What do you think are the most significant events in the gender culture war this year?
Some suggestions: California laws—including the one Newsome vetoed. The shutting down of Wash U’s youth gender clinic. [22?] Bans in red states. Expanded access in blue states. SEGM and Genspect conferences. A Democrat dissented in Texas. Posey Parker and the tomato juice in New Zealand. The long-awaited release of the NIH data (aka the Chen paper).
What else has happened this year that you think is really significant (whether you think it’s good or bad)?
1. Female athletes refusing to play against males. 2. JK Rowling refusing to cave in to those who hate her for defending women's rights to women-only spaces and sports. 3. "A woman is an adult female human."
I’ve been very heartened to see momentum building in the UK on several fronts, thanks to the extraordinarily hard and good work by Maya Forstater and Helen Joyce at Sex Matters, Kelly-Jay Keen and her Let Women Speak events, Julie Bindel and Kathleen Stock at The Lesbian Project, and so many other individuals and groups. We are much further behind the curve in the US, but thanks to all who, like Lisa, Kara Dansky, and so many others who keep speaking out, I am hopeful that we are making headway, too.
3 international conferences (Genspect, SEGM) which brought together journalists, researchers, lawyers, advocates, clinicians, detransitioners, and educators. This networking raises spirits, motivates participants, destigmatizes the gender critical position, and creates a legitimate opposition.
Many spelled out well in Jesse's great analysis and in the viral Reddit post which pointed out why its problem wasn't that it was so methodologically weak but that it was so methodologically strong and could not find evidence of benefit and hid a lot of the outcomes.
The Dutch Zembla documentary: The transgender protocol. This documentary shows that the Dutch protocol - which is considered a reference for the medical treatment of transgender young people - is scientifically flawed and the treatments are experimental. https://www.bitchute.com/video/AEFZv6dqtERN/
In the US, I have seen that the state of New Jersey has at least two now, that I’ve heard of, school boards *reversing* the policy of withholding preferred name/pronoun data from parents. I don’t live in New Jersey, but am hoping like social contagion, that spreads to my current state of Maryland where our Montgomery County Public School is very, very liberal and does have the policy where schools and teachers can’t tell the parents if their kids are socially transitioning at school. It really sets up a mistrust between parents and teachers, whereas for many, many years past I believe parents and teachers were collaborating as mature, responsible, caring adults for the well-being and upliftment of the children.
Zembla and the collapse of the Dutch protocol. Everyone saying go back to the Dutch protocol because the Dutch found (smith 2001) that many who didn't meet their criteria later on didn't want to transition, and the Dutch kids seemed simpler. Not as much going on. And I guess some who were happy having transitioned did look like the Dutch profile when young. But Abbruzzese et Al 2023 describe a Dutch group where all the kids desisted. And describe outcomes from the few from the Dutch protocol that they've now followed up...many having issues. Significant number changing their identity...post surgery.
I nominate the interviews with Vaishnavi Sundar on the topic of her upcoming documentary profiling 18 trans widows. Find 2 trailers at Lime Soda Films YT channel. An excerpt that will appear in Behind the Looking Glass, from my memoir:
Bad news Nov 22, 2023: "BOSTON — A new State Police unit will work with other law enforcement agencies and community partners as Gov. Maura Healey's administration looks to bolster strategies for addressing hate-based incidents tied to race, ethnicity and religion, among other biases." Other biases?? How long will we have any freedom of speech at all? With these kinds of onslaughts, not long. Organize now while you still can.
Lifting this up again. Today, 11/27, is the last day to submit comments on what looks to be an extremely bad proposed federal foster care regulation. Here’s the information I have:
I have submitted a comment. Below is the text. I urge everyone to do so. It’s best to use your own words, but feel free to use this as a base. You don't need to be an expert, though all here most likely are:
I write as a staunch Democrat and also a lesbian, which I indicate so there can be no mistake about my perspective, to beg of you not to proceed with this change in regulations until you have fully acquainted yourself with the harms that are being caused by inappropriately applied "gender affirming care." Foster children are at particular risk for confusion about their sex and sexuality and can easily be swept into thinking they are born in the wrong body, when the cause, if examined properly through thoughtful mental health therapy, may likely lie elsewhere.
