And they are not addressing the PHYSICAL TRAUMA of surgery. Yes it is a trauma to the body. Tissues are severed with knives and scalpels and other body parts are cut to add to the new creation. Intestines are sometimes used to create neo-vaginas. As Lisa has mentioned the complication rate is extremely high.
Are they telling the parents this?
Are they discussing orgasms with children who have never experienced an orgasm and have no idea what that is like?
Are parents making decisions about their child’s future lack of orgasms?
Where are the bioethicists?
To be clear, I do not know what gender identity means. I know that I was born a female baby. I was not assigned at birth. This is some kind of political language and I do not use it. I liked running in the woods in old clothes that were handed down from my brothers. I liked skiing fast. Oops, now you can identify me as privileged…
I liked arm-wrestling with boys.
Thank God nobody used the word gender other than a word to connote the sex of one human or another.
Yes I get it, I am old. I have no pronouns. I am not cis. I am a humanist. I am interested in humans and what they are interested in and not in what kind of sex they have.
What kind of art do you like?
Do you like art?
Do you like reading books?
Do you prefer fiction or nonfiction?
Do you like walking in the woods?
Do you like sitting at a busy café and sipping a flat-white?
Do you like mangoes?
What about roasted cauliflower?
Are you one of those people who say they hate musicals?
This is what I want to know.
Who are you?
I don’t care how you identify.
I do not know what that means.
If we go to the woods and make a small fire, do we have something to talk about?
“While I don’t want to ban books, I believe it’s fine, important even, for us to debate what’s age-appropriate.”
Thank you for saying this. Framing the issue of age appropriateness as “book banning” has always confused and frustrated me. But if we’re going to frame it as book banning, and book banning is bad, does it work the other way? Would liberal librarians and parents be ok with having “My Body is Me” by Rachel Rooney, which celebrates accepting the body you have, read to classes? Many school libraries have a section for parents with books about parenting and education. Would they allow Abigail Shrier’s “Irreversible Damage” to be available for parents to check out and read and let the parents make up their own minds about whether the book is transphobic or successfully makes the case for there being a transgender social contagion among girls?
" In fact, until recently, most liberals would have objected to teaching children that mermaids and princesses and dresses and pink are only for girls."
I still object!
And they didn't construct a vagina for her, they constructed a pouch between her legs. It does not lead to a uterus, ovaries or anything, it's not part of a reproductive system (or where one was if the person had a hysterectomy). They should stop lying about this.
Exactly. Thank you for writing this and for making it public. This is definitely something to share with friends and with schools. A sympathetic and "progressive" friend of mine said to me the other day: "I don't know how it would feel to be in the wrong body", and I wanted to say "kids only feel like that because they are told that!" Take CJ, the gender non conforming boy who told his parents he was a girl, but they insisted that he was a boy and allowed him to dress and act in whatever way he chose (his mom wrote a book, something like "raising my rainbow"). This was some years ago, and his parents were celebrated by the "progressive" crowd. I bet now they would be called "transphobic bigots" by many of those same people...
Very good article, thank you, Lisa! About Jazz, sadly, I see him/her as a victim of societal and familial child abuse (imagine being okay with chronicling your child's very personal life and surgeries in a tv series!) So I highly question her parents' motives. In my view, the whole "trans" and "trans kids" agenda's take-over of modern society (in the US, for sure) was a definitive backlash against the gains of the LGB rights and women's movements. It was actually pretty naive to think there wouldn't be a big backlash. Trans here is similar in a way to what they do to gay men and lesbians in Iran, though supposedly not as a punishment like Iran -- it's a way to trans the gay away. That's what happened to Jazz. Dear little gender-non-conforming boy. It's a tragedy and a disgrace, though I feel nothing but sympathy and acceptance for Jazz, under the circumstances. Jaron Bloshinsky never had the chance to be himself and grow up into his natural body. Sorry for going on (obviously I feel strongly about this issue!) Keep doing what you're doing, much appreciated! P.S. I too remember Free To Be You and Me. It was a wonderful time, full of promise. Such a shame we've ended up like this.
Thank you for making this a public post. It strikes just the right note. I have already sent it to a few friends, and our household twitter maven (not me) has put two of your tweets of the this substack on twitter. I have also just listened to a "NowThis" of Biden's forum on trans rights: https://nowthisnews.com/news/nowthis-presidential-forum-biden-trans-rights It's clear he is not being adequately advised (as I saw it, he is conflating several issues into a single idea, with which I hope we all agree, that people who are trans should be enabled to have good lives, without harassment, and he also seems to be framing this as a partisan issue). I have taken the step now of calling Senator Gillibrand (one of my two Senators), advising I had watched the forum clip and was concerned that, while Biden's motive was laudable, important voices, notably those of women and mothers who are NOT right wing ideologues and who have many valid concerns, about, eg, the sex-based rights of women and girls and the medicalization of children presenting as gender-nonconforming, are not being heard. I recommended, and I hope you don't mind this, that she reach out to you, Lisa, and hear what you have to say. (Perhaps you've already tried this, but in the event.) The person with whom I spoke was respectful and did not seem to be dismissive. I'd like to recommend to anyone else here who has not done so to contact their Congresspeople on this.
