Just because YOU don't know what it feels like, it doesn’t mean it’s not a real phenomenon.
Just because Ladapo doesn't know what it feels like, it doesn’t mean it’s not a real biological phenomenon. The June 2 letter authored by Governor appointed Surgeon General Ladapo asks the state board to essentially ban transition-related care for transgender minors. Here’s the link to the article which discusses Ladapo's letter:
The National Health Law Program, the Florida Health Justice Project and Southern Legal Counsel issued a statement that said banning transition-related care “draws on junk science and cites discredited so-called experts... The lives, health and well-being of transgender Floridians are at stake." Here's the link to the article that quotes those groups: https://www.orlandosentinel.com/politics/fl-ne-lgbtq-fight-florida-medicaid-coverage-ban-20220606-7h7pwrt7pbfjpdekk6q5op5o7u-story.html
The research shows that kids whose families support and accept them in the gender with which they identify have the best mental health.
The chance for a trans person to express their true identity can have a powerful effect on their self-esteem. The process of changing from the gender they were assigned at birth to the gender that feels true to them is called transitioning. The process doesn’t always mean getting surgery. It can take several forms. Some are nonpermanent steps, such as choosing a new name, changing pronouns, and wearing different clothes and hairstyles. Others include medical treatments and procedures to change the body. There’s no set formula for a transition.
Puberty can be especially upsetting for many transgender children and their parents. A medical team comprising the child's pediatrician, psychologist, psychiatrist and endocrinologist can help the parents and child determine the proper treatment plans for the child. In some cases, treatment may include the use of puberty blockers to give the family some time to reflect on the future before their child goes through puberty. In other cases, puberty blockers may not be necessary. Puberty blockers stall the permanent changes that normally happen during puberty. They can buy the parents some time because puberty is irreversible.
Lia Thomas transitioned after puberty. She tells her story to Sports Illustrated. Here's an excerpt from the article: “I just want to show trans kids and younger trans athletes that they’re not alone,” she says at the coffeehouse. “They don’t have to choose between who they are and the sport they love.” https://www.si.com/college/2022/03/03/lia-thomas-penn-swimmer-transgender-woman-daily-cover
We must learn to get along and we can learn to do that in our public schools. Surgeon General Ladapo and people who want trans kids banned from public schools remind me of the ignorance, prejudice, and utter disdain prior to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the American with Disabilities Act of 1990.
A few excerpts from this article:
Science points to a more accurate and hopeful way to understand the biology of sex. By recognizing the true diversity of the human experience, humanity can embrace an expansive and multifaceted way of envisioning and experiencing human nature. This evidence-based outlook is not only far more interesting than the simplistic and incorrect “tallywhacker versus no tallywhacker” perspective, but also more conducive to respect and flourishing. … The data-driven bottom line is that “man/woman” and “masculine/feminine” are neither biological terms nor rooted exclusively in biology. The lack of an explicit binary is especially evident in humans given the complex neurobiologies, life histories, and morphological dynamics in our species. There are many successful, biologically diverse ways to be human, and millions of people embody this diversity. Growing up human means growing up in a world of varying gender expectations, body types, reproductive options, family structures, and sexual orientations. … So, instead of listening to people who are misogynistic, sexist, or homo/transphobic; incels; or politicians who base their ideologies on a biological sex binary and myths about its evolution, we can and should be open to a serious understanding of biology and its better options for human flourishing. The simple male/female binary does not effectively express the normal range of being human.
I don't pretend to know what gender dysphoria is like or the best way to endure it or cure it or deal with it. I do know that if I had gender dysphoria, I wouldn't want religious people to have the power to reduce my options because of THEIR religion. I am not advocating for any particular treatment for gender dysphoria. I am saying that viable helpful health care options should not be taken away from the patient’s list of options by the government.
Susan Member of Jax-NOW
PS: Excerpt from this article: A recent study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health demonstrates the power of affirming transgender youth’s identities. Another study, published in the journal Pediatrics, finds that transgender youth who have fully socially transitioned to their identified gender, and have been supported in doing so, do not have elevated depressive symptoms compared to the broader population. https://www.childtrends.org/blog/research-shows-the-risk-of-misgendering-transgender-youth
Kommentare