By David M. Greenwald
Executive Editor
Davis, CA – Evolutionary biologist and founding editor of Reality’s Last Stand, Colin Wright, returned to Davis on Saturday, where he had been an undergraduate student a decade ago. Wright drew a fair-sized audience of 40 to 50 inside the library, and another 20 to 30 protesters outside of the library.
Both sides largely kept to their own space, which resulted in no notable disruptions or confrontations.
Wright began with a relatively lengthy talk explaining his position where he clearly came down on the side of sex being a biological and binary phenomenon where one is either male or female, and spent much of his time attempting to dispel alternatives such as a spectrum or a social construct.
Wright explained where he was coming from, saying, “I’m not a pundit. I’m not here to provoke anybody. I’m not a bigot. I just want to make factual claims about biology.”
He added, “I see my duty as a scientist is really just to, state things about how the world is, and then we can all have productive conversations about what we do about those, the state of reality.”
He added, “I’m not political. I’m not here to own the libs. I’m not here to get certain candidates elected into office. I just want to make factual claims about biology, and then we can all hopefully have productive conversation.”
He called “some of the biggest pseudoscience out there” the “notion that sex is a spectrum.”
He spent considerable time attempting to debunk “this myth.” Instead, he argued, “There are only two sexes in human. And so, because there’s only two sexes, sex is binary, that should be the end of the talk.”?
But he argued, “A lot of activists will try to just muddy the waters about those absolutely basic facts of, of biology.”
On the other side, the Phoenix Coalition’s Anoosh Jorjorian explained that they are there today because the Mom’s For Liberty, Yolo Chapter, was holding an event.
She explained, “He is a specialist in spiders. Apparently because spiders have only two sexes, he believes that this applies to human sex and human gender identity, which is incorrect.”
She explained that this “erases, the entire population of intersex folks. And of course, gender as a human construction is not, (and) does not have a parallel in spiders.
“Because there’s been this ongoing campaign of disinformation and lies about the trans community, about how trans children transition and about our organization, we are here to provide some truth,” Jorjorian told the Vanguard. “We have a truth booth set up for people who are interested in learning the real facts. And we’re here to show that Davis rejects transphobia.”
For local parent Allie Snyder she explained how she got into this fight because she recently became aware of the “mental and physical harm” resulting from DJUSD policies.
Snyder said, “I encourage parents and guardians to get curious, find out exactly what your children are being taught and by whom. When I began sharing my concerns with my child’s science teacher two years ago, I was dismissed as prejudiced and not taken seriously.”
She said, “This year, my kids were asked by multiple teachers for their preferred pronouns on their first day of school, forcing them to consider if they may have been born in the wrong body. I had immediate conversations with their principals and the teachers responsible. Additionally, I began addressing my concerns to the school board and continue to do so regularly.
“Our kids are constantly bombarded with gender dogma on their campuses and often compelled to repeat it,” Snyder explained. “The pressure to comply with peers and school messaging is hard on children who know someone’s feelings can’t change their sex. The emotional bullying that comes with non-compliance is enormous.”
The second part of Colin Wright’s talk examined current trends and what is happening in Davis.
Going through a number of definitions, he concluded: “Masculine girls and feminine boys are considered transgender by definition. There’s no such thing as like gender nonconformity anymore.”
He added that “the most horrific part of this whole thing is that this is, this is part of the, there’s a giant medical apparatus that swings into motion for, to medicalize what is just common gender nonconformity, tomboys and feminine, and feminine males.”
He continued, “It’s no wonder that we’re seeing this 20- to 40-fold of spike in the number of kids who think that they’re trans. I’m surprised it’s not even more in this and probably will be.”
He ran through DJUSD’s guidelines, after the 2013 passage of AB 1266, saying “the faculty must use their preferred, preferred name. They can name themselves whatever they want (even if) it’s different from what their parents name (them). They can use cross-sex pronouns that you must now use, and they have to have access to opposite sex restrooms and facilities.”
Wright explained, “Most pernicious about it is included, included this right to privacy. You required a student’s written consent before their trans or gender nonconforming status was disclosed to anyone, including their parents.”
These new guidelines, he argued, “resulted in California being this hotspot as a state for gender ideology and kids identifying as trans.”
Trans-identified kids in California in 2020, he explained are at 1.93 percent, which is “38 percent higher than the national average.”
In Davis, pulling from two surveys, he concluded that seven percent of 11th graders identify as neither male or female.
“This is an absolute floor estimate” because he said some students will identify fully with “actual cross-sex identifies.”
He therefore argued that “this floor estimate is 4.3 times the national average and three times California’s national average.”
Why is it so high? He offered explanation of demographics—largely white, upper middle class and educated— “that tends to be sort of the class of people that tend to be going all in on the gender stuff.”
He also argued political orientation.
Finally, he said, “You have this sort of mental illness feedback loop where you have these survey results that show all the trans and non-binary kids are, you know, extremely low, uh, mental health. And then they use that as sort of just justification for policies that double down on this gender ideology that further makes the kids detached from their bodily existence that causes them to have more, even more plummeted mental health.”
Anoosh Jorjorian believes that most of the community is on their side.
While the second part of the presentation included a local Davis mother, Allie Snyder, according to DJUSD, the number of current parents who have complained about curriculum is exceedingly low.
“We have seen again and again, every time this group comes out to promote transphobic narratives and transphobic disinformation, that the community comes out in exponentially higher numbers to rebuke their message.”
She said, “Unfortunately, it’s only a handful of people who are behind this, and yet they seem to have unlimited amounts of time to not only put on events like this, but to attend every single public meeting and also send email after email, after email to our public officials wasting their time on these, their made-up concerns.”
We have seen the temperature in the room rising at times. At the city council meeting, a near-shoving match broke out. At various school board meetings, we have seen the situations escalate as well.
However, things remained calm on Saturday.
Jorjorian explained, “Our purpose today is to really represent queer and trans joy. So we are not interested in confronting them or raising the temperature at all. We are here to show that there are healthy, happy trans folks and people who love them. And we are here to celebrate human difference.”
Hear, hear.
This messaging needs to stop in schools.
Or maybe most of the community is afraid to speak out because of fear of the “emotional bullying that comes with non-compliance is enormous”.
“Or maybe most of the community is afraid to speak out because of fear of the “emotional bullying that comes with non-compliance is enormous”.”
It’s impossible to evaluate “dog don’t bite data.”
I was however curious, how many parents had emailed the school district expressing concerns. The answer I got was less than a handful.
I was also interested to see how many parent aged people would be in the audience. Answer was not many.
So is there a hidden population out there that’s outraged about this stuff but not engaging? Possibly, but there is no data to support the notion at this point.
David, you play up groups of 10 college students or others showing up to council meetings as some big outpouring while you play down 50 people showing up to Wright’s presentation. Is it because you don’t agree with him?
Also, aren’t you the person who used to say that for every one person that speaks out, sends a letter or an email that there’s 100 more people that they represent?
You speculated that the “community is afraid to speak out” and I evaluated the limited data we have.
Here it is, in your own words. But I was wrong, you wrote “at least” 100, so it’s probably much more.