This is an excellent piece, as always Lisa. I really wish the movie, Palmer, with Justin Timberlake had gotten more attention. The little boy in that movie is an example of another way to raise a boy who likes girl things. I highly recommend it. It's so refreshing. The boy is obsessed with princesses and the idea of "trans" is never mentioned. The boy is bullied, yes, (and there's various family drama) but nobody tries to say this boy is a literal girl, everyone is encouraged to accept him as a unique and creative boy. If they had transed him, the movie probably would have been a hit. But since it was about actual literal acceptance of gender non-conformity, it didn't make many waves.
The book should not be removed from libraries. But someone really needs to write a children’s book where a de-transitioner is the main character. And detail the suffering and surgeries with nice colorful drawings.
As a parent of young kids, who have transitioned classmates in lower elementary school, I struggle with how to teach these concepts to my kids. ALL the books (and there are many, all read at my kids' school) treat social transition as a true solve, the family recognizes the child's real gender and the child grows up. Nothing about surgery, hormones, the psychological burden of growing up at war with your body. And many are so unscientific, saying things like the doctor made a mistake assigning sex at birth. And I feel like if there were books on the "opposite" side, they would be promoting sin and telling non conforming kids there was something wrong with not fulfilling traditional gender roles. It's super frustrating as a liberal parent who has concerns about what is best here, but who does not want to raise kids to think poorly of their peers or their families, all of whom are trying their best to navigate this strange new world.
Thank you Lisa for your insights. This area is complex and emotionally charged for all of us. Years ago, when I was working as a child therapist, I learned that a small percentage of babies are born with “ambiguous” genitalia and are “assigned” a sex which is recorded on the birth certificate. I don’t know what the doctor parents are told by the doctor, but education is necessary, for the both the parents and the doctor. I second the call for bioethicists to educate all of us.
You are so right about the physical trauma of surgery, and that is a very important point. People tend to assume too quickly that because surgery is done in a medical setting and is sterile, it's not a big deal. Speaking as someone who has had heart surgery and a hysterectomy (at different times!!), it is a VERY big deal, even when there are no post-surgery complications.
I would be interested in anyone else's thoughts on how they might have handled this. I sent Lisa's Jaxx article to a fellow with whom I'm pretty good friends. He's ntelligent, thoughtful, a lot of good things. He hasn't replied directly to that--and it's possible he may not have seen it as of yet. But thinking he may have, and of a couple past exchanges with him, I had the following exchange, which transpired on reading an editorial on Biden's "Now This" on trans, in, of all things, the New York Post.
Me to him: What’s the worst about this is that the editorial has it correct. The guy Biden sat down with is a professional actor who figured out how to get attention. He’s a grifter adult who dresses up like a child. (In one Tik-tok, about menstrual products, he refers to “Barbie Pouches,” and I’ll just let you imagine what that means.) https://nypost.com/2022/10/24/why-did-president-biden-just-endorse-the-most-radical-trans-madness/ A LOT of left of center women are really pissed off (including our household). Now, what we can be sure of is that Biden is clueless—so the question is who advised him to walk into this trap? End of rant . . .
My friend replied: "Well, the clip you linked isn’t itself damning. If that’s a man in drag pretending to be trans, Joe Sixpack might well be fooled, or at best confused. Be interesting to see if this is given time on MSM news. I’ll look for it tonight. Maybe they’ll feature Charlie Crist’s takedown of DeSantis instead!"
To which I responded: "I am disappointed in you on this. I really thought you would see what is so, so wrong with this, or I wouldn’t have even tried. Look further, is all I can say. The link is to the Post article, BTW, not any of this narcissistic jerk’s tik-toks. Did you read the Selin Davis article I sent? What is happening in real time is that young people with many comorbidities that should sound alarms about mental health needs, are being castrated, having double mastectomies, and worse, in the name of “gender affirming” care, when actually, what many of them are are gender-nonconforming kids who would, if left alone medically and supported, would grow up gay. The NHS in England is getting the drift, finally, but here is Biden affirming the worst practices, and valorizing a perverted, narcissistic little drip who equates women’s vaginas with Barbie Pouches. C’mon, you’re smarter than this! Do your homework!"
I have some thoughts about the exchange, but I'll hold them back. Would be interested in anyone's thoughts.
