We have got to stop playing along with people’s psychopathologies. We have got to stop affirming untruths as though it’s compassionate. We don’t agree with anorectics that they are fat and need to keep dieting, or even have their intestines excised, do we? They have a body image dysphoria and need counseling. All these other versions of body image dysphoria are a symptom of a deeper problem. We also have kids identifying as having autism or some other psychological problem. Why? The situation is screaming at us. Our kids are messed up. They lack purpose and meaning, they need something to believe it. They don’t see anything. So they create something to give their lives meaning, to get attention and belong to a group.
JK Rowling is brave to push back, but she doesn’t go far enough. The trans movement has gone way too far now, into child mutilation and gaslighting of little kids. Enough.
This is one of the best podcast series I’ve ever heard. The brief history of online language and bullying and recent feminist history are all important backdrops to this story and provide a much needed context. JK Rowling never made flippant, bigoted statements. Supporting the trans community and their rights and protecting the hard earned rights of females and female only spaces shouldn’t be an either/or endeavor. The disgusting online abuse Rowling and others, including violent sexual threats and rape, are intended to silence. Rowling is an extraordinary woman. There are millions of women who suffer abuse who have no voice and no “platform.” I applaud her for standing up for them and standing for the right to be heard without a life-destroying backlash that destroys livelihoods.
Probably around the time drugs started advertising on TV and people decided they needed that med. We really need to go back to no advertising for drugs. We banned them for cigarettes.
From a standpoint of policy, Minnesota may now be the most leftist state in the country. The good news is that at least some traditional Democrats there believe state government is going too far.
I love the name, "Millstone Act". We need this nationally. Minds are not fully formed before around age 26 (which is why, of course, they go after children):
"‘Texas Millstone Act’ Would Prohibit Gender Mutilation Procedures for People Under 26
As more people have been taken advantage of by greedy physicians, the Texas Millstone Act would help protect innocent people from these life-altering procedures."
You'll not be surprised to hear the Hellenes had come to a similar conclusion two and a half millenia ago. They thought you were fully adult at thirty. In a great many respects we haven't clawed our way back to where Hellenistic civilisation was knowledge-wise in 200AD.
U.S. Sex Reassignment Surgery Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Gender Transition (Male To Female, Female To Male), And Segment Forecasts, 2022 - 2030
For the most part it is more dangerous to take a troubled teen to a therapist than not as all roads lead to "is trans" which somehow has taken on a magical quality beyond "body dysmorphia".
Tell me about it. I had maybe three sessions with a child psychologist before I concluded he was an idiot and refused to see him again. It was about thirty years before I stumbled upon what the problem was in The Sunday Times. This was when it was a reputable paper and not a dubious wrag. Fast forward and you now can't trust anyone in or adjacent to healthcare to be able to find their own arse with the aid of a torch and a gundog.
I figured out long before a Physician that I likely had endometriosis. I dealt with a few bad doctors dismissing my symptoms before finding a good one that confirmed my intuition was correct. This has happened many times, actually. It's not uncommon for bad doctors to misdiagnose patients, and patients to figure out their own diagnosis before finding a competent Physician.
You’re not wrong, there are times that a patient has to advocate for themselves, but the complete submission of medical professionals to teenagers’ self-diagnoses isn’t the same as an adult with defined physical symptoms dealing with the medical profession.
Operative saying is that there’s no such thing as bad publicity. Attention to the trans movement is publicity, but ignoring it is like ignoring an early cancer. There’s probably a sweet spot that, in a perfect world, would spotlight the problem and suggest how to fix it. But given the speed of viral communication, any light quickly becomes heat and therefore counterproductive. Rowling said her piece and then largely shut up. I consider that to be a perfect response. And, alas, also a very rare one.
I think that she as much as did that. It's pretty obvious where her feelings are on this. It wasn't necessary for her to pile on by adding yet another voice. You don't persuade rational people by the number of voices that espouse an idea. You do it by being the rational one.
I think JKR is doing a fine job. But I don't fault you for your opinion, which I think is also a reasonable one. (Not that my opinion of your opinion should make much of a difference to you, but hey....) ;-)
"I definitely believe we are witnessing the first internet-spawned cult." I think she's right. She was responding to my comparison to Heaven's Gate. Remember that?