You’re arguing a point that I’m not disputing. I’m sure there are a lot more people concerned about this issue than showed up yesterday. That wasn’t the point of my comment.
The speaker explained it. He claims our demographics – “white, upper middle class and educated” along with “political affiliation” – for our community’s general views regarding LGBTQI issues.
If there’s a legitimate “phobia” to be had, the above comment encapsulates it.
It’s unfortunate that the population most at-risk of being victimized by this doesn’t see it (and instead, focuses its misguided, negative attention on those pointing it out). The ramifications will be seen over time, including – I suspect – more lawsuits. (Which might ultimately be its undoing.)
I think this is what we are seeing in a nutshell. I can’t believe that some people are actually okay with youths making medical decisions at this stage of their lives without their parent’s input.
BTW, Colin Wright is a scientist, I thought progressives push the narrative that we have to follow the science.
“BTW, Colin Wright is a scientist, I thought progressives push the narrative that we have to follow the science.”
That would depend on the progressive. Painting a very broad brush here is probably not that helpful.
One thing I didn’t do was reach out to biologists to get their view. You’re comment seems to assume that Wright is scientifically accurate and representative of the science.
I had one biologist message me that in their view, what Wright is saying “is not scientifically accurate” nor “supported by the majority of biologists.”
Your argument here might be seen as akin to citing anti-vaxxers as being representative of virologists or climate deniers as being representative of climate science.
“a scientist” is not “the science.”
I remember that when you guys post what some scientist(s) claim about climate change.
The scientific consensus about climate change is overwhelming. There are some scientists who disagree about some aspects, and a tiny number who disagree about the foundational aspects. Good example, but, as usual, you are completely off topic and absurdly reductionist in your attempt about whataboutism/bothsidesism/libsarehypocrites.
His view on the science of human gender has not been valid for at least four decades, based on what I was taught in Graduate School in the ’80s. He has an agenda and is using his ‘training’ to justify his misstatements about biology in order to further that agenda. Suffice it to say, his views are not consistent with the scientific consensus on the topic.
The fact of climate change is a widely held consensus among climate specialists. The scientists opposing that consensus view are a scant minority.
My guess is that the scientific consensus regarding the biological existence of males vs. females for all mammals vastly exceeds the scientific consensus regarding climate change.
And that gender studies are not part of biology.
Unfortunately for some, perceived gender is driving some people to try to change their biology, paid for by Obamacare for that matter.
How this came to be viewed as an issue to take a “political side” on is a sad statement for an increasingly-sick society.
Why are you guessing rather than conducting research into the question?
“I’m not the one who brought it up.”
That’s irrelevant. If you’re going to make a claim, have some evidence to back it up.
I already framed my response as a “guess”, in response to your and Don’s unsupported claim.
Truth be told, I don’t feel a need to research this. It’s not my responsibility if some believe they should try to change their biology.
You might want to watch Matt Walsh’s video, regarding the money behind this. Honestly, anyone with an open mind would be shocked to see what the videotape shows hospital administrators stating (regarding the money, and any medical personnel who might “object” to this). (I believe it was in reference to minors, but would have to watch it again.)
Perceived gender is indeed different than biology, but “causes” some people to try to change their biology (with the support of Obamacare and the business interests this supports).
It does seem ironic that it takes someone like Matt Walsh to point out the corruptive influence of money in regard to this issue. (That “used to be” what those on the “left” pointed out.)
Conclusion: Republicans are the ones that have made this a political issue when it wasn’t before. That’s Republican sickness you are referring to.
The only people who would claim such a thing arrived at a conclusion as soon as they figured out which side “their” tribe was on.
Seemingly-ironically, the Republicans are on the side of biology and evidence, this time – as well as the side that is tracking the corruptive influence of money.
That is, unless one believes that babies are “assigned” a sex at birth.
The “progressive” side (for lack of a better word) is purposefully-confusing tolerance (e.g., “transphobia”) with science. These issues are unrelated.
If the definition of “man” and “woman” (or “male” and “female”) are now being debated, there really is no way to discuss this in any kind of logical manner.
To follow-up on the point above, it seems that (increasingly) some on the “left” are increasingly-adopting views that used to be associated with the “right” (e.g., anti-science, anti-free speech, pro-development and other moneyed interests, and a general lack of what we used to call “tolerance” and respect regarding others’ views – or even basic facts).
They increasingly sound an awful lot like how some used to define “conservatives”.
Ron has painted with his customary broad brush … with a very dated timeframe as his “paint” source. The science of the genetics branch of biology has changed substantially since technology gave geneticists and biologists the ability to sequence genes. Because of those scientific advances, which Ron chooses to ignore, what was once seen as a biological emptiness between a human being with a Y chromosome and a human being with no Y chromosome is now seen as a continuum of an massive number of genetic combinations. As a result it is possible to scientifically study the genetic makeup of those people the speaker referred to as “masculine girls” and “feminine boys”
Further, as is very clearly described by Bessel van der Kolk in his superb 2014 book The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma an individual person’s life experience can result in their brain “rewiring” itself as a defens against experienced trauma, which makes the binary choice between only male / female even more scientifically unsound.
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The conscious political bias of this statement is sad. The vast majority of all insurance plans, whether public or private, pay for these medical interventions when prescribed by one or more doctors.
Since intersex people exist, his assertion is factually incorrect. Intersex people exist with many genetic and physiological variations. It is more accurate to say that sex is bimodal, with clusters of characteristics which predominate but with some overlap. There are at least sixteen chromosomal variations that occur naturally. And sex and gender are not the same thing.
Thank you Don. You have illuminated the reality very well.
I believe his sex definition is strictly what type of gamete an individual will eventually produce. When I researched him just now (I’ve never heard of him before this article), he talks about intersex in this clip: https://youtu.be/HofqLZhoS4c?t=147.
Having listened to that clip, and speaking from my own background in genetics, his definition is a very Evolutionary Biology way of looking at sex. What I mean by that is that Evolutionary Biology as a discipline primarily studies how populations of organisms adapt and change over multiple generations, and so for that purpose all that really matters about any individual is what genetic traits they’ll pass on to their offspring. So for that line of inquiry, it makes sense to base your definitions on what kind of gametes are produced, and abstract away any minor variations as unimportant to the overall analysis. But that’s not a universal definition, just the one that works best for what that specially is interested in studying. We biologists overall tend to try and make simplified models of the real world so that we can analyze large-scale trends, but the underlying reality is always more complicated and doesn’t really fit well into neat boxes.
I don’t think that an Evolutionary Biology approach is a very useful or appropriate way to look at sex for the purpose of organizing human society, since whether or how we reproduce really isn’t the most important thing about how we live our lives, or what’s really under discussion when we look at how biology interacts with societal structures. The reason that there’s a separate term of “gender” under discussion is that we build a whole lot of societal structures and norms that are very loosely based on human reproductive biology (mostly whatever is our most visible anatomical structures in certain areas.) Those are only somewhat linked to what gametes an individual produces, and for the purpose of living in a functioning society, it’s really not a good idea to abstract away the individuals who don’t fit neatly into the major boxes. With multiple billions of people on the planet, if we have 1% that doesn’t fit either of our binary categories, that translates to millions of individuals who, to my mind, deserve to be able to live their lives to their fullest without being artificially forced into roles that they don’t feel fit them.