As just one example, the proposed regulations state, with regard to prospective foster parents, "For example, to be considered a safe and appropriate placement, a provider is expected to utilize the child's identified pronouns, chosen name, and allow the child to dress in an age-appropriate manner that the child believes reflects their self-identified gender identity and expression.”
This is what is called "social transition." The eminent British pediatrician, Dr. Hillary Cass, in her interim report on gender identity services for children and young people, found of social transition that “this may not be thought of as an intervention or treatment, because it is not something that happens within health services. However, it is important to view it as an active intervention because it may have significant effects on the child or young person in terms of their psychological functioning. There are different views on the benefits versus the harms of early social transition. Whatever position one takes, it is important to acknowledge
Ill-considered regulations like the one proposed here have the potential to consign children whose distress is caused by other factors to life-long medical interventions which cause them harm and do not resolve the underlying issues.
What is needed here is to step back from regulations like this and conduct a systemic review like that which has been done in many enlightened European countries. Only from that point will it be possible to determine the best approach in caring for these vulnerable children.
"...The measure, which Kotek is expected to sign, will protect providers who perform abortions or gender-affirming care from prosecution or civil liability as other states restrict or ban such care. It also would strengthen requirements that health insurers cover reproductive health care and gender-affirming care, including treatments like facial feminization surgery and electrolysis that are now treated as cosmetic procedures..."
"But grandpa, what did you do in the great Blue Dress debate of 2023?" - Absolutely no one in 2033
1. Female athletes refusing to play against males. 2. JK Rowling refusing to cave in to those who hate her for defending women's rights to women-only spaces and sports. 3. "A woman is an adult female human."
Time to Think, published in Feb 2023, which is also when the Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling came out.
I’ve been very heartened to see momentum building in the UK on several fronts, thanks to the extraordinarily hard and good work by Maya Forstater and Helen Joyce at Sex Matters, Kelly-Jay Keen and her Let Women Speak events, Julie Bindel and Kathleen Stock at The Lesbian Project, and so many other individuals and groups. We are much further behind the curve in the US, but thanks to all who, like Lisa, Kara Dansky, and so many others who keep speaking out, I am hopeful that we are making headway, too.
3 international conferences (Genspect, SEGM) which brought together journalists, researchers, lawyers, advocates, clinicians, detransitioners, and educators. This networking raises spirits, motivates participants, destigmatizes the gender critical position, and creates a legitimate opposition.
Jamie Reed's courageous whistleblowing yes.
Block's Boston globe article.
The nejm publishing critiques of Chen et Al.
Many spelled out well in Jesse's great analysis and in the viral Reddit post which pointed out why its problem wasn't that it was so methodologically weak but that it was so methodologically strong and could not find evidence of benefit and hid a lot of the outcomes.
https://www.reddit.com/r/medicine/comments/15hhliu/the_chen_2023_paper_raises_serious_concerns_about/
Time to think
Turban not understanding what a systematic review is
The Brandt files
There's so much....
The Dutch Zembla documentary: The transgender protocol. This documentary shows that the Dutch protocol - which is considered a reference for the medical treatment of transgender young people - is scientifically flawed and the treatments are experimental. https://www.bitchute.com/video/AEFZv6dqtERN/
In the US, I have seen that the state of New Jersey has at least two now, that I’ve heard of, school boards *reversing* the policy of withholding preferred name/pronoun data from parents. I don’t live in New Jersey, but am hoping like social contagion, that spreads to my current state of Maryland where our Montgomery County Public School is very, very liberal and does have the policy where schools and teachers can’t tell the parents if their kids are socially transitioning at school. It really sets up a mistrust between parents and teachers, whereas for many, many years past I believe parents and teachers were collaborating as mature, responsible, caring adults for the well-being and upliftment of the children.