And they are not addressing the PHYSICAL TRAUMA of surgery. Yes it is a trauma to the body. Tissues are severed with knives and scalpels and other body parts are cut to add to the new creation. Intestines are sometimes used to create neo-vaginas. As Lisa has mentioned the complication rate is extremely high.
Are they telling the parents this?
Are they discussing orgasms with children who have never experienced an orgasm and have no idea what that is like?
Are parents making decisions about their child’s future lack of orgasms?
Where are the bioethicists?
To be clear, I do not know what gender identity means. I know that I was born a female baby. I was not assigned at birth. This is some kind of political language and I do not use it. I liked running in the woods in old clothes that were handed down from my brothers. I liked skiing fast. Oops, now you can identify me as privileged…
I liked arm-wrestling with boys.
Thank God nobody used the word gender other than a word to connote the sex of one human or another.
Why does everybody want a super-special identity?
Demisexual. Pansexual. Asexual. Eunuch. Nullo. Agender. Queer. Non-binary.
Yes I get it, I am old. I have no pronouns. I am not cis. I am a humanist. I am interested in humans and what they are interested in and not in what kind of sex they have.
What kind of art do you like?
Do you like art?
Do you like reading books?
Do you prefer fiction or nonfiction?
Do you like walking in the woods?
Do you like sitting at a busy café and sipping a flat-white?
Do you like mangoes?
What about roasted cauliflower?
Are you one of those people who say they hate musicals?
This is what I want to know.
Who are you?
I don’t care how you identify.
I do not know what that means.
If we go to the woods and make a small fire, do we have something to talk about?
Let’s try that.
Thank you Lisa Selin Davis.
“While I don’t want to ban books, I believe it’s fine, important even, for us to debate what’s age-appropriate.”
Thank you for saying this. Framing the issue of age appropriateness as “book banning” has always confused and frustrated me. But if we’re going to frame it as book banning, and book banning is bad, does it work the other way? Would liberal librarians and parents be ok with having “My Body is Me” by Rachel Rooney, which celebrates accepting the body you have, read to classes? Many school libraries have a section for parents with books about parenting and education. Would they allow Abigail Shrier’s “Irreversible Damage” to be available for parents to check out and read and let the parents make up their own minds about whether the book is transphobic or successfully makes the case for there being a transgender social contagion among girls?
Thank you!!
" In fact, until recently, most liberals would have objected to teaching children that mermaids and princesses and dresses and pink are only for girls."
I still object!
And they didn't construct a vagina for her, they constructed a pouch between her legs. It does not lead to a uterus, ovaries or anything, it's not part of a reproductive system (or where one was if the person had a hysterectomy). They should stop lying about this.
Exactly. Thank you for writing this and for making it public. This is definitely something to share with friends and with schools. A sympathetic and "progressive" friend of mine said to me the other day: "I don't know how it would feel to be in the wrong body", and I wanted to say "kids only feel like that because they are told that!" Take CJ, the gender non conforming boy who told his parents he was a girl, but they insisted that he was a boy and allowed him to dress and act in whatever way he chose (his mom wrote a book, something like "raising my rainbow"). This was some years ago, and his parents were celebrated by the "progressive" crowd. I bet now they would be called "transphobic bigots" by many of those same people...
Very good article, thank you, Lisa! About Jazz, sadly, I see him/her as a victim of societal and familial child abuse (imagine being okay with chronicling your child's very personal life and surgeries in a tv series!) So I highly question her parents' motives. In my view, the whole "trans" and "trans kids" agenda's take-over of modern society (in the US, for sure) was a definitive backlash against the gains of the LGB rights and women's movements. It was actually pretty naive to think there wouldn't be a big backlash. Trans here is similar in a way to what they do to gay men and lesbians in Iran, though supposedly not as a punishment like Iran -- it's a way to trans the gay away. That's what happened to Jazz. Dear little gender-non-conforming boy. It's a tragedy and a disgrace, though I feel nothing but sympathy and acceptance for Jazz, under the circumstances. Jaron Bloshinsky never had the chance to be himself and grow up into his natural body. Sorry for going on (obviously I feel strongly about this issue!) Keep doing what you're doing, much appreciated! P.S. I too remember Free To Be You and Me. It was a wonderful time, full of promise. Such a shame we've ended up like this.
Thank you for making this a public post. It strikes just the right note. I have already sent it to a few friends, and our household twitter maven (not me) has put two of your tweets of the this substack on twitter. I have also just listened to a "NowThis" of Biden's forum on trans rights: https://nowthisnews.com/news/nowthis-presidential-forum-biden-trans-rights It's clear he is not being adequately advised (as I saw it, he is conflating several issues into a single idea, with which I hope we all agree, that people who are trans should be enabled to have good lives, without harassment, and he also seems to be framing this as a partisan issue). I have taken the step now of calling Senator Gillibrand (one of my two Senators), advising I had watched the forum clip and was concerned that, while Biden's motive was laudable, important voices, notably those of women and mothers who are NOT right wing ideologues and who have many valid concerns, about, eg, the sex-based rights of women and girls and the medicalization of children presenting as gender-nonconforming, are not being heard. I recommended, and I hope you don't mind this, that she reach out to you, Lisa, and hear what you have to say. (Perhaps you've already tried this, but in the event.) The person with whom I spoke was respectful and did not seem to be dismissive. I'd like to recommend to anyone else here who has not done so to contact their Congresspeople on this.