When you view it that way the behavior of the suddenly turned inward, depressed, and angry teens makes a lot of sense - if parents are not in the cult they are bad people, members get new names (serious commitment gadget there), they have specific steps they need to take, they have "Euphoria", they "know" they will achieve perfect happiness and their true "authentic self" if they can just keep taking steps to reach some perfect spot (hence the demand for instant cross sex hormones and operations), they are so messed up it is hard to get out (ie, if I am wrong it's really really bad), etc. It is as if Heaven's Gate was endorsed by all of society. But, then Heaven's Gate was not so profitable or politically useful.
"On March 26, 1997, an anonymous caller directed police to a mansion outside San Diego where authorities soon discovered the largest mass suicide on U.S. soil.
The 39 victims found within the home were all members of a strange and secretive cult called Heaven's Gate, which had a goal to transcend to "higher beings" by spaceship."
Similar to teens: ""I was always looking for answers, looking for purpose in my life," said DiAngelo. "I loved these people. ... it meant everything to me." DiAngelo first spoke to ABC News' Diane Sawyer in 1997."
Hummmmmm.... "Over the course of several years, Applewhite and Nettles required their followers to adhere to increasingly more strange and severe rules, including severing all contact with family and friends and encouraging the adoption of an asexual appearance. In later years, some members of the group underwent castration."
Today, "support" means we are supposed to say something similar to: "Yes, dear, the human body really is a vehicle meant to carry your being to a spaceship if you feel that way."
This is certainly an early one from the internet. If Josef Goebbels had had an internet, that might have been the first. He had to make do with radio and ginormous public appearances of der fuhrer. Worked well enough to cause the deaths of millions upon millions.
Turns out that the dark web hosts a fair number of people who are bent on creating mass casualties. We call them domestic terrorists. I've seen some of their blogs. Calling them disturbed is like calling a dwarf short.
Internet isn't required, but no question it's a convenient shortcut.
My thoughts exactly as I listened to episode 6. The teen was incredibly articulate and knowledgeable, but also clearly and admittedly suffering from other mental disorders. Something is not right that parents would allow him tell the world intimate details of his life weeks after a life altering surgery. It seems like complete malpractice and actually criminal to mutilate this child's body when so many issues have not been sorted out or resolved. The world that has been opened to them at young ages has been a real pandora's box. I remember being surprised that parents were reading HP books to young children (5 and 6 years old). Then much "young adult literature" exposes our kids to ideas regarding sexuality, dysfunction, mental illness at far too young of an age, but parents and teachers are celebrating how much the kids love to read without questioning content. And then social media, youtube and online forums are opening them up to ideas and platforms and many parents aren't paying an ounce of attention or questioning who they are learning from or connecting with. We are all being gaslit. When they call a mastectomy "top surgery" something is very wrong. Trying to make gender mutilation seem so benign feels very 1984 where our language is being carefully controlled so we are lulled into acceptance. That being said, I think Megan Phelps Roper is doing a great job in telling a nuanced story.
Paraphilia among adults is a word that also comes to mind. But, I think it is also a word that is on the way out - just as Pedophilia is getting replaced with "Minor Attraction".
Agreed, LM. I consider anyone who advocates mutilation before some serious counseling evil. These people have psychological issues that need to be addressed. I have a son with anxiety issues and a daughter that just we through a stress induced eating disorder so spare any indignation regarding counseling. It, coupled with time, works.
Exactly right, Danimal28. This should not be about some phony "civil rights movement of our time" so that endocrinologists and plastic surgeons can make $$$ fast. People need real talk therapy first and should not take drastic medical steps prior to a mature age like 26. Texas has a Millstone Act about that. These phony "gender therapists" must stop rubber stamping "identities" which are promoted in schools with GenderBread Persons/Queer Theory.
For over a decade the series' fandom has long been a place that accepts multiple genders. People are free to think whatever they want, but if she is making billions off of a product she has the responsibility to encourage facts(there are only two human genders). She did that in 2019 and I give her credit for it. She should have done it years earlier imho.
All I hear is whah whah whah whah... everything is fucked up and doesn’t look like my mom said it should. Go fuck yourself. You put forward this idea of live and let live just don’t impose on me, but really that shits just cover for the fact that you don’t like that there are people that fly in the face of your “conservative” values. Conservatives only stand for their own freedoms. All of you that are jumping on this hateful bandwagon, they are coming for you next.
