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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