Trans Activism and "Gender Affirmation" is Breaking Our Kids

originally posted by: kaylaluv
a reply to: queenofswords

And what if your child has symptoms of depression and anxiety because they are told they have to conform to what gender you insist they be? What if they threaten to self mutilate, or kill themselves? What if they start to withdraw from their friends, and stop participating in school activities or stop showing an interest in anything anymore?

What then? You “lovingly” slap the crap out of them and tell them to snap out of it?

Oh dear lord... No. You stop insisting they conform to YOUR idea of gender!!!

And that's the real problem: People forcing stereotypes on others. Gender means NOTHING beyond the biological realities!!!

a reply to: Cybelle

It also lacks even a smidgen of empathy and understanding for the families dealing with a transgender child or the children in question themselves.

Actually, I have quite a bit of empathy for anyone and everyone dealing with the chaos and mayhem hormonal issues cause in lives... genuine empathy -- not sympathy. As in I have actually experienced and suffered myself. And I have watched my daughter suffer. And that's also how I know that medical science does not have the answers, and can cause/create even more problems in trying to find the answers. Such as prescribing Lupron off-label for endometriosis.

As far as the families dealing with a transgender child specifically, as you well know, there are many many families who are also questioning and concerned about the "gender affirming" treatment being forced on their kids, and especially the puberty blockers and cross-hormone treatments. So let's be clear about this. My empathy is with every family and child trying to make sense of all the nonsense and the medical mumbo jumbo being forced upon them... but it seems YOUR empathy is only with those embracing the trans ideology.

And you don't even want to be bothered with anyone hurt in the "gender affirming" process... too bad so sad, right?

a reply to: kaylaluv

Are you from the school of “slap the crap out of them and tell them to snap out of it”, like some of the other posters here?

Not one poster here has even hinted at such a thing!!!

Again and again, posters have said -- in one way or another -- to just let kids be who they want to be and for the adults to stop filling their head with gender nonsense!

And above all, stop pushing dangerous drugs and surgical procedures on children!!!

a reply to: diggindirt

We don't have to imagine that scenario. This group of "professionals" are the same bunch that got two whole generations of kids hooked on pharmaceutical drugs because the education system is so broken that normal kids are drugged for being active, normal kids. They are the ones giving kindergarten kids uppers/downers meant for adults. Is it any wonder that the product of those kids who were drugged for 12 or more years is that they are now producing confused, possibly brain-damaged children? Who knows what those "Keep them quiet and docile" drugs (which had never ever ever been tested on children) did to the brains of kids who were force-fed chemicals.

Excellent point! We really have no idea how those psychotropic drugs affected them into adulthood -- and therefore parenthood -- nor how they affected the children they produced.

Those are precisely the type of long-term effects that have never been studied, but could be having a profound effect on both individuals and society.

a reply to: Cybelle

I'd also venture to say if that were the case, some of you might take the time to gain a better understanding of this condition beyond what you've read here from a rabid anti-trans activist and show a little empathy.

Excellent idea!

4th Wave Now

A community of parents & others concerned about the medicalization of gender-atypical youth and rapid-onset gender dysphoria (ROGD)

There are many excellent articles and resources at the link for those who want to better understand the very serious concerns parents have with "gender affirming" treatments...

originally posted by: continuousThunder
i only read about a sentence of this twaddle because oh look, it's ATS so we're posting the same old fearmongering nonsense over and over and over again and harvesting stars from all the other dinosaurs scared of the future.
what a freaking yawnfest...

And this is exactly why such posts -- with real facts and ugly truths -- are necessary. Real kids are being hurt and for you it's just a "yawnfest."

i don't mind having to argue with people who know nothing about my life trying to tell me how to live but god damn can you get some new talking points already? this is sooooo ooooooooold

I don't want to tell you how to live. As long as you're not hurting anyone, I don't care how you live. I don't care what clothes you wear or how you wear your hair or what makeup or jewelry you adorn yourself with. I will treat you with the same respect and kindness I would treat anyone else.

But when folks are being hurt -- and especially when kids are being hurt -- then I'm going to speak up loud and clear.

trans people have always been here
trans people are always going to be here
you're going to die and there will still be trans people
get used to it

Yup. And that's not a problem. Folks can be who and what they want to be. Most of us are quite happy to live and let live. We're not the ones demanding that they chemically and/or surgically change themselves for an unattainable goal. We're saying, "Just do you and be your own awesome self."