Thank you Brian for telling it as it actually is.
Those are called birth defects. There’s also people who are born with no limbs, for example. And yet, we generally say that humans have two arms, and two legs.
There are primary characteristics which do not “overlap”. That’s why two opposite-sex individuals are needed to create new life – and not just for humans. Do you really need a reminder regarding that?
Do any of those cause one’s sex organs to spontaneously change into the organs of the opposite sex halfway through life, for example?
That’s for sure. One is based in biology, one is based in imagination. Unfortunately, some justify an ineffective, expensive and invasive attempt to change biology, based upon imagination.
I think more attention should be given to the Moms for Liberty organization. This is a 501(c)3 organization started in Florida that has spread across the U.S. It is a group pushing for parental rights in the schools. This sounds laudable but really it is a movement by very conservative factions to exert power over curriculum. This is resulting in banning and removal of books available to students, changes to curriculum, firing of teachers and administrators that don’t toe the line, etc. The focus seems to be on anything outside of the norm of Eurocentric, white, evangelical Christian, politically ultra conservative views. The LGBTQ community seems to be a target currently. I hope that this doesn’t take hold in our community. We only have to look at Shasta County to see the damage this movement is causing to communities.
These people already have “parental rights.” They have the right to remove their child/ren from public school and enroll them in the private religious school of their choice, or to homeschool them.
But that isn’t good enough for the type of human we are talking about. These quaintly named “Moms for Liberty” (snickers) want to control what *everyone else’s children* are exposed to, and the ultimate project is to have the Christian viewpoint reign supreme in all spaces, with no dissent.
And they are doing it on the backs of the most vulnerable population in this country right now, who are prone to the highest rates of suicide, when studies show that just mere acceptance goes a LONG way to making these vulnerable human beings feel comfortable in their own skin, and you know, not want to *off themselves* on a regular basis.
I reject the notion that merely teaching this, making people aware of it, or *gasp* asking what one’s pronouns are cause any kind of “social contagion” and greater propensity for people to “become” LGBTQ and in particular trans. These people don’t really have all that great of critical reasoning skills if they think so many people are beating down a path to the type of abuse that is usually heaped on them when they finally come out of the closet.
And at least one of the main organizers of this “Moms for Liberty” Yolo County chapter is an employee of UC Davis. I wonder how her activities trouncing some of the most vulnerable in our population squares with the UC Davis Principles of Community? Doesn’t seem to square all that much to my eyes.
I’ll try again, as my initial comment wasn’t posted.
Again, all school curriculums are decided by someone (or more accurately, more than one person) and apply to “everyone else’s children”.
The Moms for Liberty would like all curriculum to be Christian based. From the Moms for Liberty Chapter Coordinators bio: “She envisions a public school system in America that is reflective of the principles of freedom granted by our Creator. “God has called me, and equipped me, to do my part in service to Him and our country.” The liberty they promote is not freedom to do as one chooses, but rather “Christian Liberty” – freedom to do as one chooses as guided by scripture and if not prohibited by scripture, with no room for self-determination about this.
There is a time fast approaching when everyone currently promoting gender ideology will encounter someone who was grievously, irreversibly injured by “gender affirming” medical malpractice.
Rather than smugly speculating about the reasoning capabilities, politics, and/or faith of those of us speaking out, these people should take some time to listen to de-transitioners. The sooner they hear what really happens when kids believe they were born in the wrong body, the sooner they’ll realize they haven’t been protecting vulnerable populations, but rather the profits of the gender medical industry.
In the meantime, more young trauma survivors, future homosexuals and autistic children will be systematically sterilized and mutilated while gender zealots snicker virtuously and look the other way.
I see this campaign as similar to the campaign against abortion. Both of these are very personal and private medical issues that are best dealt with by doctors and their patients – not activists or politicians. It is really none of our business. What we can do is offer support, safety and space for all people in our community. I don’t know of anyone who is gay or lesbian or who has decided to live as an opposite gender or as no gender, as a result of peer pressure or viewing a drag show or allowing for preferred names and pronouns. It just doesn’t work that way.
alliesnyder, I agree 100%
So where’s the tolerance from many of you here to accept or at least listen to other’s people’s views on this topic, especially parents who are concerned about what their children are being taught in schools and that they might not be included in what life altering steps their children take or how they’re being coached?
“Again, all school curriculums are decided by someone (or more accurately, more than one person) and apply to “everyone else’s children”.”
This is quite disingenuous.
Families have *always* been able to opt their kids out of sex ed, or anything else they find objectionable. These “concerned parents” can opt their own kids out, or they can remove them from the public school system and enroll them in the private religious school of their choice, or home school them.
They have zero rights to try to remove an entire curriculum from a school district, which is apparently what they’re angling for with this recent agitation.
This is all part of a nationwide parachurch (mostly evangelical Christian) move to inject Christianity into school curricula (just as Sharla pointed out above).
And you can bet that children won’t be able to opt out of anything if and when they succeed at their project.
“I don’t know of anyone who is gay or lesbian or who has decided to live as an opposite gender or as no gender, as a result of peer pressure or viewing a drag show or allowing for preferred names and pronouns. It just doesn’t work that way.”
Believing such is a fundamental failure of higher order critical reasoning skills, despite how the “Moms for Liberty” want to howl to the contrary.
No one signs up voluntarily for such abuse (and lets get real: there is still a lot of homophobia, etc. that these young people have to deal with upon coming out, even in a liberal town like Davis).
That might play a part in some parent’s thinking but I don’t think that’s the norm. Parents of all races, religions or non religious have concerns about what their children are being taught in schools. They’re also very concerned that their children can be influenced and trans decisions by school staff without the knowledge or input of the parents.
By not attempting to refute my latest 2 comments regarding who the Moms for Liberty really are all about, you and other Moms for Liberty members and supporters are basically admitting what I am posting about this group is completely true. I enjoy outing Republican groups like the Moms for Liberty for who they really are despite their claims to the contrary. If they were honest, they would just come right out and proclaim what their ultimate goals are instead of always trying to hide them. 🙂
Not the case at all, maybe they simply didn’t want to bother to respond? That in no way makes your assertions true.
You snooze, you lose! ?
I/ve learned to never take the word of someone on the Vanguard regarding what another individual or group is “angling” for.
However, I understand that some of what parents object to has been recently added to the curriculum. Some may argue that they have “zero rights” to add an entire curriculum to a school district, or to present their personal views/advocacy to students as an informal part of the curriculum.
Though honestly, there’s been no discussion on here regarding what’s actually in the curriculum in the first place. Locally, or otherwise.
That’s what I’d call a “disingenuous” statement.
“And they are doing it on the backs of the most vulnerable population in this country right now, who are prone to the highest rates of suicide, when studies show that just mere acceptance goes a LONG way to making these vulnerable human beings feel comfortable in their own skin, and you know, not want to *off themselves* on a regular basis.”