Zembla and the collapse of the Dutch protocol. Everyone saying go back to the Dutch protocol because the Dutch found (smith 2001) that many who didn't meet their criteria later on didn't want to transition, and the Dutch kids seemed simpler. Not as much going on. And I guess some who were happy having transitioned did look like the Dutch profile when young. But Abbruzzese et Al 2023 describe a Dutch group where all the kids desisted. And describe outcomes from the few from the Dutch protocol that they've now followed up...many having issues. Significant number changing their identity...post surgery.
I nominate the interviews with Vaishnavi Sundar on the topic of her upcoming documentary profiling 18 trans widows. Find 2 trailers at Lime Soda Films YT channel. An excerpt that will appear in Behind the Looking Glass, from my memoir:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qriekEerELw&t=17s
Bad news Nov 22, 2023: "BOSTON — A new State Police unit will work with other law enforcement agencies and community partners as Gov. Maura Healey's administration looks to bolster strategies for addressing hate-based incidents tied to race, ethnicity and religion, among other biases." Other biases?? How long will we have any freedom of speech at all? With these kinds of onslaughts, not long. Organize now while you still can.
Lifting this up again. Today, 11/27, is the last day to submit comments on what looks to be an extremely bad proposed federal foster care regulation. Here’s the information I have:
To be approved for placement, prospective foster parents are, among other things, “expected to utilize the child’s identified pronouns, chosen name, and allow the child to dress in an age-appropriate manner that the child believes reflects their self-identified gender identity and expression.” Here’s the federal register link: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/09/28/2023-21274/safe-and-appropriate-foster-care-placement-requirements-for-titles-iv-e-and-iv-b
I have submitted a comment. Below is the text. I urge everyone to do so. It’s best to use your own words, but feel free to use this as a base. You don't need to be an expert, though all here most likely are:
I write as a staunch Democrat and also a lesbian, which I indicate so there can be no mistake about my perspective, to beg of you not to proceed with this change in regulations until you have fully acquainted yourself with the harms that are being caused by inappropriately applied "gender affirming care." Foster children are at particular risk for confusion about their sex and sexuality and can easily be swept into thinking they are born in the wrong body, when the cause, if examined properly through thoughtful mental health therapy, may likely lie elsewhere.
As just one example, the proposed regulations state, with regard to prospective foster parents, "For example, to be considered a safe and appropriate placement, a provider is expected to utilize the child's identified pronouns, chosen name, and allow the child to dress in an age-appropriate manner that the child believes reflects their self-identified gender identity and expression.”
This is what is called "social transition." The eminent British pediatrician, Dr. Hillary Cass, in her interim report on gender identity services for children and young people, found of social transition that “this may not be thought of as an intervention or treatment, because it is not something that happens within health services. However, it is important to view it as an active intervention because it may have significant effects on the child or young person in terms of their psychological functioning. There are different views on the benefits versus the harms of early social transition. Whatever position one takes, it is important to acknowledge
that it is not a neutral act, anda better information is needed about outcomes. "https://cass.independent-review.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Cass-Review-Interim-Report-Final-Web-Accessible.pdf
Ill-considered regulations like the one proposed here have the potential to consign children whose distress is caused by other factors to life-long medical interventions which cause them harm and do not resolve the underlying issues.
What is needed here is to step back from regulations like this and conduct a systemic review like that which has been done in many enlightened European countries. Only from that point will it be possible to determine the best approach in caring for these vulnerable children.
Thank you for your consideration.
https://oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2023/06/21/abortion-transgender-care-bill-that-nearly-torpedoed-oregon-legislative-session-heads-to-governor/
"...The measure, which Kotek is expected to sign, will protect providers who perform abortions or gender-affirming care from prosecution or civil liability as other states restrict or ban such care. It also would strengthen requirements that health insurers cover reproductive health care and gender-affirming care, including treatments like facial feminization surgery and electrolysis that are now treated as cosmetic procedures..."
This has just been published in Australian newspapers.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/talking-trans-adolescents-gender-transition-and-the-conversations-we-need-to-have-20231103-p5ehin.html
I somehow missed this Chen paper/release of NIH data. Has there been discussion around that? What are the takeaways from various camps? Analysis?