expand” access to gender transition. According to a press release, the program will equip “organizations that currently serve LGBTQ+ communities to increase their capacity to provide culturally- and medically-competent gender-affirming care. This care will address social determinants of health, historical and contemporary trauma, and their unique impact on Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color who identify as transgender, gender-diverse, and other LGBTQ+ identities.”

·       In New York, a bill sponsored by Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman passed a committee vote Monday. The bill would bar trans-identified male athletes from participating in female sports teams, and was first introduced as an executive order before being struck down by the Nassau County Supreme Court. New York Civil Liberties Union said that they will take legal action if the county continues to push the legislation. In related New York News, the State Bar Association voted against banning trans-identified athletes from K-12 school sports.

·       Eithan Haim, the surgeon who leaked documents showing how Texas Children’s Hospital was secretly performing “gender affirming” medical procedures in minors, was indicted on 4 felony charges. The Department of Justice accuses the 33-year-old of HIPAA violations for blowing the whistle on the hospital, which had publicly declared that no it longer provided such services. Dr Haim spoke to The Free Press: “They were talking publicly about how they were concealing what they were doing. You can’t take care of your patient without trust. For me as a doctor, to not do something about this was unconscionable.” Leor Sapir wrote on the topic for Reality’s Last Stand, appealing for donations to Dr Haim’s legal defense found.

·       On Tuesday, a federal judge in Texas blocked President Biden’s changes to the interpretation of Title IX. This comes after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued the federal government when the changes were first proposed. District Judge Reed O’Connor claims that the federal government “engaged in unlawful agency action taken in excess of their authority, all while failing to adhere to the appropriate notice and comments requirements when doing so.” Additionally, a federal judge in Louisiana issued a preliminary injunction that bars the new extended protections under Title IX from taking effect in the states of Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana and Idaho.

·       Attorneys general from 23 states filed an amicus brief Tuesday urging an appeals court to reverse the 11th Circuit decision that makes employers liable to cover “gender-affirming” interventions. The brief requests that the entire circuit review the case and calls for a correction to last month’s decisions, which it refers to as “radical.”

·       A 1st Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a prior ruling in favor of a Massachusetts public middle school that barred one of its students from wearing a t-shirt displaying the phrase “THERE ARE ONLY TWO GENDERS.” The school claims that the t-shirt’s message “disrupted learning by harmfully targeting transgender and gender nonconforming students.”

·       The conservative medical group, the American College of Pediatricians, aligned itself with groups like the Catholic Medical Association, the Christian Medical & Dental Associations, and the Coalition of Jewish Values, under the banner of “Doctors Defending Children” to release a declaration. Their document takes a stance against pediatric gender transition and groups like the WPATH, declaring that “Sex is a dimorphic, innate trait defined in relation to an organism’s biological role in reproduction. In humans, primary sex determination occurs at fertilization and is directed by a complement of sex determining genes on the X and Y chromosomes. This genetic signature is present in every nucleated somatic cell in the body and is not altered by drugs or surgical interventions.”

International

·       The Court of Arbitration for Sport dismissed Lia Thomas’ case against World Aquatics (WA), the international governing body that administers water sporting competitions. In 2022, WA had voted to bar trans-identified males who had gone through male puberty from competing against females in elite races, a ban that Thomas aimed to overturn at the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The ruling means that Thomas will not be allowed to compete in the Olympics next month. British former Olympic swimmer Sharron Davies reacted to the ruling about Thomas.

·       In a statement from its website, the Canadian Cancer Society, a charity run by philanthropist Andrea Seale, apologized for using the word “cervix” due to the term being considered “non trans-friendly language.” According to the charity’s website they “recognize that many trans men and non-binary people may have mixed feelings about or feel distanced from words like ‘cervix.’ You may prefer other words, such as ‘front hole.’” On similar news, the Australian Federal Government is also under fire for has granting $3.3 million in taxpayer dollars for a new cervical cancer campaign to an organization that currently uses the terms “people with a cervix” and “front hole” instead of “vagina” its campaign.