And exactly what, praytell, is disingenuous about this completely truthful statement? Are you going to argue with evidence that LGBTQ+ people don’t have some of the highest rates of suicide demographically speaking? Are you going to argue that they are not helped when they are supported and accepted? Are you going to argue that these strident, extreme evangelicals aren’t engaging in a culture war on the backs of one of the most vulnerable populations in the country?
Hilarious.
No, I’m not arguing any of those things, nor do I think it’s “hilarious”.
But the more important question is whether or not medical sex-change interventions resolves those problems. And if it doesn’t (or if it’s unknown), then claiming that it does is disingenuous.
And if an environment is created which (ultimately) leads to more medical interventions, then more harm than good may be done. To the same vulnerable population that’s the focus of concern in the first place.
I suspect we’ll see more evidence one way or another, in future years/decades.
There is no “other” issue regarding this – it has nothing to do with support or acceptance of individuals experiencing this. (Support and acceptance shouldn’t even be in question.)
Let’s not dodge and pivot and make this about The Moms for Liberty, that’s just a smoke screen invoking religion to take the conversation in a different direction and deflect from what parents are voicing concerns about all over the country.
People who are afraid of being ridiculed, will not be honest. Talking to you, Indiana.
Since Ron and Keith seem so interested in following the money when it comes to housing, let’s do that very thing here too using Sharla’s comment. Below Sharla’s comments are just a sample of whom is “attacking” whom on the issue of LGBTQ rights.
I didn’t actually see Keith mention money – I did. As in, Obamacare pays for sex change medical interventions (for minors as well, I believe). I posted a link to a video (earlier) in regard to this (showing a hospital administrator talking about the money to be had, as well as a threat to medical personnel who don’t go along with it), but it was not posted.
In contrast, I’m not seeing any discussion whatsoever regarding money in your links. Normally, I’ll include applicable quotes when I’m referring to links – but you haven’t done so.
I was very specific in my quote in your comment, yet you flew right by the phrase “when it comes to housing.” I refuse to conform to how you want me to write my comments. I don’t order you how to compose your comments.
In the case of Colin Wright, he is financed by the Moms for Liberty. Since this site doesn’t support images in comments, I have converted one of their graphic advertisements to text.
She was later targeted by Florida state Rep. Randy Fine, a Moms for Liberty supporter and donor, who posted Jenkins’ cell phone number on Facebook and instructed his followers to “stand up for your rights, call Jenkins RIGHT NOW and let her know exactly how you feel.” Someone even falsely reported Jenkins for child abuse, she said, prompting an investigation from the Florida Department of Children and Families.
https://www.mediamatters.org/critical-race-theory/unmasking-moms-liberty
This behavior by a Moms for Liberty supporter qualifies as doxxing.
I was at the meeting yesterday and I feel Dr Wright went too far when he combined certain answers to a questionaire to conclude Davis has a high level of kids identifying as trans. To draw that conclusion would require a better understanding of the intent of kids identifying as non-binary. He then compounded his error by speculating that it might be because Davis is an upper middle class politically deep blue city.
I agree that he is making assumptions about the data from a voluntary survey related to school climate – something that a scientist would know to avoid. This is political spin and not science.
I’ve been talking to people on all sides of this issue and I think that it is time for everyone to tone down the rhetoric and start speaking to each other calmly about the concerns they have. I also think it is important to raise concerns where they can be addressed. As an example attacking the Phoenix Coalition about things controlled by the state doesn’t help anyone. Also attacking individuals by name doesn’t help achieve the cognitive dissonance that could help the community reach consensus. Doing so at the City Council about things going on within the school district may feel good or raise awareness about your concerns but that doesn’t do anything to address policy controlled by the school district.
On the other side being disrespectful of people you believe you disagree with and interfering with them expressing free speech rights isn’t going to help reach understanding either.
I would like to see the School District bring in a mediator for a long weekend day of stakeholder discussions to look for ways to address this issue that are agreeable to all parties. I think through thoughtful discussions between people of goodwill much could be accomplished.
In my mind this is fundamentally a human rights issue. The people that want to deny the existence of transgender people speak to the absolute intolerance of their beliefs. I await the lectures I will receive from Ron Oertel and others here that disagree with me. There is really no middle ground here. You either believe in human rights for all people or you don’t. Sadly some of the commenters here don’t.
While the speaker they brought in takes a position that transgender doesn’t exist some of the most outspoken people on this issue in the community don’t have denial as a tightly held position. As far as I can tell they are concerned about the approach that is being taken in our community by and within the schools.
They are also concerned about the incentives that exist within the medical industry to capitalize on and exploit young people for financial gain.
I don’t know how much can be achieved by turning down the heat and having thoughtful discussions but holding to the idea that consensus isn’t possible can’t move the community in that direction.
In general I think there are some legitimate concerns about parental involvement and notification, not to mention I doubt we have good longitudinal data on the impact of things like puberty blockers on long term health. There seems to be less understanding that the school district and the health care providers are hemmed in by state law. I don’t know if there is a way forward at this point, but I agree with the need to turn down the temperature in the room and find common ground.
“There is really no middle ground here. You either believe in human rights for all people or you don’t. Sadly some of the commenters here don’t.”
This. I feel very strongly that there is no middle ground. Organizations like “Moms for Liberty” are fascistic organizations that seek to inject the evangelical Christian viewpoint unchallenged in all spheres of life.
People really need to wake up, and soon. There is no debating or finding common ground with bad faith actors, and that is 100% what this group (and others) are comprised of. Bad faith. The need to control.
I would think if you talked and listened to some of the parents who feel they have the right to know and be informed about what their children are being taught in school and what advice is given to their children who might be feeling confused as to their gender have the feeling that the people on the other side of the issue have “The need to control”.
The perverse medical provider financial incentives exist because this country lacks a single payer universal healthcare system. I have supported such a system for decades.
I will forever fight against the Moms for Liberty and their many supporters because they want to turn the United States in to a Christian Nationalist society by tearing up the Constitution, Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence. There can be no room for compromise with such people. If you give them an inch, they will proceed to take a foot, then a yard, then a mile. Before you know it, people like myself will lose the entire ballgame. Our founding fathers had many faults, but foresight wasn’t one of them. They knew that they need to forbade an official US religion. I want to publicly thank Sharla Cheney for researching the Moms for Liberty organization and their followers. and alerting us about who they really are.
If the Davis Vanguard seeks to turn down the volume, they could either not allow any comments on posts regarding the human rights of transsexual and LGBTQ individuals or not publish such articles at all.
The Moms for Liberty are attempting to perpetuate a con job on the American people by disguising their true intent. I for one refuse to go along.
@alliesnyder @ronoertel I wonder if either of you actually know someone that is transgender? Know a parent of a trans kid? Know a youth that has attempted suicide or actually killed themselves due to bullying and nonacceptance of their self-identity? I do — all three. You are damaging our children by your claim that children cannot know their own identity. You imply that children who are asked their pronouns who are NOT trans somehow feel “bullied” if they do not want to disclose their chosen pronouns. I have never heard of a cisgender child attempting suicide for such questions, yet trans youth have a very high suicide rate due to nonacceptance. I cannot imagine you really want trans children to attempt suicide due to non-inclusive practices or bullying by cis children — but you don’t seem to be considering that issue.
