4thWaveNow

That’s the bizarre thing. They know their kids, they’ve known them intimately for years. Yet they are expected to endorse not just the opinions of their offspring, but they are also told to give over their doubts and critical thinking, to trust the “experts” to know better. They are expected to be content with being called “transphobes” if they voice any desire to look at things a different way. I’ve now had the chance to talk with several parents of teen girls who abruptly declared they are trans and want to start testosterone RIGHT AWAY, after only a few weeks of Internet trans binges. It’s bizarre and almost dystopian. The stories of these parents are almost identical. And in every case, they point to the change coming after their kid started parroting what they imbibed on social media–and most of all, via YouTube vlogs which make transition look like a magical journey that will take them to a land where all their problems will be solved.  

Yeah, when you’re 13 or 14 and some gender doctor asks you if you’re ok with never having your own biological kids if you go from blockers to cross-sex hormones, you have no idea if you’ll be ok with that when you’re 20 or 30. Would I have cared about that at 13? Doubtful. And at 18 or 20 or 25, it’s easy to say you “don’t care” if you are told via “informed consent” that testosterone might give you early male pattern baldness or increase your risk of heart disease. It’s a cliché that young people think they’re immortal or invincible.  I sure felt that way.

Agreed. For anyone who missed the link to her video, here it is.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXkv_orW6fc

Also, she is collaborating with me and others to create a new YouTube channel, called “Women Forever,”  that will provide an alternative role model for young women considering transition.  We are looking for “gender nonconforming" women who would like to participate in creating more videos like this.  Anyone interested can write to: womenstaywomen at gmail dot com.

Who petitions the court?

Such an excellent point, and one that is glossed over by activists and others pushing transition. A kid who has been treated as the opposite sex for years is going to be conditioned NOT to change their mind. Dr. Cohen-Kettenis, a “gender specialist” and one of the Dutch researchers, has written this:  “What of the gender variant child whose social environment both accepts and encourages an early transition but may be unaware that the child, unwilling to disappoint, has had a change of heart ?”

Yeah, clinics like the Boston one (run by Norman Spack) push the idea that earlier is better so that kids don’t have to go through the “wrong puberty.” What they don’t tell you (although you can find Spack and others admitting to this in interviews and elsewhere) is that they DON’T KNOW whether kids who go through early treatment are going to be happy adults. Especially because they will be infertile, permanently sterilized adults if they go from blockers straight to cross-sex hormones. I think if more of the general public understood that these clinics are actually sterilizing children before they have the mental capacity to really understand what that means, this train might slow down. Permanent sterility is a big price to pay for “looking better.”

Parents also need more education about the issue, so they have a better handle on what is “responsible.” At the moment, activists are pushing for FEWER safeguards and “gatekeeping,” even for kids.

This is such interesting information. Thank you. It sounds like the whole process may be handled more responsibly there. I blogged on Wordpress about a recent Finnish study which looked at co-existing mental health issues, specifically in girls who wanted to transition. And in addition, the same study noted the increase in girls presenting to gender clinics, reversing the ratio that was previously in effect.
http://4thwavenow.com/2015/05/23/new-study-out-of-finland-girls-with-gender-dysphoria-have-many-other-mental-health-issues/