We have played along with the psychopathologies of the religious right forever. That’s shit is coming home to roost. Science has caught up with religion and said bullshit.
There is not an 85% false positive rate. That is a dated statistic from the 90s that is commonly used by legislators. Most recently in Montana, where they just passed a bill to ban gender affirming care for anyone under 18. The legislator that sponsored the bill, after scrutiny, admitted this and they still passed it with the language sited in the bill. More recent studies show that detransition is extremely rare, at closer to 3%.
And the comment that I am replying to from NCMaureen clearly goes past limitations on children.
“As mentioned earlier, symptoms of GID [Gender Identity Disorder] at prepubertal ages decrease or even disappear in a considerable percentage of children (estimates range from 80–95%) [11,13]. Therefore, any intervention in childhood would seem premature and inappropriate." https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1743-6109.2008.00870.x
"We have played along with the psychopathologies of the religious right forever."
Hey, your heroes just shut down churches and fitness centers while they kept liquor stores and strip clubs open. Oh, and they are advocating men competing 'as women'. Oh, and your beloved government types have been censoring you for about 12 years on social media(Matt Taibbi anyone?).
You need to police your own rather than pick on 'conservatives'. Conservatives advocate for your rights including free speech. We have served in some shitty places to protect your rights.
2) I would agree that shutting down churches (even though you are much more likely to find me at the strip clubs you mentioned) is bull shit.
3) I really could care less about social media.
4) I think Matt Taibbi (and Bari Weiss) should be commended for their journalism.
All of that aside, I stand by my comment. There is a place for gender affirming care for children. Like most things, it is a nuanced issue. Noah is a great example of how the system should work (in my opinion). What NC Maureen is talking about is bullshit. if child harm is the only measure by which we decide what should be banned and what should not, there is a long list. The Catholic Church seems to be going strong. I could be wrong, but I haven't heard any news regarding banning Sunday Mass (post-covid).
That is the thing - I don't care if you spend your time at strip clubs. Live and let live. It is your business, not mine.
I do not think NC's comment is bullshit; we need to tell our greatest resource the truth rather than coddle them. There are two genders. Period. Yes, we should psychologically help them in any way, but I am not for 'affirming' anything against proven reality. I have watched a great friend allow his daughter to cut off her breasts - mutilation - at the age of 15 when all she needed was time to get through her problems. Like all of us in our teens.
As for the Catholic Church... They - at least in my area - are full of shit for not standing for what they should - freedom.
Why does everyone feel like they need to put "period" or "full stop" on statements? By the way you should know that I am a trans woman.
Anywho... I disagree. There is along list of studies that show that gender is a spectrum. I could maybe grant you that there are only 2 biological sexes, but there are also that small fraction of intersex people out there that throws a wrench in that as well.
I obviously do not know your friend, and I am sorry that he and his son need to navigate that. I hope that they are met with a great amount of empathy, which is not afforded to many in that community. Did they detransition? Do they regret it? Does your friend regret it? Did they go through the same rigerous process that Noah did? I can empathize with your friend and how hard it must have been to hear this from his child. I am a parent. It is hard to get the images of what we as parents see our kids as. We get attached to futures that we see for them. You state, "all she needed was time to get through her problems". How could you know that?
This has quickly become one of my favorite podcast series. The interview with Natalie was another great episode. I think Natalie is an intelligent, caring, and articulate person, but her argument ultimately left me unconvinced. The final nail in the coffin for me was when she called on J. K. Rowling to leave her position of feeling hurt and victimization to try and consider the other side’s opinion. What’s truly astounding about this is it is exactly what the trans activist side refuses to do! I’ve listened to and considered their arguments, and Rowling has made it clear she’s done far more listening to the “other side” than any of the people cancelling her could claim to have done. They make the same vague statements toward victimization and justifications for silencing others every time. Stop with the talk of “responsibility that comes with your platform” (aka agree with us or be silent) and “we’re just fighting for the right to participate in society”. No, you’re wrong. Full stop. You are not being stopped from meaningfully participating in society in any way and are trying to impose your self-identity on everyone, with real-world consequences.
Megan is an excellent host and her compassion, patience, and understanding are truly commendable. Giving Natalie this platform to express the trans’ perspective was enlightening and an important step to giving the full picture on this complicated issue. I’ve expressed my doubt about the Free Press’ ability to reach an audience beyond conservatives and disaffected liberals, to reach the far left activists who most need to have a mirror held up in front of them. I think this podcast, and this episode in particular, could be the most effective attempt to do so thus far.