These poor souls. Possessed by demons. They need an exorcism.

originally posted by: jrod
a reply to: Wardaddy454

Total BS!

There is no trans lobby or trans agenda!

Medical professionals and many enlightened people have a humanistic and ethical approach to transgender related issues. Because a girl is an athlete or a boy takes to balett does not change their gender identity.

The alt right seems to fear that of which they do not understand.

I can guarantee that those who are applauding the OP have never been friends with someone who is trans.

Sure there is, just look at extreme trans activism.

Who are "many enlightened people"? And is it truly humanistic and ethical to cut people up in an irreversible procedure, because you don't know what else to do?

So I'm afraid of trans people because I think there has to be a better way, and believe the post-op suicide rate confirms this. Yes, much fear.

You can't guarantee anything.

a reply to: Wardaddy454

That's it for me. If all it took to help these people as to force their outward body into the seeming they believe it should have, then post op suicide rates should be lower than they are. Instead, they increase. So the current treatment doesn't seem to be the answer, and yet they all double down on it.

There was that Op Ed in the NYT of all places written by a transgender who was openly ranting about none of it was about making her any happier and it wouldn't make her any happier. It all made her feel worse.

So what is the point? And frankly, I love my kid. I want him to be happy. If what this chick was ranting about is true, then walking him down that path is the most anti-parent thing I could do.

a reply to: Cybelle

Not sure if you're trying to address me or if you're just using me as a vessel to vent your frustrations towards the anti-trans community, which I'm not a part of.

So you're a professional qualified to diagnose mental health issues or is this just an opinion or a feeling?

No I'm not a qualified professional, but I help run a non-profit organization for at-risk teens here in my community, and have been mentoring such kids for over 10 years now. And for what it's worth, my co-partner (she's the professional), was actually my mentor when I was once that at-risk teen. We created a life-long bond which ultimately led to us to becoming partners.

So although I'm not a professional, I have a lot of real life experience from dealing with it myself, and having helped many cope and deal with theirs.

The rest of your post I'm not going to address because most of it does not pertain to me.

Information released January 24th, 2019 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey of 131,901 high school students in ten different states, 1.8% identified as transgender and of this cohort, 35% reported attempting suicide within the past year

But I will address this point.

So about roughly 1000 transgender teens attempt suicide a year? About how many of those actually succeed?

Without even Googling, I know about 50,000 teens actually die from suicide a year, so the actual number of attempts would be somewhere in the millions. So is suicide just a trans thing, or is it more of a mental health thing? Two things can be true at once, and what I mean is if you took away the "trans" from those 1000 kids, how many do you think would still want to commit suicide? The answer might surprise you.

If your kid truly is trans and you ignore that and force-feed your own ideologies and deny necessary health care, you really are going to f# them up for sure and that is indeed a very dangerous approach.

I don't disagree with you here, but what you fail to realize is my point; if they aren't truly a trans and you force-feed this issue on them at such a young age, you'd be doing way more harm than good.

Again for clarity's sake, my ONLY issue with the trans movement, is the strange need to bring this issue up to kids as early as kindergarten. Not only are they incapable of fully grasping the concept, but their brains are in the most vulnerable stage and very susceptible to external influences - which has a major impact on them moving forward and can ultimately mess up and confuse the # out of them.

It's not necessary AT ALL and very dangerous.

a reply to: Wardaddy454

Have you actually met anyone who is trans and actually talked to them about their life?

I think it would change your perspective.

a reply to: Boadicea

Thanks for all the information.

I would have to add however that its Government run Public Schools that are breaking your kids.
Thanks,
Tony

Having caught up with the thread and all the comments now, I have to say that the trans ideologists are not helping their cause with their kneejerk attacks on any criticism or dissenting voices, and especially their refusal to address the very real and very specific problems presented in the OP.

In fact, that is exactly the problem. This tunnel vision that ignores or minimizes or belittles anything that doesn't promote and prop up the trans ideology. No matter who gets hurt. Even the ones they purport to support. Even kids who depend on the adults in their lives to act in their best interests -- both short-term and long-term. We all know that there are risks and dangers with ALL medical procedures and treatments, and that we have to weigh the risks against the benefits, and that we must take reasonable precautions for reasonable risks. Puberty blockers and cross-hormone therapy and surgical procedures are no different.

Lupron isn't a problem because it's used to treat transgender kids... Lupron is a problem no matter what it's used to treat! There is nothing magical about being transgender that changes the risks and harmful side effects of Lupron. In the real world, Lupron does what it does to the body without regard for what gender the brain thinks it is. Lupron does to the body in accordance to the actual sexual organs and systems, not according to what gender one thinks one is or should be.