·       UK Minister of Policing Chris Philp has ordered an urgent review of current strip-search rules as the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) withdraws guidance that permits trans-identified males to strip search. Following complaints from several MPs and groups (including Sex Matters, the Women’s Rights Network, and Fair Play for Women), changes have been proposed that will allow police officers to only strip search suspects of the same biological sex.

·       According to the annual survey of British Social Attitudes, which is conducted by National Centre for Social Research, half of Britons now believe that transgender people should not be allowed to change the sex registered on their birth certificate. This falls in contrasts to data from the 2019 survey, when 24% of people surveyed said that they were against the same notion.

·       Lecturers from Exeter University, one of the England’s top academic institutions, were asked last week to sign an “inclusive practitioners commitment to demonstrate allyship” with trans identified students and staff. Among the pledges included in the online document, staff is expected to affirm trans staff and students' by abiding by their preferred names and pronouns and to “educate themselves about micro-aggressions, dog whistles and talking points” that can harm LGBTQ+ people. Philosophy lecturer Dr. Edward Skidelsky complained: “Schemes like this are coercive and intended to put pressure on people who are gender-critical. You will be made visible if you sign up because a badge will be displayed on your staff profile. So if you don't sign it can be easily identified and mean you'll possibly targeted by student activists.”

Latest Headlines

US

Jun 13: Miss Maryland USA talks about being first Asian American, transgender female (CBS News)

Jun 13: California Senate approves ban on transgender notification policies in schools (CBS News)

Jun 13: Candidate says signs are being stolen in retaliation for bill on transgender youth health care—“A candidate in Utah's 3rd Congressional District race believes his campaign signs are being targeted in retaliation for his sponsorship of a controversial bill on transgender youth health care.” (Fox 13 Utah)

Jun 13: 82-year-old woman sues YMCA over locker room run-in with transgender staffer (The Washington Times)

Jun 13: Congress On Track to Welcome First Transgender Member. Meet Sarah McBride—“It’s all too easy to dismiss the political clout of LGBTQ Americans based solely on how well they have found toeholds in office. After all, just one-quarter of 1% of elected officials in the United States identify as part of the community. And that’s after so-called Rainbow Wave elections of recent cycles.” (Time Magazine)
Jun 12: Democrat Sarah McBride could become first transgender member of US House (Asia One)

Jun 12: 10th Circuit rejects sorority sisters’ appeal in UW transgender lawsuit—The federal appeals court ruled it did not have jurisdiction in the Kappa Kappa Gamma case. (WyoFile)

Jun 13: LGBTQ advocates, lawmakers rebuke NC laws targeting trans youth in Pride Month push (The Herald Sun)

Jun 13: Microchip pioneer and transgender activist Lynn Conway dies—Conway was fired from IBM for undergoing gender transition surgery in the 1960s, but went on to help make the creation of PCs and smartphones possible. (Silicone Republic)

Jun 13: Bloomington City Council passes resolution in support of transgender community, gender-affirming health care—The vote comes more than a year after the state passed a law banning gender-affirming health care for transgender youth. (WTHR)

Jun 12: U.S. Senate Committee finds Vanderbilt ‘failed’ responsibility to transgender patients’ privacy—“Vanderbilt University Medical Center did not do enough to protect the privacy of its transgender patients when Tennessee’s attorney general requested copies of their medical records, a U.S. Senate Finance Committee report found.” (WPLN)

Jun 13: RSU 40 Board Repeals Transgender Student Policy (The Lincoln County News)

Jun 12: Roxbury High School students protest repeal of transgender student protection policy—“Almost 50 students from the Roxbury Township High School walked out in protest to support protections for transgender students. They continued to press the issue at the board of education meeting that evening on April 8, 2024. But their efforts were ultimately unsuccessful. The board voted 6-4 to rescind policy 5756, a state-driven transgender student protection measure.” (Out in Jersey)

Jun 13: Vigo County Settles Transgender Bathroom Lawsuit, Terms Confidential (The Davidsonian)

Jun 12: More Minnesota school districts issue transgender guidelines allowing boys in girls’ spaces (Read Lion)

Jun 12: Parent effort to amend WIAA transgender athlete policy brought to Eastmont School Board—“An effort to have the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association, or WIAA, amend its policy on transgender athlete participation was brought before the Eastmont School Board during public comment Monday.” (NCWLIFE)