I kept coming back to the same place. Who is stopping trans people from doing anything? I certainly haven’t seen any evidence of that.
I have seen evidence of trans and their “allies” demanding I deny baseline facts in favor of “identity,” which I will not do. That’s a hard point for me and mine.
Leave kids alone and leave me and mine out of it. That’s all I ask.
See the cudgel they use--“trans rights are human rights”. Who says they are deprived of the human rights we all share equally? But what they want is altered reality. They want us all to participate in their denial of biology. That’s not a human right. That’s madness. And I refuse. You want to dress up like the opposite sex? Fine, go ahead. But don’t tell me I have to play along and say, oh yes, you ARE the opposite sex.
I'm going to take this to the ridiculous. What happens when a group of nut cases says "We identify as cockroaches."? They dress up as cockroaches and eat crap off the floor and live in walls.
Will the gay/trans community and their Democrat friends hold rallies and march in the streets supporting the cockroach movement? Will they demand the end of home use pesticides?
This sounds crazy but I think these trans rallies are just as crazy. They are inventing a cause, making something out of nothing. I think the bulk of our population doesn't give a damn. You can dress up like a giraffe and claim you are a giraffe. Who gives a shit? I won't push heterosexual ideas on a trans giraffe so just don't push you goofy trans/gay ideas on me.
My wife and I have some very dear gay friends. Not once have they pushed their sexuality on us or tried to hit on us and the same applies to how we treat them.
That’s what this is all about, right? There are no more objective truths. When we lose trust in truths, we can be made to believe anything. Step 1 towards totalitarianism.
I think the left are full of drama queens who make something out of nothing. they beat their chests, cry, sob and get angry, violent and snarky. They hold rallies and their Dem/Soc pals jump on the band wagon and say, "Look at me. I'm so compassionate and caring". I think they are mentally unbalanced, prone to anger and try to force their psychosis on the rest of us.
I have said before, they are divorced from reality.
"Fear not! The banks that are failing are not woke! OK, they’re woke, but they’re not broke! OK, they’re broke, but they are not without allies who realize that they must support this house of cards freak show. OK, the contagion will take the little people down, but so what?
@JordanSchachtel Mar 16
The head of global markets at Credit Suisse is a mentally ill "gender fluid" man who sometimes believes he wakes up as a woman."
Some of us said similar things about gay marriage and gay parenting and gay rights and altered reality and leaving kids out of it, etc. Warnings about slippery slopes were not heeded.
Of course T is the next agenda item after L, B, and G. This train doesn't stop when so-called "well-meaning liberals" or self-styled "reasonable" people want it to.
Correct. Which is why it was important for T to come first. The age of medical consent is critical. Logically, if a child can consent to "transition" (which involves permanently life-altering drugs, surgery, etc.) then certainly he or she can consent to sex.
Or, his/her parents can consent on his/her behalf. Think that wouldn't happen? Look at what's happening now.
Yes, changing the age of consent/adulthood seems key.
I had an exhausting back and forth this week with someone on reddit about whether or not children have ever had gender-conforming surgery. Of course the goal posts kept moving.
"It's literally never happened."
I showed 3 examples who are currently in the news (two are suing Kaiser health for removing their breasts at 13 and 15). And, you know, Jazz who has an ENTIRE multi-season show documenting her many surgeries as a minor.
"oh great you found 3 extreme edge cases."
So I showed them a pub med study exploring outcomes for hundreds of patients from 12-17 having mastectomies.
"those aren't children. Those are adolescents."
So I showed them that all but 2 UN member nations define "child" as under 18, as do all US gov agencies I looked at (dozens, from Social Security to Census Bureau and on) and hundreds of thousands of news article hits in legacy media referring to "children under 18."
At the point I realized I was arguing with a crazy person they were saying that by listing "US Customs and Border Patrol" among my long list of agencies using the world "child" for that age group, I had revealed myself as a right wing bigot who wants to keep children in cages. And that teens weren't children because the media sexualized Britney Spears and Miley Cyrus.
Here's the thing, by going against international law defining "child" as under 18, you are endangering the human rights of would-be child brides, child soldiers, children sentenced the death, etc.