But rather than discuss these issues -- which are harming people, including kids -- it's all dismissed out of hand for gaslighting rhetoric and name calling. Apparently no risk is too great if it props up the trans ideology. No harm is too severe if it props up the trans ideology. And no opinion is too extreme if it props up the trans ideology.

If we dare dissent or disagree, no mercy!!!

Just like you have to put these kids in a box and slap a label on them -- "transgender" -- you'll put everyone who voices an opposing opinion into a box and slap a label on us -- "transphobe."

Your cards have been overplayed. The emotional blackmail is backfiring. The gaslighting isn't working. The truth is rearing its head.

I'm happy to let people be who and what they are, no chemical or surgical "enhancement" necessary. Let them defy every gender norm they so choose. Let them embrace every gender norm they so choose. Let them be their own awesome selves. Instead of demanding they change -- and harm themselves in the process -- let's change society's gender stereotypes and demands.

a reply to: TonyS

I would have to add however that its Government run Public Schools that are breaking your kids....

And I cannot argue. Not just in this matter, but in many.

If my kids were school age today, I would definitely be home schooling.

a reply to: Boadicea

You are completely ignorant of the process involved for a person to transition. It is not like they see a specialist once are automatically handed hormones/blockers.

It takes many counseling sessions, many doctors appointments before hormone therapy is considered(though many choose the DIY option through black market suppliers).

You bring up an isolated case of someone who regrets transitioning while ignoring the thousands plus who are happy with their decision.

The biggest regret from most is they did not start at a younger age.

a reply to: ketsuko

Care to cite a source that post-op suicide rates are higher?

I beg to differ!

a reply to: Boadicea

I decided to watch a few videos regarding raising a trans child to try to understand what the dynamic is that causes a parent to totally embrace their child's supposed transgenderism.

It's difficult to get a true picture of a family's dynamic in video snippets. Of course, the video is going to show the child happily romping about in his/her "new" identity. It is going to verbalize the "struggles" the parents went through in making the decision to accommodate the child's dysphoric insistence to be the opposite sex.

In other words, it will not represent a true picture. Plus, some of these parents are trying to sell a book or be interviewed on TV, or make documentaries. It is hard for me to trust the motives of some people because we have all seen horrific things perpetrated for less than honorable reasons.

In one video, the mother is discussing the child's penis. The child is between toddlerhood and puberty and she tells him (with a big smile) that his vagina grew out rather than in. In one clip, she tells him his penis is like a birth defect. The mother appears, to me, to be encouraging the child to begin taking estrogen so that he can grow boobs. It was hard to watch. If that mother thinks she is doing the right thing, I feel sorry for her.

a reply to: jrod

No, I am not ignorant of -- nor ignoring -- anyone or anything. Rather I am looking at the big picture. Not just the little piece you want me to see.

The standards you are referring to are no longer in widespread practice, and are no longer recommended. The current recommended practice is "gender affirmation" and "self-ID." In other words, if they say it, it must be true, and full speed ahead with "affirming" their self-identified gender. No medical or psychiatric diagnosis wanted or needed. In fact, this self-ID and non-medical intervention is being demanded by the Trans Industry.

Are you not aware of this? Are you the ignorant one? Or just trying to gaslight???

As noted in the OP, and substantiated by several links from endocrinologists who object to this current treatment protocol, in the case of kids, the first medical step is puberty blockers, currently recommended as young as 11 years old. And these puberty blockers have permanent, life-altering, often devastating and debilitating effects on their health, and therefore their lives. These are very real, documented issues which warrant examination in the big picture.

a reply to: Boadicea

We cant have wishy washy fence sitters here. 21st Century Identity is the Nu Religion, the Opiate For The Masses, and there is no room for half committed initiates let alone borderline heretics.

originally posted by: queenofswords
a reply to: Boadicea

I decided to watch a few videos regarding raising a trans child to try to understand what the dynamic is that causes a parent to totally embrace their child's supposed transgenderism....

I have watched a few also, and it's a little disturbing. There were a couple especially where I felt like I was seeing a transgender version of Münchhausen Syndrome, where the parent (mother) wanted the child to "be" the opposite gender, and was encouraging -- feeding even -- that thought into the child's consciousness.

For the most part, children's ideas about gender -- if they have any at all! -- come from their parents and other caretakers. Just what are these kids being told?