"Mitrovich said that “self-identifying Nazis” are protesting these events."

I think that before one is allowed to "self-identify" as a Nazi, you should have to go through extensive psychological evaluation to make sure that you are truly an asshole, live openly as an asshole for two years, and be sterilized.

Fun fact: The vast majority of elective I guess somewhat "gender-affirming" surgeries are for CIS minors. They are supposed "permanently disfiguring" cosmetic surgeries like breast augmentation, nose jobs, etc.

But literally none of these are proposed to be banned or restricted for CIS minors.

That's right. As long as your child wants bigger tits so that one of our SLOG INCEL rightwing shitbags finds them fuckable then suddenly supposed "body mutilation" is just fine.

Criminy - Republicans sure are happy they found a new "icky" scapegoat to rally the neanderthals around since public opinion about regular ol' gay people swung so far to the acceptance side of things.

No minority is too small for them to endanger as long as it gets their brainless base to show up at the polls.

@3 -- Exactly. The fact that trans folks are a small minority is part of the strategy. Once homosexuals were outed, the anti-homosexual forces had no power. There were just too many people, everywhere. They were on TV, in public places, then neighbors, long term acquaintances, and relatives. There really aren't that many trans people, which is why this oppression will be harder to fight.

It's all Republicans huh. The politics are, but there's a lot more to this story. Transgenderism is a truly wonderful thing for those who felt the were always on the wrong bus in life. But, yeah, there's always a but, when you have the human condition which includes changes of heart and mind, coupled with the indisputable paring of medicine and Murphy's Law - well, one has to be careful, right? It's a life long decision of enormous significance. It's an adult decision. Don't rob adult decisions from future adults.

https://www.transitionjustice.org

I am more interested to see if the idea of progressive Europe as a 'myth' shows up in ST in any another context. I almost fell of my chair when I saw that.

@2 how many of those procedures can someone under 18 get without parental consent? The answer is zero. In fact if you tattto a kid under 18 in WA you are breaking the law

https://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=26.28.085

If you are over 18 or have parental consent you can get gender affirming care. That’s hardly a “war”. Listen to @4 who actually has lived experience with this. We should have some level of discussion before making life altering choices.

Excellent, informative, well-written article. At the very least it suggests that whatever differences of opinion may exist among health professionals regarding trans health care protocols, these are appropriately resolved on an individual basis by providers and their clients (of whatever age), not by politicians passing blanket bans. Especially if said politicians have ideological or theological commitments that preclude any serious, open-minded consideration of the subject, as is usually the case.

Excellent
Work
Alex!!

you too
commentariat!

[pulitzerish?
hmmm]

To gatekeep or not to gatekeep, that is the question. An adult that self-identifies as trans should receive gender affirming care without being questioned or stigmatized. WPATH has standards of care for children (pre-pubescent) and adolescents, that have gates installed to minimize the possibility a minor will regret transitioning. These gates are in place. There is long term physical damage from denying adolescents from using puberty blockers that can only be overcome through extremely painful treatments. For trans women it's facial and body hair removal, for trans men it's body shape corrected by breaking and rebuilding their hips.

Unfortunately, there is an issue in which the nanny state Republicans may have a point. Who is trans? What criteria is there to "qualify" as trans? In the trans community there are some of us who believe just saying "I'm Trans" is all that is required to be included and treated according to that gender identity. I can understand this feeling, as I have always known I'm trans, and always knew I'd transition when "the time was right." My timing hit when I was 52, and although was always trans, I didn't identify as trans because I wasn't actively transitioning. The idea that an adult trans woman merely by saying "I'm Trans" should be allowed into female designed spaces is in my opinion ludicrous. Nor should access to these spaces be gated to deny entry by trans women. Unfortunately common sense doesn't prevail in all cases.