They're kids. Do not throw hundreds of millions of them under the bus so that you can fiddle with consent law.
I agree; why do they demand so much attention? Trans is a lifestyle choice, not a "basic human right" or some such innate trait that requires legal protections. The legal system should not be used to promote lifestyle choices, in other words.
I don't mind people living whatever lifestyle they want as long as they don't harm others. But their creepy attraction to children is not acceptable. Several such people have been oddly attracted to my own child and we've had a few discussions about it so that she'll be prepared.
The synagogue, which has a gay director of children's education, recently hired a young man who calls themself "Bonnie"; their bio mentions how much they loves dealing with young children.
Giving these creatures a legal umbrella to sue and even imprison the rest of us when we criticize them is just another sign of our civilization's decline.
“The synagogue, which has a gay director of children's education, recently hired a young man who calls themself "Bonnie"; their bio mentions how much they loves dealing with young children.”
First, I refuse to mutilate my native language with a third person plural to refer to a second person singular.
Second, I wouldn’t allow anyone proudly promoting that profile anywhere near my kids just as I never let unmedicated schizophrenics, alcoholics and many others--including relatives--near my kids. It’s a matter of safety for my kids.
Why do they demand so much attention? Because they are not getting positive feedback about themselves in other ways. Kids should feel good about themselves because they are good at a sport or piano. They should be scouts and part of a positive group. But these things aren’t valued anymore. What tiktok says is valued. And being trans is the new goth. Except black nail polish comes off with a little acetone. Pursuing trans is mutilating and permanent. Our kids’ minds are seriously f-‘d with. It has got to be called out and stopped.
I agree with you. But, the TransCult has to be exposed and stopped. How did a rare body dysmophia become a promoted civil rights cause based on magical thinking centered around being "born into a body"? The problem right now with sending your kids to join scouts or some other positive group is that they all bow to Gender Ideology now. Parents on PITT try sending their kid to one group and another, moving towns, changing schools - only to find it's still there.
Also missing is church/synagogue services and youth groups, moral education, sportsmanship on the playing field, adults setting a good example, respect for the classics of literature, music, and art.
Children should be allowed to live an innocent life until they are old enough to discern right from wrong on their own. Adults should not be indoctrinating them with weird sexual fantasies. I know I'm preaching to the choir here, of course.
I’m just going to drop this here. Medicaid is covering these cross sex hormones and elective sex reassignment surgeries. It runs into a million dollars per individual, plus lifelong medical care to maintain the illusion. Most insurance companies cover this as well. So if you’re wondering where your tax dollars are going or why insurance premiums are increasing, this might contribute to the trend. When you consider the exponential increase in the number of people identifying as trans it’s significant. So there is harm in those increased costs and frankly devastating harm to the mentally ill people being used for profit by big pharma as well as the families trying to cope with a culture that allows no dissent from the madness.
Tell the synagogue that they're in dangerous territory. In the Episcopal church (a highly "tolerant" denomination), when I volunteered to teach Sunday School, I along with all other teachers was required to take a
2-hour hard-hitting class about sexual abuse of minors, which frequently happens at church. This is required at all Episcopal churches nationwide. They interviewed multiple offenders who told their stories on camera as part of their therapy. Mind-blowing. They discussed how they choose their victims & that was a consistent approach. They were all over the map, SS teachers, coaches, Boy Scout leaders, etc etc. They're pedophiles. I mean, Drag Queen Story Hour, HELLO GROOMERS!!! People need to open their eyes & quit being "tolerant" while children are being sexually groomed/abused or mutilated by surgeries done by sociopaths. I feel the end of this is near------more people speaking out.
I'm afraid that it's going to take some pretty big lawsuits by the parents of sexually abused children, before these liberal organizations crack down on their bizarre hiring practices.
Even then, they will likely just cloak the abuse in "tolerance" and "inclusion". The synagogue (I don't refer to it anymore as "my" synagogue) has a gay pride thing every year, with celebratory rainbow flags and "LGBT safe space" signs everywhere. You'd think you were at a Man-Boy Love convention rather than a house of God.
I think the ever increasing demand for attention is part of the mental illness/psychopathology. And, I agree that normalizing pedophelia is a thing.
