Your daughter confides in you that she feels like she is in the wrong body — that she should have been a boy. Or perhaps if she’s been exposed to gender ideology at school or elsewhere, she believes that she actually is a boy.
How do you respond? As a parent, chances are you’d want your daughter to get real help so she can feel comfortable in her God-given body. Unfortunately, though, activists would prefer that your child start puberty blockers and (depending on her age) cross-sex hormones. They may even advocate for surgeries like a double mastectomy — an operation no child should be subjected to, let alone a child in a perfectly healthy body.
That’s why at Family Policy Alliance we, along with our state and national partners, have led the charge to protect children from these dangerous interventions and ensure that they have access to real help, not harm.
The national discussion on this topic is heating up. Here are 5 things you need to know about the current debate:
- The American Academy of Pediatricians is backpedaling on transition for minors.
For years, the American Academy of Pediatricians has pedaled gender ideology, including so-called “transition” for minors. But recently, after an article called out the organization in the Wall Street Journal, the Academy published its own reply. While the response stopped far short of abandoning gender ideology, it nonetheless attempted to backpedal its stance on supporting transgender interventions for “the vast majority of children.” While this may likely be more of a political move to save face than a real change of heart, it was an important indicator that supporters of these interventions are being forced to go on defense in the public eye — and that’s a step in the right direction.
- The ACLU is challenging an Arkansas child safety law.
If you’ve been following this topic in the news, you may know that the ACLU is challenging the Arkansas law that protects children from “transition.” Recently, a federal court ruled against the law — but that’s not the end of the story. The litigation is ongoing. And, the ruling actually looks to allow arguably the most important part of the law to stand — the law that allows minors (or adults who were harmed as minors) to sue the medical professionals who harmed them with hormones and surgeries. That’s good news.Please lift up the law and those defending it in prayer, and pray that more states would pass laws to protect children from this irreversible harm.
- A federal court ruled in favor of counselors.
One critical means of real help for struggling youth is counseling.Sadly, in many places across the country, counseling to help in these situations is legally banned. In these areas (see map below), LGBT activists have convinced leaders that “transition” is the only right answer for a child who feels uncomfortable with their biological sex — even when children want to pursue counseling to help them feel comfortable in their God-given bodies. These so-called “conversion therapy” bans not only prevent struggling youth from getting the help they need, but they also prevent licensed counselors from helping those who are struggling with same-sex attraction and desire change.
Dark green and green stripes represent areas with partial or complete therapy bans as described above. Screenshot from LGBTmap.org.
But there is good news on this front. Our friends at Liberty Counsel recently won a federal court case on behalf of licensed therapists whom they represent. The therapists practice in areas with the type of bans described above. The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals issued injunctions against those laws — and when a lower judge would not comply, the 11th Circuit forced her hand to ensure that these therapists could provide the help their clients want. It’s a critical win for those who want to help people find healing! - Another federal court protected medical professionals.
And that’s not the only recent win in this area! An Obama-era rule attempted to force physicians to engage in “transition” procedures, even if they had a religious or conscientious objection. But last week, another federal court ruled in favor of a Catholic healthcare system represented by our friends at Becket, a religious freedom-focused legal organization. These medical professionals will not be forced to perform these dangerous interventions, and instead can practice medicine in alignment with their consciences!
- Now is the time to protect children.
2023 is gearing up to be a year for states to protect children like never before, ensuring that they get help, not harm. And we expect that — just as happened with laws to Save Girls’ Sports — we’ll continue to see more good laws and other actions to protect children. But the first step is electing government leaders willing to take the stand to make it happen. This November, you can use your vote to help put those good leaders in office.
Want to do more to help kids? Consider partnering with Family Policy Alliance. We are fighting to protect children across the nation, so that every child struggling in this area has the opportunity to get help and not harm. We have a critical need to build resources now so that we can help states prohibit dangerous “transitions” performed on minors, save girls’ sports—and ultimately stop the spread of radical gender ideology targeted at children. You can partner with us here.
Want to learn more about this issue? Watch sessions from our Help Not Harm Summit here! You’ll find information on how to protect your child from the transgender agenda, understand the worldview behind the agenda, take action in your area, and more.
Thank you for standing with us to protect vulnerable children.
Sincerely,
Meridian Baldacci
Director, Strategy