More and more children are being pushed toward transgender interventions. This often begins with puberty blockers and eventually progresses to cross-sex hormones and even surgery. Many of the resulting physical changes, like sterilization or mastectomies, are irreversible.
It should come as no surprise, then, that the rise in transitions is producing more people who regret that decision. Despite the permanent changes, many of them eventually try to return to living as their biological sex. They’re known as “detransitioners,” and those who choose to publicly share their stories are incredibly courageous.
That’s why at Family Policy Alliance we are glad to recognize Detransition Awareness Day, happening this year on March 12 (Sunday).
Whether you personally know someone who has struggled to embrace their biological sex, or you simply want to be more educated on the issue, this weekend is a great time to learn more.
Below are three resources to help you get started.
- Hear from someone who lived it. Our CEO and President, Craig DeRoche, recently sat down with Erin Brewer, a woman who greatly struggled as a child to embrace her female body but now advocates to protect children from this harmful ideology. Watch now on Facebook or YouTube, or listen to our podcast episode on Apple, Spotify, or Google Podcasts.
- Understand the parents’ perspective. Earlier this year, we talked with reporter Brandon Showalter about his work on this issue and about a new documentary called Dead Name. While not about detransition specifically, this powerful documentary sheds light on the struggles parents face when a child chooses to “transition.” Watch now on Facebook or YouTube, or listen to our podcast episode on Apple, Spotify, or Google Podcasts.
- Get the facts. If you want to learn more about the issue or how you can be involved, be sure to check out our Help Not Harm page. There, you can get answers to the most common questions, learn about the issues at stake, and find ways to take action.
As you learn more about this issue, be sure to say a prayer for those who suffer from gender dysphoria. Join us in praying for their protection from dangerous procedures, for the ability to get loving help when needed, and for hope and healing for those who have gone through with transition and are now regretting that decision.
And, while you spend time learning and praying about this issue, you can rejoice with us that there is good news: four states have already passed Help Not Harm laws, which protect children from transition and give child victims a chance to sue the medical practitioners who hurt them so much. Plus, several more states are considering similar bills this year – perhaps your state is one of them! Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube to stay up-to-date on the latest developments.
Sincerely,
Meridian Baldacci
Director, Strategy
“from the second i woke up in the operating room i knew it was a mistake. … everyone was congratulating me and saying how happy they were for me, but i didn’t share their enthusiasm. it felt like I had just jumped off a cliff and everybody else was standing on the cliff, looking at me on the rocks below, and clapping. my mom took a picture right after i got out of surgery – of me with the bandages wrapped around my chest… i was literally crying because it was so horribly painful.”
Gut-wrenching.
There is no other way to describe these words from an anonymous 15-year-old girl who described herself as the “youngest patient” on whom her doctor had ever performed a double mastectomy.
The reason she went through this? At the time, she thought she should be a boy.
Now, just 9 months post-operation she sees the truth that “I wasn’t a man, I wasn’t male…” and she feels, in her own words, “chagrined.”
And she’s not alone.
About two years ago, Irreversible Damage author Abigail Shrier wrote in her book about a social media (Reddit) page for detransitioners – people who “transitioned” to living as the opposite sex and have since reversed course. At the time that Shrier wrote, the thread had 7,000 members. Today, the group has almost 30,000 members.
Today is Detrans Awareness Day, a day launched in part by an English girl named Keira Bell.
Keira was just 15 when she began conversations to pursue transgender interventions. In her own words:
“After a series of superficial conversations with social workers, I was put on puberty blockers at age 16. A year later, I was receiving testosterone shots. When 20, I had a double mastectomy. By then, I appeared to have a more masculine build, as well as a man’s voice, a man’s beard, and a man’s name: Quincy, after Quincy Jones.”
Over time, Keira came to regret her decision, and eventually to detransition – and even to pursue a lawsuit against the clinic that provided her chemical and surgical interventions. This week, a report revealed that the clinic’s services were “not a safe or viable long-term option” for minors.
At Family Policy Alliance, we believe that minors should be protected from transgender interventions across the board. These interventions can result in sterilization, permanent voice and appearance changes, scarring, and more. No child should make that choice.
That’s why we launched our Help Not Harm campaign: We want to help hurting kids and bring them the hope they need, not harm them with hormones and surgeries.
Last year, Arkansas became the first state to protect minors from transgender interventions. We want to see similar protections across the United States. If you agree, visit our Help Not Harm Summit to learn more about the truth of this issue – and find out what you can do to help.
For the least of these,
Meridian Baldacci
Director, Strategy
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