The radical left is looking for more ways to keep creeps out of trouble, and I don't know why CA thinks it needs to control everyone else. Also. I do not see why this is getting put together with a completely different issue. Democratic State Sen. Nancy Skinner, author of SB 345, represents Oakland, CA where Chloe Cole and now Layla Jane have brought lawsuits against Kaiser.
"California Bill Seeks To Provide Abortions, Trans Treatment In States Where It’s Banned With New Bill Protecting Doctors"
Hi Steven. Where should parents go to escape an all pervasive ideology? I think that GI needs to be exposed, some medical licenses need to be revoked, people like First Female Four Star Admiral Richard Levine need to be removed from office, these foul teachers unions need to be disbanded or starved for funds... - LM
Yes to all of this. And when Natalie said that the percentage of detransitioners is “really low” it was clear that she wasn’t truly listening to the other side. That’s when she lost me.
And tranny numbers 1%. That can only be true, if at all, because of bandwaggoning and the scope being widened to include what are actually perverts and sex criminals.
I agree with you with regards to Natalie. I have watched several of her YouTube videos and she is quite well-read, eloquent and insightful. Whether you agree with her politics or not, she makes plenty of thought-provoking points. With regards of her opinion about JKR, however, I do believe there is plenty of projection; while Natalie seems to think it important that JKR can see pass her trauma, Natalie herself needs to account for how her trans identity is clouding her judgement on this issue.
As it pertains to puberty blockers and hormones for minors, the countries that are looking at this topic using a higher empirical standard have concluded that the evidence for these is lacking. Precisely because this topic is so contentious and polemic, we need to be able to rely on what the data is saying and in this case, the data (or lack of data, rather) seems to validate many of JKR’s concerns. While I feel sympathetic towards Natalie, and found the moment she cried to be quite touching—actually—I also think she needs to contend with the findings of these systematic reviews. It helps no one when one side of a debate insists that they are on the side of science, while this is not corroborated by their actions.
I thought Natalie was generally very good, and reasonably intelligent. However, she often did damage to her cause by accusing JKR of things by cloaking it all in “subtext”. For every reasoned, salient opinion she expressed, she would quickly retreat into her own take on “silence is violence” or “my feelings don’t care about your facts”.
Are you familiar with Contrapoints? Everything that is being heaped on JK has previously been heaped on Contrapoints and for much the same reasons. I wouldn't be surprised if the drug regime was destroying Contrapoints' mind. I remember Contrapoints being less delusional and feeble minded, and Contrapoints' arguments being a lot more robust.
Edit: having just read of Contrapoints' comments in 'Pink News', make that a lot less delusional and feeble minded, with much, much more robust arguments. Rapid Onset GahGah.
Sweden, Finland and the UK have all conducted systematic reviews of the scientific literature for the use of puberty blockers and HRT on minors. Their conclusions in many ways overlap: the evidence for these interventions is lacking. Sweden concluded that the risks outweigh the benefits, while Finland called these interventions experimental. These countries have all backtracked on the use on blockers and hormones on minors based on the findings of these reviews. Meanwhile, American institutions that promote these interventions have failed to conduct similar systematic reviews.
Thank you! I felt the same way while listening to that interview. Megan thanked her over and over and over again for deigning to speak with her, all the while Natalie was allowed to avoid all the hard questions and promote untruths.
Ugh yes! So many untruths! How trans people think the government is against them, and that they’re being persecuted at every turn and that they share zero basic rights is bonkers crazy. Which should not be surprising at all. What a fucked up upside down world view being forced on the masses.
My biggest issue with Natalie’s latest statement is that it makes it clear that it is an imperative of hers to delegitimatize the other side of the debate to the point that having a debate with such opposition is seen as problematic in itself. This need to discredit without debating comes from her absolute and quasi-religious certainty that she is part of the right side of history. Such belief, in turn, blinds her to how her zealotry is perceived by the silent majority (i.e., the portion of the population that is more than willing to be quite tolerant of trans individuals but that draws a line when beliefs and ideas are being imposed). In that regard, her brand of trans activism is quite counterproductive; her arguments on trans topics are not convincing anyone aside from the small portion of the population whose general political views already closely align with hers.