Our school district has done an amazing job in anti-bullying curriculums and making ALL children feel included and welcome. Davis has been generally much more of a “safe” community for children of all stripes. And you certainly are not “following the science” as has been pointed out to you earlier. In fact, Colin Wright has had to retract two of his “science” papers in his actual purported area of expertise – spiders — due to misinformation and bad scientific practices. Per one wiki site: “In 2020, it was found that several of the papers that Colin Wright had co-authored with Jonathan Pruitt, contained severe flaws, based on fabricated data which led to several papers being retracted.” Colin Wright – EverybodyWiki Bios & Wiki Here’s one retraction: Retraction notice to “Individual differences in personality and behavioural plasticity facilitate division of labour in social spider colonies” [Animal Behaviour 97 (2014) 177–183] – ScienceDirect And here is another retraction: Retraction: The Achilles’ heel hypothesis: misinformed keystone individuals impair collective learning and reduce group success | Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences (royalsocietypublishing.org) Wright is not an expert in human biology, genomes, hormones, etc. — all factors in how a human being self-identifies.
And noone does surgery on minors — such transition surgery is never recommended to my knowledge, until an individual is an adult, and only then after years of hormone treatment and counselling. So trauma and the need to “detransition” after surgery is just not a thing — so rare as to be likely nonexistent — except in the case of babies and young children who are intersex and doctors in the past have “assigned” genders to the baby and have done surgery to make them more “acceptable” — without allowing the child to grow and develop and express their own opinion about their identity.
Here are some fact checks to the hysteria, myths and other disinformation being perpetrated by Moms for Liberty and others in this regard from PolitiFact | No, young children cannot take hormones or change their sex
“The claim is unsubstantiated. Professional organizations such as the Endocrine Society recommend against puberty blockers for children who have not reached puberty, and recommend that patients be at least 16 years old before beginning hormone treatments for feminization or masculinization of the body. The last step in transitioning to another gender, gender reassignment surgery, is only available to those 18 and older in the United States.
The onset of puberty is the baseline for medical intervention. Puberty typically occurs between ages 10 and 14 for girls and 12 and 16 for boys. Guidelines for the medical care of transgender patients, developed by organizations such as the Endocrine Society and the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, begin with counseling and psychological evaluation by a team of medical professionals before any physical interventions are considered.
If patients have begun to go through puberty, and they have “demonstrated a long-lasting and intense pattern of gender nonconformity or gender dysphoria,” then treatments such as puberty blockers can be considered, according to the standards of care for transgender people by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health. Gender dysphoria refers to distress people may experience as a result of the discrepancy between their gender identity and the sex assigned to them at birth.
Puberty blockers, which suppress the release of testosterone and estrogen during puberty, allow adolescents “more time to explore their gender nonconformity and other developmental issues,” and can be used for a few years, the standards of care say. One guideline for giving the medication says parents or guardians must consent to the treatment and also provide support to the youth during the process.”
And here is a real scientific article from Scientific American about newer studies and actual facts about gender identity: Sex Redefined: The Idea of 2 Sexes Is Overly Simplistic – Scientific American
I would also suggest you read the two-part series done in 2017 by the Davis Enterprise about real children and real parents in our community — trans, non-binary, non-conforming, cis, etc. (yes there ARE still non-conforming kids, despite what was alleged earlier here) Great series and you can read about the real people and children in our community that are being harmed by Moms for “Liberty”. Growing up transgender in Davis (davisenterprise.com)
Finally, I have provided some assistance to a 20 something young adult who is the friend of our family, and who obtained a medical recommendation on their own and surgery — who had attempted suicide previously due to their self-identity not being accepted by their family, quite sadly. Doing much better now. I also know other quite happy, well-adjusted youth and adults who are trans, non-binary, and non-conforming. I observed the very slow process of two neighbors transitioning, and how their mental health improved exponentially as the process went on.
Please consider that the harm is spreading hate and exclusion — not spreading love and teaching inclusion of all our children, however they may identify. These same fears have come up again and again — before and during the civil rights movement when black folks were not allowed to use the same bathrooms as white; when folks were terrified that gay folks would “convert” their children; and now the focus and fear and hate is directed toward trans kids and their parents. Don’t let that happen here in Davis. Let’s stay safe and loving toward all our families.
Yes – I know someone whom I believe had undergone a sex change operation. A former supervisor, from decades ago. I don’t believe the word “transgender” was used at the time. Transexual was the word, at that time – for someone who had undergone a sex change operation.
Not that I know of.
Yes – some young adults. Had to think about this, because it was a long time ago. Though I believe they were “straight”, and I don’t know the reason they did so. Based upon outward “appearances”, they fit right in with anyone else as I recall.
Not something I said. But do you believe that “identity” is determined by “gender’? What does this mean, to you?
I’m sure that you’ve heard some ask – what is a “woman” (or a “man”)? In other words, put forth a non-circular definition.
Not even close to anything I said. However, a lot of people whom I don’t know automatically address me as “sir”. Do you think they shouldn’t make such assumptions?
You seem to be implying that such examples don’t exist.
Your imagination has no relationship to reality, in regard to anything I’ve said.
Again, nothing to do with anything I’ve said. What exactly are you reading, before you make such comments?
Glad to hear it, but it’s anecdotal. I guess we’ll see what occurs via data, in future decades.
Again, I don’t need this type of speech – as it has no relationship to anything I’ve said.
Again – look at what I actually said – as I’m stating that they should be supported. I’m questioning the helpfulness of medical transitions and the money behind it.
https://whatweknow.inequality.cornell.edu/topics/lgbt-equality/what-does-the-scholarly-research-say-about-the-well-being-of-transgender-people/
All of the studies are linked at that website.
By “gender transition”, are they referring to the medical procedures which result in an attempt to change one’s sex organs? (The external organs, since I don’t believe they remove wombs and ovaries for example.)
Not to worry – the results (one way or another) will become increasingly obvious in future years/decades. In the meantime, some will no doubt make the wrong choice (whatever that is). And it is permanent, resulting in a limbo state between two sexes.
Ron, Do you have to respond to every paragraph (usually to discount or counter each statement) of each person’s comment?
Obviously I don’t “have to”, though I just did it again with your comment.
Though in the example you cited, it probably didn’t help with anything. When strings get longer, it helps remind me of what someone wrote as I type (since it’s then not visible).
I rarely comment on the Vanguard UNLESS I disagree or question an article or comment. I don’t even bother commenting at all for most articles, as I’d end up writing more than David himself does. At some point, there’s essentially a cost/benefit analysis, in terms of whether or not to bother at all. (Examples of non-participation can be seen in just about every other article, today.)
“I rarely comment on the Vanguard…”
LOL
Ron Glick, post all of what he actually stated.
???
Ron Oertel is probably the most frequent commenter on this site. He is the reigning king of commenters on the Davis Vanguard.
Hi Keith, Ron, and David – I really appreciate all of your comments about Colin Wright’s talk. (And thank you Vanguard for being there and covering the event.) I was one of the organizers from Moms4Lib-Yolo chapter. I was originally hoping the Davis Soroptimists, Davis League of Women Voters or DJUSD would be the main sponsor of Colin Wright’s talk but I didn’t receive a response from any of them after multiple inquiries. It would be fantastic if DJUSD wanted to host a larger parents’ forum next month, if anyone has an idea of how we could make this happen, please let me know.
