Two PSAs!
A rally against NYS Prop 1 today; Recruitment for new study
Today at 12:30 PM in New York City, there’a a rally against Prop 1, the New York State “Equal Rights Amendment.” I try not to endorse any particular point of view here—my goal is to help liberals understand gender issues that are presented as good/bad or black/white, which prevents them from seeing the whole picture. I’m working with some viewpoint diversity orgs to hold an event about Prop 1, for just that reason. That said, I’m sharing this information about the rally because I believe almost nobody knows that this Constitutional amendment will be on the ballot, nor what it means.
Here’s a negative review of the proposal. Here’s a positive one. Read them both and tell me where you land!
Meanwhile, there’s a new study being launched that’s looking at the effects of gender dysphoria on the entire family. If any of you have ever received a ransom note saying, “Respect my kid’s subjective sense of self or we cut you off,” you know how devastating the belief system of gender identity can be.
This kind of research always benefits from diverse subjects, so even though this newsletter tends to reach the converted, I’d love it if the unconverted participate.
Here’s more:
“The purpose of this research is to explore the psychological well-being, family factors, sexual orientation, health care, and the course of gender dysphoria over time for gender dysphoric youth. We hope to enroll pairs of family members–a gender dysphoric youth and one of their parents/guardians–to complete a series of separate online surveys over a period of five years. However, participation of both family members is not required. Gender dysphoric youth can participate without involving their parents, and parents of gender dysphoric youth can participate without involving their gender dysphoric child. Research participation requires completing an Internet survey, is voluntary, and is not compensated.
Specifically, we are looking for participants who are either: 1) a person who is 13-21 years of age and has gender dysphoria or 2) a person who is the parent of a 13-21 year old gender dysphoric youth. All participants must be English-speaking and live in one of the countries listed on our website:WWW.AYAGDOS.ORG. These include the U.S., the U.K., Canada, Australia, and members of the European Union.
The study Investigators are J. Michael Bailey (Principal Investigator); Lisa Littman (Principal Investigator); and Kenneth J. Zucker (Co-Investigator). The Northwestern University IRB Study Number is STU00215665 and the BRANY IRB Study Number is 22-076-1188.
Additional information and a link to schedule a screening interview can be found on the study website: WWW.AYAGDOS.ORG. Please consider posting the website announcement (below) or a study flyer (attached) on your website. If you have any questions about the study, please feel free to contact the research team at: AYAGDOS@gmail.com”
I just returned home from the rally in NYC. It wasn't that large but the speakers were good and hit all the issues. When I arrived I was sitting on a bench and Eli Erhlich sat across the way from me with an " outside agitator" tshirt. There were a handful of agitator screaming stuff but there was also a guy with a tshirt urging violence against pedophiles screaming back. I think Newsmax was covering it. I stood with a nice lady from WOLF and a Mom for Liberty from Queens. Last night a watched "On the basis of Sex" on Netflix about RBG. It made me want to cry for how women's rights are being blown up. I held a sign that said #IStandWithSallGrover.
I've talked to lots of people about this and still don't have a clear grasp. And that's, I think, because the amendment is so unclear. It doesn't say abortion directly. I think it's fine to propose an abortion amendment, and people can vote on it. I think that gender identity is not part of sex—it's anathema to sex. They interrupt one another. Many people don't understand the power of a constitutional amendment, and think anti-discrimination sounds good and we should add as many categories as possible. It's so hard to argue against that. And I don't have enough information to make a case either way. But what I can say is: we need a lot more information about this in order to vote responsibly.