Jun 11: Gender dysphoria and eating disorders have skyrocketed since pandemic, report reveals: ‘Ripple effects’—Here are likely causes and tips for handling top mental health issues (Fox News)

Jun 12: Maine school board race boosts support for ended trans protections “The balance of power has shifted slightly on the board of a midcoast school district after it narrowly voted last week to remove local protections for transgender students, with voters on Tuesday choosing three new board members who were opposed to that change, according to the Courier-Gazette and PenBay Pilot.” (Bangor Daily News)

Australia

Jun 12: ‘Active intervention’ into gender affirmation care needs to be ‘considered’—“Victorian Libertarian Party MP David Limbrick says the Australian government needs to discuss the safety of gender identity services for children. This follows the American College of Paediatricians urging medical bodies to abandon support for gender-affirming care for transgender youths.” (Sky News Australia)
Jun 12: Sky News host Rita Panahi wants more action from the Coalition and state Liberals to tackle the “extremes” of the gender identity movement—“This follows the American College of Paediatricians urging medical bodies to abandon support for gender-affirming care for transgender youths. ‘I just wonder when we’re going to have the Coalition, the state Liberals make a stand on this issue,’ said Ms Panahi.” (Sky News Australia)

Jun 7: MP Alex Greenwich’s Equality Bill soundly rejected by public—Controversial plans to change NSW laws to allow people to change their sex simply by nominating their preferred gender on a form have been overwhelmingly rejected by the public. (The Daily Telegraph)

Jun 13: Gender diversity a ‘normal variation’, doctor tells court —A doctor advising a young girl on whether to take cross-sex hormones told the child some side ­effects of taking testosterone, including vaginal atrophy, were reversible or would not last forever, and said there was ‘scientific debate’ about whether the treatment could have an impact on her fertility.” (The Australian)

UK

Jun 10: Map shows UK hotspots homphobic hate crimes—With the Government clamping down on LGBTQ+ rights, it no surprise the number of hate crime reports has shot up. (Metro News)

Jun 11: Equality watchdog ignoring 'institutional ageism' in the NHS in favour of sex, race and trans issues, charity claims “The equalities commission is failing to protect elderly Britons from discrimination as it is too preoccupied with race and transgender issues, a leading campaign group warns. Silver Voices claims the Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is ‘routinely’ ignoring older people’s rights as it prioritises other minorities.”(The Daily Mail)

Jun 13: Soft-touch SNP want transgender prisoners to be given privacy 'for their safety'—Officials said politicians were putting inmates, such as Isla Bryson, who have changed gender at risk by discussing their cases in parliament or in media interviews (The Scottish Daily Express)

Jun 13: Labour’s ‘trans conversion therapy’ ban is a danger to gay kids—Parents and therapists who refuse to ‘affirm’ a child’s gender could soon be criminalised. (Spiked Online)

Jun 13: Labour pledges to ban conversion therapy—Sir Keir’s party unveils ‘fully trans-inclusive ban’ despite fears it could stop children with gender distress from getting help (The Telegraph)

Other International

Jun 13: Transgender Kimberley High School Teen Murdered in Suspected Hate Crime (Mamba Online) 

Opinion

Jun 12: Gender dysphoria cases soar after pandemic (UnHerd)

Jun 13: Cheating or fair game? Olympic trans-inclusion rules dividing the sports world—Policies that allow trans athletes to compete in the gender category of their choosing have upped the tension ahead of the Paris Games (The National Post)

Jun 11: Casting Evidence Aside—The Biden administration’s new Title IX guidance disregards the research on pediatric gender distress. (City Journal)

Jun 13: Byron York | Transgender Ideology Push Backfires (The Signal)

Jun 12: A nun’s ministry to transgender Catholics: ‘Just embrace us. Don’t displace us.’ (America Magazine)

Jun 12: The Impossible Space—When you can’t go forward, but you can’t go back. (Reality’s last Stance)

Jun 12: A “Gender Critical” and “TERF” Primer—for readers trying to make sense of “feminists versus transgender activists” debates (Medium)

Jun 12: The Misguided Campaign for “Gender-Affirming” Care (Relevant Radio)