Vancouver resident Julia Dawn Seaver shares evidence that ‘as the number of transgender children grows, so does the rate of those who regret their decision’
Editor’s note: Opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are those of the author alone and do not reflect the editorial position of ClarkCountyToday.com
If the measure of a nation is the way it treats its most vulnerable citizens, the U.S. is failing. While many European countries are pulling back from medically transitioning gender confused children, the United States charges forward, ignoring studies that show the harm to minors, and the fact that most will change their mind if allowed to go through puberty, and continues to fast track puberty blockers, cross sex hormones, and irreversible surgery for minors.
One teen who was on testosterone and had a mastectomy, wrote a post titled, I can’t live like this anymore but I don’t want my mom to suffer even more. “I’m a 17 year old girl with a flat chest, a deep voice, a visible Adam’s apple and some facial hair. There’s no reason for me to continue to live. I was just a kid and I would have needed someone to help me accept myself but my therapist didn’t question my ‘transness.’ I can’t stop thinking about the life I could have had.”
March 12th has been designated as Detransition Awareness Day, to bring attention to those who regret their gender transitions.
How big is the problem of gender confused kids? Big. The Williams Institute’s 2022 study found that nearly 43% of those identifying as transgender or nonbinary are between the ages of 13 and 24. Given that children are inundated at school, in libraries, and on social media with the idea that they could be trapped in the wrong body, we shouldn’t be too surprised.
Additional influence comes in states like Washington where the Legislature has given 13-year-olds the freedom to make medical decisions without their parents; deemed psychotherapy to be “conversion therapy” if it doesn’t affirm a child’s new gender identity; and is now poised to pass another bill that will allow runaway minor children to have gender surgery at taxpayer expense, without informing parents. Imagine your child running away, and frantically searching while the state conceals their whereabouts and provides irreversible surgery. It will cover children from other states as well. SB 5599 has passed the Senate and is moving through the House.
As the number of transgender children grows, so does the rate of those who regret their decision. The trend of transitioning children is relatively new and since it’s common for patients to feel euphoric at the start of treatment, often taking close to a decade before regret sets in, there’s no way to determine the true rate. A Reddit group for detransitioners currently has 45,000 members and is adding 1,000 new members a month. Studies are all over the place, but when 4 out of 5 children will detransition before adulthood, it begs the question of why children should be transitioned at all. If we don’t allow minors to drink, smoke, get tattoos, or even have their ears pierced, why do we allow them to make permanent, life altering decisions?
For more information:
https://www.detransawareness.org/
To read and comment on SB 5599: https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=5599&Year=2023&Initiative=false
Julia Dawn Seaver
Vancouver
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Excellent and accurate information Dawn! You always keep it real!
SB 5599 is an abhorrent abuse of children and their bodies.
My Tax Dollars will be used to sexually mutilate minor children, NO AGE LIMIT GIVEN. It gives legal protection to anyone that would kidnap a child, hide them from their parents, and facilitate abortion or abhorrent acts of so called “Gender affirming” surgical procedures.
Genitalia mutilation. It also legally PROHIBITS parents from seeking their own flesh and blood. Their children.
This bill must be stopped. It is evil to the core! Please click on the link provided and leave a comment. The majority of comments and those who have testified in person are strongly against this bill, a number of adults from the LGBT community were extremely concerned and did testify against this bill in person.
See above.
no evidence is offered that support her “…as the number of transgender children grows, so does the rate of those who regret their decision”. As a matter of fact, the article states “…there’s no way to determine the true rate”
Frank, what difference does it really make how many? There obviously are quite a few. If it were one black life it would matter, and I am sure there are some blacks included in whatever the number is. As is stated at the end of the article minors are prohibited from several activities until they are old enough to make life changing decisions.
I was pointing out that the title of her article was not supported in the text…as a matter of fact it noted that there is no way to determine the rate. Update since I commented: the title of the article was change
Also, if you actually read the peer reviewed studies cited you’ll find, “Regret was specifically documented in two cases but may or may not have been experienced by others too. Conversely, the process of transitioning and subsequently detransitioning may, in its own right, have been a positive experience for some.” Hall, Mitchell & Sachdeva (2021). Of the 175 study participants only two were known to have expressed regret.
The other study suggests that very young children who identify as trans ultimate remain cis gendered but come out as gay: “With regard to sexual orientation, the most likely outcome of childhood GID [gender identity disorder] is homosexuality or bisexuality.”
Both studies suggest that young children are more aware of sexuality and gender expression than the author is willing to give them credit for.
God made Male and Female…. no other Genders, God did not put it in someone’s head that they are in the wrong Body. It is the Schools, Libraries, a Therapist and so forth… Let Children be Children… don’t push them they will later regret.
There are also biological disorders.
HB 1469 – Thurs Mar 16 public hearing, Senate Committee on Law & Justice 8 AM
This bill makes Washington a ‘sanctuary state’ for minors coming from other states for secret gender mutilation procedures or abortions. HB 1469 would not allow parents in other states to take legal action if their child comes to Washington for these procedures including surgeries, in most cases. Washington taxpayers would be responsible to pay for these surgeries/treatments on minors with serious risks, while parents of the minor may be left wondering where their child is. The bill also has an ’emergency clause’ so law takes effect as soon as the bill is passed. To submit a position or sign up to testify on a bill , the deadline is one hour prior to the Public hearing time.
I would like my position noted for the legislative record
ESSB 5599, Public Hearing Wed. March 22 at 1:30pm.
Expands compelling reasons not to notify a parent when a minor child is seeking or receiving gender change drugs/surgeries and abortions or abortion drugs.
To register a position, or testify remotely on the bill the deadline is 12:30pm, an hour before the hearing. Written testimony is another way to participate.
I don’t see anywhere in that Senate Bill where it talks about gender change/drugs/surgeries and abortions. Can you please clear this up?
Because people forgot Ronald Regan’s admonition that, “The person who agrees with you 80 percent of the time is a friend and an ally – not a 20 percent traitor” we elected a woman to represent us in Congress who is against parental rights and supports abortion up until birth, together the very things you’re warning about here. Who benefited? Not Republicans. Hopefully, there will be less emotion, more thinking and less grandstanding in 2024 so that we can actually work together to combat these horrors instead of endlessly grousing about them to no effect.