I have over 20+ Public Records Act (PRA) response letters from DJUSD on gender curricula and polices that I would like to share with the public. I will provide a google folder with links in the next few days that can be shared with anyone. Will post here as well.
Hopefully the Davis Soroptimists, Davis League of Women Voters and especially the DJUSD will never have anything directly to do with Colin Wright or the Moms for Liberty. Their right wing propagandist agenda is the only reason they need to avoid these people like the plague. ?
This is not a right wing propagandist issue, parents of all races, religions and political parties are concerned about this. Here’s an article about a Democrat whose child was subjected to school trans policies without her knowledge or consent who is now suing. Amber Lavigne found her 13-year-old daughter’s chest binder and started asking questions.
The Moms for Liberty definitely has an overall right wing propagandist agenda!.
Thanks Beth, I will look forward to your post here with the info from DJUSD on gender curricula and polices. You can be assured there are many of us out there that are concerned about this. Keep up the good work and don’t let the chatter dissuade you.
20+ Public Records response letters? This is a a complete waste of our District’s time and money and has become a tool that is being misused to overwhelm School Districts.
Article in Washington Post: https://wapo.st/40BZBWE
Why don’t you say what information you were searching for and summarize what you discovered?
It would help if you could say how this is an issue is personal to you and your family.
I agree with you, Sharla. It was a huge amount of school district resources to all of my PRA requests. I only wish the materials or records would have been available when I asked at my children’s schools or on the district website. I’d like DJUSD to post all of my PRA response letters (indexed by topic) on their website so others can have access. (Similar to the city of Davis’ public records response log.). I will compile a Google folder with all of these documents in the coming days and provide a link here. As well as share with the school board trustees and Superintendent Best.
Thanks Beth for your efforts. May I suggest that you also write an article with the info and submit it here to the Vanguard, the Enterprise and the Davisite. I look forward to seeing the PRA request responses.
People seem to be outraged about Moms For Liberty. I looked the organization up and can see why. Yet I’ve known Beth for years and recently met Allie. To me they seem more like upset mama bears trying to protect kids than right wing haters. I don’t know how they got associated with a right wing advocacy group but I’ll speculate that nobody else was listening to the concerns they were raising.
I don’t know what the best path forward is but I do know that staying in ideological corners and not trying to figure out where the points of agreement are within THIS community isn’t going to solve anything.
I’m sorry, Ron, but I can’t excuse the establishment of an organization like Moms for Liberty in our community. The more I read about this organization, the more I want nothing to do with it.
There’s article after article about what this organization is doing in communities across the nation. Example: https://www.vice.com/en/article/dy3gnq/what-is-moms-for-liberty
The attacks directed at the Phoenix Coalition are just their most recent strategy. Beth started out her activities by criticizing the School District for training that teachers were taking – giving interviews with national media regarding the Davis school district, organizing people coming in from out of town to protest, etc.
Both women have failed to explain any personal reason or situation that has prompted their concerns about this particular topic locally. Beth has spouted information that has been studied and debunked, i.e. Reddit statistics regarding detransitioners. I am sure that their next step is to address what books are on reading lists and in our school libraries, and getting right-wing (“Liberty-minded”) people elected to the school board, because that is the mission of Moms for Liberty. If they want support from people like me, they need to disassociate from this alt-right group that has aligned itself with groups like The Proud Boys and others.
Do they need a personal reason or situation in order to advocate for their views? This is a national debate issue at this time that has people on both sides concerned and airing their opinions.
Beth has posted content from Libs of TikTok – an anti gay site that has since been banned from the site and has boasted about being interviewed by national media. The group started with opposition to vaccinations and masks, but has moved on to creating fear around gender issues and policies. What they really want is alt right conservatives on school boards and other elected offices. That this is a national campaign started in Florida and closely aligned with far right conservative is even a stronger argument that this is not a response to anything local and is no better than the intimidation by the Proud Boys at our school board meetings over the past year.
I don’t know where you’re getting your definitions from, Sharla.
From what I’ve seen (periodically watching some of the conservative commentators on YouTube), “Libs of Tik-Tok” is not an anti-gay site.
The commentators sometimes show clips from “Libs”, which most people (I think) would find pretty disturbing – regardless of political views.
A lot of what they show is teachers putting forth some pretty questionable comments – enough to make (even me) question what’s going on in schools. And I don’t even care about the issue that much.
I don’t understand the purposeful blurring between “acceptance” of others, vs. concern over what teachers are doing. It’s difficult to determine (overall), from these selected videos.
From “my” perspective, none of this matters until the point at which medical interventions are involved. At which point, I’m not sure I’d describe that as “gender-affirming medical care”.
You must be kidding me. Do some research before you post next time. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libs_of_TikTok
“The attacks directed at the Phoenix Coalition are just their most recent strategy. Beth started out her activities by criticizing the School District for training that teachers were taking – giving interviews with national media regarding the Davis school district, organizing people coming in from out of town to protest, etc.
Both women have failed to explain any personal reason or situation that has prompted their concerns about this particular topic locally. Beth has spouted information that has been studied and debunked, i.e. Reddit statistics regarding detransitioners. I am sure that their next step is to address what books are on reading lists and in our school libraries, and getting right-wing (“Liberty-minded”) people elected to the school board, because that is the mission of Moms for Liberty. If they want support from people like me, they need to disassociate from this alt-right group that has aligned itself with groups like The Proud Boys and others.”
Thank you for pointing this out, Sharla. I was unaware that this current effort was predated by such actions.
This creeping fascism is happening all over the country, and I’m surprised it’s going on in what is supposed to be a highly educated and tolerant community such as Davis. I would expect such educated people to be able to recognize creeping fascism happening in real time. It’s puzzling why so many people seem OK with “both sidesing” this issue (and the comments below claiming “Libs of Tik Tok” is not an anti LGBTQ account really illuminates the monumental failure to properly teach higher order critical reasoning skills in this country).
It’s disappointing and disturbing.
It’s not fascism for people be concerned about what their children are being taught in school or parents having the right to knowledge and input about what gender drugs or devices that their children might be considering. It’s not fascism for parents to question why public libraries or schools sanction events like Drag Queen Story Hours.
I am glad that Keith brought up the matter of drag queen story hours. People like you seem to only want to complain and protest drag queens reading to children. Their parents apparently have no issues with this. There goes your stance regarding parents’ rights. You and other Republicans only truly believe in parental rights as long as those parents agree with your ideology.
Republicans like you are free to conduct your own story hours as long as they comply with that library’s policies. Apparently Republicans like you would rather complain and protest than go to the effort of holding your own story hours. Didn’t the Davis Public Library allow Colin Wright to present his viewpoints? What’s good for the goose is also good for the gander. ?
Wrong again Shwe. I’m a registered Independent. You need to quit assuming things about people and quit implying what they meant when they never actually stated it themselves.
Perhaps as they say you are an independent in name only. For a true independent you sure take an awful lot of conservative right wing positions. Which party’s candidates do you most frequently vote for? The answer to this question will reveal your true political views.
