Broadview in Brief: Diversity in Gender and Genitalia!

WTF is going on with WPATH?

Now that our beloved Kate has moved on, I need someone to take over BROADview in Brief, at least until I make more progress in book-land. I could pay a very modest stipend, and the indefatigable Alejandra Q will help with gathering headlines and writing summaries. If interested, please email me with BRIEF WRITER in the subject line. Many thanks!

Also, thank you to the wonderful heretics who came to my book launch last night. I feel so honored!

-LD

The big news this week—one hopes—was The WPATH Files, which have been written about mostly by those of us who cover the subject. Will it break through to the mainstream? Michael Shellenberger’s tweet stream about them reached many millions of people—that’s a good start! Is anybody shocked, or at least concerned, about clinicians trying to get consent for cross-sex hormones from all the various identities stuffed into one person with multiple personality disorder? Is anybody concerned that some people still believe in multiple personality disorder?

Here’s WPATH’s deeply reasoned response:

Oh, wait—not reasoned. Not reasonable. Not acknowledging people are getting hurt. It’s going to be an interesting year.

More from AlejandraQ:

New York Attorney General Letitia James sent a cease-and-desist order to Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman’s over his ban of trans-identified males in female sports. According to James, Blakeman’s executive order is “discriminatory and transphobic.” In turn, Blakeman filed a federal lawsuit on Tuesday claiming that the cease-and-desist letter violates the equal protection clause because his executive order protects “biological females’ right to equal opportunities in athletics” and their “right to a safe playing field.” 

On Tuesday, the Maryland state Senate approved a new measure that will legally protect gender affirming interventions. Under the approved measure, gender affirmation will be protected from criminal and civil actions in the event medical records are sought after by other states. Rhode Island lawmakers are considering a similar law that would protect those doctors providing gender affirming interventions for out-of-state patients (along with out-of-state patients seeking reproductive health care). Meanwhile, several individuals joined Tuesday a public hearing concerning a Maine bill that would also institute legal protections for those seeking or providing gender-affirming procedures.

Bernard Lane reports on a complex Australian case surrounding two young sisters, one of who identifies as a boy. The sisters have a pact, with the younger sister volunteering to donate an egg to her trans-identified sister in the event of the latter’s potential sterilization post-testosterone. An Australian Federal Circuit and Family Court has been hearing the case this week due to parental disagreement on what the best course of treatment should be for the child, with the pro-affirmation parent seeking an order for sole parental responsibility. 

The authors of the Swedish systematic review published an editorial underscoring the many unknowns surrounding the neuropsychological impacts of puberty blockers.

The West Riding Girls Football League, one of the UK’s premier girls' soccer leagues, is facing sanctions and a possible suspension by the Football Association after refusing to allow a boy to play in its matches.

Most voters oppose candidates who campaign against transgender people: Poll

Candidates who often discuss restrictions on transgender Americans or signal support for policies that limit access to gender-affirming health care may be drumming up more opposition than support, according to a survey released Thursday by GLAAD, an LGBTQ media advocacy organization.

More than 50 percent of both registered and likely voters surveyed by the group in January said they would oppose a candidate who “speaks frequently about restricting access to health care and participation in sports for transgender youth.”

Transgender non-profit founder stole $150K pandemic funds before fleeing to El Salvador: prosecutors

The founder of a Washington, D.C., non-profit that served homeless LGBTQ youths – particularly Latin transgender people – has been charged with stealing $150,000 in taxpayer-backed pandemic relief funds – two years after fleeing the U.S. to El Salvador amid swirling questions about the group’s finances.

Ruby Corado, 53, the founder of Casa Ruby, Inc., was arrested by FBI agents at a hotel in Laurel, Maryland, on Tuesday after unexpectedly returning to the U.S.

Supreme Court is under pressure to step into the debate over transgender rights

X Backpedals On Reintroduced Pronoun Policy After Backlash From Right-Wing Users

X, formerly known as Twitter, made changes to a reintroduced policy that reduced the visibility of posts that purposefully misgender or call someone by a name they no longer go by (known as “deadnaming”)—an action made by the platform following pressure from right-wing users and commentators who extended their frustrations to X owner Elon Musk.

Student Files Lawsuit Over Virginia County’s ‘Dystopian’ Trans Bathroom, Pronoun Policies

Virginia’s Loudoun County and Fairfax County, suburbs of the nation’s capital that are two of the largest and most wealthy counties in the country, have faced numerous controversies regarding their pushing of LGBT ideology.

In May 2021, a teenage girl was sexually assaulted in the girls’ bathroom at Stone Bridge High School in Loudoun County by a boy wearing a skirt who identified as “gender-fluid.” After a lawsuit was filed, the trans-identifying boy moved to a different school, where he sexually harassed another girl under a similar school policy that allowed him to use the girls’ bathroom.

JK Rowling's tweets about a lurid murder story reopened a heated debate about transgender convicts

JK Rowling reacted angrily to reports calling a transgender murderer a woman. The conviction of Scarlet Brown has sparked intense discussion in Rowling's native Britain. Some activists, like Rowling, object to the media and others respecting the self-identification of criminals.

Portland bartender who shoved transgender woman in bathroom dispute guilty of hate crime, jury rules

NSHE regent asked to resign over ‘anti-transgender comments’

Boylan made his initial remarks Friday after four schools presented their annual athletics reports. He said he had “one simple question” for athletic directors: “Do we have any men masquerading as women playing in any of our teams and hurting any of the women?”

Judge rules Christian employers don’t have to cover transgender procedures

A federal judge ruled on Monday that Christian employers and healthcare providers do not have to pay for transgender surgeries.

The Christian Employers Alliance sued the Biden administration over its interpretation of federal discrimination law, which the White House argued would mandate that every employer cover the cost of transgender medical procedures. But North Dakota Judge Daniel Traynor ruled against this interpretation, saying that it would infringe on a Christian’s sincerely held religious beliefs.

World Athletics President Sebastian Coe doubles down on regulation changes for transgender athletes

Speaking with CNN's Amanda Davies at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow, Scotland, the governing body's President Sebastian Coe doubled down on the decision made by his Council, saying, without evidence, that had World Athletics not acted on the matter no woman would ever win another sporting event.

Trans youth policies make majority of Canadians 'uncomfortable': survey

A new survey from Nanos Research and CTV News shows a majority of Canadian adults express at least some discomfort around policies on transgender inclusion in sports, hormone treatments for youth and changes to students' pronouns in schools.

Conducted between Feb. 28 and March 2 this year, the survey asked a random sample of Canadians 18 and older about their comfort level toward a variety of topics around gender identity and inclusion. The results reveal a snapshot of public sentiment broadly against some policies that have increasingly become central social issues of debate in Canadian politics.

Approximately 57 per cent of surveyed adults said they were uncomfortable or somewhat uncomfortable with "a transgender person taking part in organized sports for people of their current gender identity." While not a majority, a further 44 per cent said the same when asked about "a transgender person using the washroom or change rooms for people of their current gender identity."

Transgender employee gets $18,000 for workplace discrimination—Colleagues' use of wrong name, pronouns related to worker’s gender identity led to resignation.