This is an excellent piece, as always Lisa. I really wish the movie, Palmer, with Justin Timberlake had gotten more attention. The little boy in that movie is an example of another way to raise a boy who likes girl things. I highly recommend it. It's so refreshing. The boy is obsessed with princesses and the idea of "trans" is never mentioned. The boy is bullied, yes, (and there's various family drama) but nobody tries to say this boy is a literal girl, everyone is encouraged to accept him as a unique and creative boy. If they had transed him, the movie probably would have been a hit. But since it was about actual literal acceptance of gender non-conformity, it didn't make many waves.
The book should not be removed from libraries. But someone really needs to write a children’s book where a de-transitioner is the main character. And detail the suffering and surgeries with nice colorful drawings.
Kids read and enjoy horror books.
As a parent of young kids, who have transitioned classmates in lower elementary school, I struggle with how to teach these concepts to my kids. ALL the books (and there are many, all read at my kids' school) treat social transition as a true solve, the family recognizes the child's real gender and the child grows up. Nothing about surgery, hormones, the psychological burden of growing up at war with your body. And many are so unscientific, saying things like the doctor made a mistake assigning sex at birth. And I feel like if there were books on the "opposite" side, they would be promoting sin and telling non conforming kids there was something wrong with not fulfilling traditional gender roles. It's super frustrating as a liberal parent who has concerns about what is best here, but who does not want to raise kids to think poorly of their peers or their families, all of whom are trying their best to navigate this strange new world.
Thank you Lisa for your insights. This area is complex and emotionally charged for all of us. Years ago, when I was working as a child therapist, I learned that a small percentage of babies are born with “ambiguous” genitalia and are “assigned” a sex which is recorded on the birth certificate. I don’t know what the doctor parents are told by the doctor, but education is necessary, for the both the parents and the doctor. I second the call for bioethicists to educate all of us.
You are so right about the physical trauma of surgery, and that is a very important point. People tend to assume too quickly that because surgery is done in a medical setting and is sterile, it's not a big deal. Speaking as someone who has had heart surgery and a hysterectomy (at different times!!), it is a VERY big deal, even when there are no post-surgery complications.
I would be interested in anyone else's thoughts on how they might have handled this. I sent Lisa's Jaxx article to a fellow with whom I'm pretty good friends. He's ntelligent, thoughtful, a lot of good things. He hasn't replied directly to that--and it's possible he may not have seen it as of yet. But thinking he may have, and of a couple past exchanges with him, I had the following exchange, which transpired on reading an editorial on Biden's "Now This" on trans, in, of all things, the New York Post.
Me to him: What’s the worst about this is that the editorial has it correct. The guy Biden sat down with is a professional actor who figured out how to get attention. He’s a grifter adult who dresses up like a child. (In one Tik-tok, about menstrual products, he refers to “Barbie Pouches,” and I’ll just let you imagine what that means.) https://nypost.com/2022/10/24/why-did-president-biden-just-endorse-the-most-radical-trans-madness/ A LOT of left of center women are really pissed off (including our household). Now, what we can be sure of is that Biden is clueless—so the question is who advised him to walk into this trap? End of rant . . .
My friend replied: "Well, the clip you linked isn’t itself damning. If that’s a man in drag pretending to be trans, Joe Sixpack might well be fooled, or at best confused. Be interesting to see if this is given time on MSM news. I’ll look for it tonight. Maybe they’ll feature Charlie Crist’s takedown of DeSantis instead!"
To which I responded: "I am disappointed in you on this. I really thought you would see what is so, so wrong with this, or I wouldn’t have even tried. Look further, is all I can say. The link is to the Post article, BTW, not any of this narcissistic jerk’s tik-toks. Did you read the Selin Davis article I sent? What is happening in real time is that young people with many comorbidities that should sound alarms about mental health needs, are being castrated, having double mastectomies, and worse, in the name of “gender affirming” care, when actually, what many of them are are gender-nonconforming kids who would, if left alone medically and supported, would grow up gay. The NHS in England is getting the drift, finally, but here is Biden affirming the worst practices, and valorizing a perverted, narcissistic little drip who equates women’s vaginas with Barbie Pouches. C’mon, you’re smarter than this! Do your homework!"
I have some thoughts about the exchange, but I'll hold them back. Would be interested in anyone's thoughts.