Well said Ron. There are many upset mama bears out there when it comes to this issue. And as far as getting their views out through Moms For Liberty, it’s the same as our mainstream media these days which won’t carry stories that doesn’t fit their agenda. So often people have to go to other venues to get their views aired.
Thanks so much Keith and Ron. I’ve been a registered Democrat for my entire adult life. I just shared a screen shot of my current affiliation on the Davis Parents Facebook. That is a wonderful idea to post a commentary here on the Vanguard with our links to DJUSD public records response letters. Allie has already drafted something for the Enterprise in response to Davis Phoenix Coalition’s most recent commentary but I think this would be a better outlet as the Enterprise doesn’t allow comments.
Beth, I have screen shots of your posts regarding data from Libs of Tik Tock. I don’t know how you got yourself wound up in all of this, but you are carrying and forwarding a very alt-right message from a group that has close connections with Ron DeSantis, The Proud Boys, Libs of Tik Tock, etc. I suggest you do a little more research.
Thank you again Sharla for continuing to post comments. You are a beacon of light and I salute you.
The governor of North Dakota signed a bill banning trans medical treatment for anyone under the age of 18. Regardless of what the person’s parents or guardians or medical providers believe is in that individual’s best interest.
It bans all specific medical procedures and medications for minors, including puberty blockers and testosterone or estrogen treatments. It criminalizes trans treatments for minors regardless of what their parents or guardians may approve.
Beth Bourne of Davis CA submitted the following written comment in support of that bill:
Here is the bill: https://ndlegis.gov/assembly/68-2023/regular/documents/23-0869-04000.pdf
Here is the documentation of Beth Bourne’s comment: https://ndlegis.gov/assembly/68-2023/regular/bill-testimony/bt1254.html?bill_year=2023&bill_number=1254
Thank you Don for this revealing post about Beth. This appears to be an extreme right wing position regarding LGBTQ human rights. All I have to say is that 25 and 30 year old full fledged adults can join the military and kill enemies in combat among other things. Is Beth arguing that people of that age really aren’t adults and have all the rights and responsibilities thereof? Perhaps Beth really doesn’t enjoy all of the rights of an adult for some odd reason.
Yeah, my daughter could join the Marines at 17 with just my signature. Apparently she could make that rational decision on her own with my concurrence. But puberty blockers? Illegal now in something like eight states.
At age 17, the ship has already sailed regarding puberty blockers.
But regarding any parental permission, some parents themselves have pretty questionable judgement. And probably had no business having kids in the first place. 🙂
There are also some states that allow adolescents under 18 to have certain vaccinations without their parents permission if they are above a certain age, which I think is 16 in the states for which this is the case, such as WA.
There are some states/vaccine combos where that age is even lower, such as in CA, where in some cases 12 year olds and above can make their own decisions as to certain vaccines.
This is wisely done to protect children/adolescents from decisions on the part of their parents that are not always in their best interest. And these laws are sadly necessary, since many parents refuse to read/hear/believe the science and think they know better than experts and “best practices” advised by medical professionals.
If none of this is the case, I’m curious why Ms. Bourne isn’t also advocating for raising the smoking and drinking age to 25 or 30, as well as the military enlistment age. I think we already know the answer to this question, though.
Joining the marines is not an irreversible decision but it still needed your approval as a parent.
And children always do all the reading/hearing/believing all the science so they can make life altering medical decisions? They’re children after all…
I guess we could go back and forth citing decisions that adults make for their kids that are not in their best interest and not done reading all the science, etc.
It might be more fruitful to develop an underlying principle for how to approach these problems.
“And children always do all the reading/hearing/believing all the science so they can make life altering medical decisions? They’re children after all…”
Many 15 and 16 year olds are mature enough and reasonable enough to make such decisions. Especially when they have, e.g., fundamentalist right wing parents who refuse to abide by best practices medical advice and will not have their children vaccinated.
And yes, the children having to go to that length will usually have the necessary information available to them in conjunction with medical practitioners (which you people always seem to leave out; it’s not like these “children” are just making these decisions solely on their own, but there are a lot of bad faith arguments put forward by those on the right).
I don’t know what to tell you. The world is not as black and white as you apparently want to believe it is. The children of those fundamentalist parents deserve to be protected, and several states have decided that these adolescents have that right.
Go rail at them. I’m not here for it.
Sure there are some instances where the parents make the wrong decision, but overall I think parents are vastly more qualified to decide than underage children.
Here’s the thing – I think it’s a legitimate concern about parental notification. On the other hand, I think Don has also raised legitimate concerns.
Add to this from an NIH study: “Data indicate that 82% of transgender individuals have considered killing themselves and 40% have attempted suicide, with suicidality highest among transgender youth.”
How do we address the real concern about parental notification, the real concern that some parents will simply either out of ignorance or ideological inclination ignore issues of gender dysphoria, and the real concern about the extraordinarily high suicidal ideation rate for gender nonconforming youth? That seems to me to be real public policy problem and the issue that I see no easy solution for and made worse when people ideologically dig in.
I agree with Beth’s statement here except the age of consent should be 18 years old or over.
Killing a person in combat is the ultimate irreversible decision. I believe you don’t need anyone else’s consent once you reach 18 years old to sign up for the military.
The law in North Dakota that Beth Bourne advocated for criminalizes trans medical care for those. under 18 even if the parents or guardians agree with that treatment. So she and others advocate for taking away the most basic decisions about medical care from trans youth, their parents or guardians, and their medical providers. They don’t support parental rights for those who disagree with them.
This issue has a lot less to do with “parental rights” than it does regarding what’s best for those considering sex change interventions (especially minors).
And that concern extends to this:
Again, there’s a video (which you wouldn’t allow me to reference) which shows hospital administrators presenting the money that can be made from this (paid for by everyone else), as well as an “invitation” for medical practitioners to leave that hospital, if they have any concerns. (Well, it was more of a strongly-worded “suggestion”, than an invitation.)
Ironically, “both sides” are ultimately concerned about the welfare of those considering this – even if they don’t acknowledge it.
Like many issues, this is not an issue that is defined between “left” and “right”. Despite how some would prefer to present it. (Especially on this blog, it seems.)
And no, it has nothing to do with discrimination, lack of acceptance, suicide, or anything else. These are MEDICAL interventions, with drastic, life-altering and permanent consequences.
August 10, 2022 American Academy of Pediatrics: “There is strong consensus among the most prominent medical organizations worldwide that evidence-based, gender-affirming care for transgender children and adolescents is medically necessary and appropriate. It can even be lifesaving. The decision of whether and when to start gender-affirming treatment, which does not necessarily lead to hormone therapy or surgery, is personal and involves careful consideration by each patient and their family…
Critics of our gender-affirming care policy mischaracterize it as pushing medical or surgical treatments on youth; in fact, the policy calls for the opposite: a holistic, collaborative, compassionate approach to care with no end goal or agenda… Yet outside of our organization, there is a dangerous movement taking place, led by extremists, targeting youth who are receiving gender-affirming care, and vilifying the pediatricians providing their care. The result has been rampant disinformation about what this care is and real threats of violence against some of our members.