I don't believe access to gender affirming spaces should be limited, but if we don't police ourselves, others will step up and use our silence to pass laws hurting all of us. There is no definition or criteria for how to "present" as one's gender identity. Cis women range from beauty queens to butch, so how a trans woman falls into those roles can't be defined by any law, the same is true for cis and trans men.

The only thing I know is that I don't have the answers. Republican legislatures believe they have the answer to erase knowledge of our existence from their lives. How does either side engage with the other when each position is an "absolute?" How do we in the LGBTQ community fight their use of children as propaganda?

@10: Thank you. Playing the suicide blackmail card has got to stop.

@13: As a little boy who knew nothing about sexuality but just in awe of men and other boys, I was perhaps "confused" which is the scenario that over-zealous school teachers promoting a gender agnostic agenda in their classrooms seize upon. Thank God I grew up in a time when gender was non ambiguous. Such a little boy as I in today's world is mentioned in videos from Boston Children's Hospital as exhibiting transgenderism.

Little kids are fickle, gullible creatures. Eager to say things to please adults. Far more kids having "gender issues" are gay or lesbian than trans.

Only when a child goes though puberty do they come to a full understanding as to what their sexual orientation is all about. Every human should experience an orgasm. No person should be sterilized before they make they're able to make that decision as an adult.

Puberty blockers and opposite sex hormones are tricky. I didn't know this until recently, but a girl taking testosterone who later has intercourse with a man can severely damage their weakend vaginal wall. Yeah, data is not the plural of anecdotes, but still.

Anyone who says these pre-adolescent procedures are totally safe has an agenda. Beware of people with agendas, especially where children are concerned.

Kids can figure things out by themselves.

@13 - I'll address you as the little boy you were. You were confused, that was you. You are an anecdote and a spec of data on a larger spread sheet of humanity. There is a difference between puberty blockers and HRT. A trans man on testosterone is by definition not a child and no longer "just" taking puberty blockers. Trans men as a general rule don't engage in intercourse as a female. Some may, but they know the risks. Knowledge is power. Even before bottom surgery a trans man's clitoris begins enlarging when taking testosterone. "It" doesn't become the same size as a cis man's penis in appearance. However, it does resemble a micro penis beautifully and completely. As the clitoris isn't just the part of the organ that appears externally, the actual clitoris extends well into the vaginal cavity and reacts just like a cis man's shaft and glans. A trans woman's organ shrinks under estradiol treatment and reacts completely differently than a cis man's penis, in fact sexual arousal is based on similar clitoral stimulation a cis woman reacts to. In the womb prior to development of male and female characteristics, these are the same organs.

I'm a trans woman, married to a trans man. I talk about these things not because I want to, but because ignorance allows the lies told about us to become common place.

Under WPATH guidelines, children are defined as pre-pubescent and are only introduced to social transition after therapy and with parental knowledge and approval. Adolescents are defined as pubescent children and with therapy may be prescribed puberty blockers in order to delay onset characteristics which exacerbate gender dysphoria. Getting through puberty with gender dysphoria isn't guaranteed or easy, which is why therapy is required under WPATH guidelines.

Are there doctors in clinics that make mistakes? Yes, how could there not be? However, WPATH guidelines when followed minimize this outcome. Minors at this time in the USA follow under gatekeeping rules. The gatekeepers are the protectors, in conjunction with the parents.

Everyone in the LGBTQ community should be aware of the crisis in homeless youth fleeing to our states from non-welcoming communities and families. Read that again, non-welcoming families. Fleeing. Our youth aren't "just" running away, they are fleeing from mental and/or physical abuse. This will increase as red states continue to pass legislature outlawing our existence.

@17 was intended for @16

well done Kelly L!

"Republicans"
gain enough Power
NO state will be Safe
for the LGBTQ Community.

they're coming there fucking
FIRST -- hell they're already THERE
& they don't mean to Stop till there's
ONE Trillionaire to Rule Them ALL. adios

Welcome to
our Fascist
State.

the Jesusy parts
are just a Ruse.

@17: I respect your educational feedback. Thank you for sharing.