In some states, efforts are underway to restrict access to gender-affirming care and criminalize the pediatricians who provide it. This has already had a chilling effect on access to care in these communities, and other efforts across the country are focused on doing the same. The people who suffer the most from this discrimination are of course the children and teens just trying to live their lives as their true selves. Pediatricians will not stay silent as these lies are waged against our patients and our peers.” – Moira Szilagyi, MD, PhD, FAAP, 2022 president of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
February 23, 2022 – The Endocrine Society
“The treatment of transgender and gender diverse youth should be governed by the best available medical evidence, not politics,’ said Joshua D. Safer, M.D., F.A.C.P., F.A.C.E., co-author of the Society’s Clinical Practice Guideline and position statement on transgender medicine. ‘When caring for transgender and gender diverse youth, physicians and mental health professionals must be able to freely practice and choose the best available treatment options in consultation with the patients and their parents, as they would when treating any other condition.” (April 14, 2021)
February 25, 2022 – The Journal of the American Medical Association published new research on gender-affirming care for trans and nonbinary youth ages 13-20, finding that “including puberty blockers and gender-affirming hormones, was associated with 60% lower odds of moderate or severe depression and 73% lower odds of suicidality over a 12-month follow-up.”
American Psychiatric Association: Our organizations, which represent nearly 600,000 physicians and medical students, oppose any laws and regulations that discriminate against transgender and gender-diverse individuals or interfere in the confidential relationship between a patient and their physician. That confidentiality is critical to allow patients to trust physicians to properly counsel, diagnose and treat. Our organizations are strongly opposed to any legislation or regulation that would interfere with the provision of evidence-based patient care for any patient, affirming our commitment to patient safety. We recognize health as a basic human right for every person, regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation.” (Joint statement with the American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Physicians, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, American Osteopathic Association; April 2, 2021)
American Academy of Pediatrics: “The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that youth who identify as transgender have access to comprehensive, gender-affirming, and developmentally appropriate health care that is provided in a safe and inclusive clinical space..” (March 16, 2021)
Pediatric Endocrine Society: “Treatment for prepubertal transgender and gender diverse children never includes medical or surgical interventions however it is helpful for them to be supported in living in their desired gender role.” (December 16, 2020)
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry: “(AACAP) supports the use of current evidence-based clinical care with minors. AACAP strongly opposes any efforts – legal, legislative, and otherwise – to block access to these recognized interventions. Blocking access to timely care has been shown to increase youths’ risk for suicidal ideation and other negative mental health outcomes. Consistent with AACAP’s policy against conversion therapy, AACAP recommends that youth and their families formulate an individualized treatment plan with their clinician that addresses the youth’s unique mental health needs under the premise that all gender identities and expressions are not inherently pathological.” (November 8, 2019)
The legislator who sponsored the similar Montana bill, Kerri Seekins-Crowe, publicly said if she had a trans daughter she would prefer that daughter kill herself rather than allow her to transition.
These are the people who write such laws. This is eliminationist rhetoric.
What kind of parent would rather see their child dead than comfortable in their own skin, *especially* given all of the medical information that Don provided above?
A hateful fascist, that is what kind.
Ron Oertel continues to be disingenuous in his comments.
He claims that what I noted above is not what the woman herself said. Here are her exact words from the video. There really isn’t any other way to read them (and notice the load of “me me me” inherent in her little performative crying tirade; she doesn’t express as much concern for a daughter who would potentially commit suicide. It’s all about “her family” and “herself”):
“I am one of those parents who lived with a daughter who was suicidal for 3 years. Someone asked me wouldn’t I just do anything to save her. And I really had to think. And the answer was, “No.” I was not going to give into her emotional manipulation b/c she was incapable of making those decisions… I was not going to let her tear apart my family and tear apart me. Because I had to be strong..I had to have vision for her life when she had none was incapable of having none.”
Aside from what I just pointed out, she claims this would ultimately be because of “emotional manipulation” (demonstrating a failure to understand what the actual issues are, even in this hypothetical situation), and how a teenager is “incapable” of making decisions.
There are teenagers completely capable (more capable than their parents, in fact, in some cases) of making such decisions.
To deny this is just the knee-jerk reactionary impulse of right wingers who have lots of difficulty with higher order critical reasoning, especially in complexity of thought, ambiguity, etc. They are uncomfortable when things are not “all or nothing,” or “black or white,” or “either/or.” They cannot accommodate complexity and ambiguity and it seems to scare them on some level (and yes, science has born this out in terms of how the right wing brain largely thinks and is intimidated by ambiguity and motivated primarily by fear).
Once again, we are dealing with people who would rather these people kill themselves than have to acknowledge something that would make them uncomfortable, and if you really listen to this woman’s words, it becomes very clear. I, me, mine. Me me me.
The impulse to control. Despite what people like Ron Oertel howl to the contrary.
Not at all.
And it wasn’t.
Yes – I think you have it right, now.
I “read them” differently than your initial comment.
I’m “howling” now? No – I don’t identify as a “furry”.
I took a quick look at the video in which this comment was attributed to her, and that’s NOT what she said.
I feel sorry for those who don’t question the medical establishment’s change of position regarding this issue. Again, that’s what happens when money is involved.
And it’s not “gender affirmation” surgery. It’s an attempt to change one’s sex within the extremely limited confines of medical technology.
Here’s another take on the issue that counters Wright’s view of gender being either / or and the Moms for Liberty’s assertions that transgender people will “get over it” and Ron’s misguided view that gender is just what’s between your legs.
https://wapo.st/3Lq8GMM
Then why are doctors changing “what’s between your legs” as part of “gender-affirmation” surgery?
Thanks for posting that link Sharla. I took particular note of the following paragraph:
Hey all, Colin’s essay about his experience talking about gender and biology in Davis was just published today. It’s a wild story as many of you know who were there to witness the trans activists, security guards, and flustered library staff.
Here is the video for anyone interested in gender ideology and what kids are learning in our Davis public schools, starting at 58:00.
Talk 1: Sex Is Not a Spectrum | Colin Wright (2:30)
Talk 2: Gender Ideology in School | Allie Snyder (58:00)
Talk 3: Gender Ideology in Davis | Colin Wright (1:12:40)
Colin Wright – Sex is not a Spectrum (extended cut) – YouTube
https://youtu.be/xykVUT6ciuI
The two speakers are not credible. Colin Wright’s assertions have already been discredited and Allie Snyder is a representative of Moms for Liberty – a far right political activist group, funded by far right donors, that is working to elect far right representatives. There is no other information about Allie Snyder that I can find. I’m not sure she even lives in Davis.
Much obliged again Sharla for continuing to expose Colin Wright and the Moms for Liberty for their true goals. If she indeed doesn’t reside in Davis, Allie Snyder is definitely an outside agitator. The Moms for Liberty fully seek to stoke fear and confusion in every community they enter in to. In a sense they aim to divide and conquer. This group and other Republican organizations are determined to turn America in to a fascist right wing banana republic regime where everyone must bow to their ultraconservative views. You have to be blind or naive not to see this coming. President Biden was on point when he said this is a battle for the soul of our nation. We must keep fighting.