That's why platforming her position can be productive, IMO. Natalie's statement doesn't blind us, it exposes the cult. She digs her own grave by illustrating that the only way she can justify her beliefs is by regurgitating myths that keep "kindly" people (head-in-the-sand libs) from looking too deeply at the matter. By saying that trans people are persecuted everywhere or that the government is against trans rights, or that detransitioners are a tiny percentage of the population, she loses ground. Because those are false claims. Of course one would have to seek out the true information... which is difficult when your head is in the sand lol, but I know there are some people (my husband for one) who are more likely to listen to a pod like this since it gives the other side a chance to speak. So many people are sick of the tribalist road rage that the internet has become, and yearn for nuance and calm conversations that aren't just trying to sew outrage. This delivers, and FWIW validates our position even more.
I can't wait to hear JK's response on the next episode. And I hope they bust the myth that keeps so many well-meaning parents toting their children to gender clinics: that there's a 40% suicide risk if these kids aren't affirmed. Can someone show me the dead bodies from all those "un-affirmed" kids prior to 2015? What a crock.
A pro-gender affirming care therapist took the stand in the state legislature of Nebraska to claim that it was myth that parents were being coerced into agreeing to these treatments (though threats of potential suicide by doctors/experts). All this while protesters are outside holding signs and screaming about how limiting gender affirming care for minors constitutes trans genocide. Those advocating for gender affirming are for minors do not notice the incongruence and the fact that many are now able to see through their manipulative tactics.
You are correct. Three separate systematic reviews have concluded that when in comes to puberty blockers and hormones for minors there is a lack of evidence and a lack of consensus with regards to:
-the reason behind the spike in demand for this treatments
-the benefits of these interventions
-the risk factors involved
-the type of patient who may benefit from these treatments versus those who will not
This bloke "Natalie" is Mao or Stalin calling out Hitler. It is a waste of time talking to such... whatevers. We've been talking to a wall for nearly fifteen years now. Enough.
The benefit though is that people who are looking for a balanced conversation that platforms both sides will find it here. The interviews with Natalie and Noah make the argument against gender ideology even more solid and convincing and could turn more people toward the truth of this heinous cult.
That is my hope too. If they do not get together in person, I do hope JKR gets to respond to their main concerns and arguments, not only for JKR’s sake, but also for the sake of Natalie and Noah.
Thank you for your comment. The medical.expense related to transitioning is often brought up. If you are comfortable doing so, will you expound on your son's experience with costs?
Natalie Wynn is prominent trans YouTuber better known as ContraPoints. She is also featured briefly in one of the earlier episodes where they discuss social media and tumblr.
The fifth installment of the podcast is called "Natalie and Noah." The entire episode is the host interviewing a trans girl, Natalie (first half), and a trans teenage boy, Noah (second half), about the movement, their experience being trans, and about Rowling's comments and the opinion of her in general. That's what the commenters are referring to.
The daftest thing is Contrapoints is an intelligent person not afraid to speak against the trend and who was subjected to exactly the same abuse J K has been recieving and for pretty much the same reasons. Megan is a better person than me; I can't empathise with such a person at all. Contrapoints is one of those the Dead Sea Scolls sect would have referred to as 'Seekers after Smooth Things' and the New Testament as 'Pharisees'.
Once again I commend you guys for giving JK Rowling a space to be heard objectively. The digital stoning of people that is happening is horrific. I wanted to mention here though that I went to the above New York Times link you gave which goes to the opinion piece they wrote about her. Nowhere do they mention The Free Press. I mean, they link to the podcast, but don't mention the name of it, the free press or God forbid Bari. How petty.
I have to amend that it says Free Press in tiny writing under the name of the podcast. But I bet that just comes with the icon and nothing to do with NYT.
I love this podcast as well as the Free Press tremendously! Megan is doing a fantastic job bringing both sides of the issue to light. It is my opinion that the interview with Noah really showed why transitioning as a teenager is so dangerous and shouldn't be allowed. His description of the wild ride of emotions he went through is exactly spot on! To go from thinking that larger breasts will "fix" things to thinking changing your gender is the answer sums up adolescence. He is a brilliant young person, but at this age, he still doesn't know what he doesn't know and he reinforced my opinion that children are no where near ready to make the decision to opt into surgery.
I listened to the podcast yesterday, but I was struck as to how recently the 'top' surgery had been performed, yet Noah was drawing conclusions already as to the effectiveness of the procedure on his mental health. I seem to recall him stating that other therapies and interventions had been effective in the short term, but that longer term they weren't working out. What makes him think that this procedure will be any different when he looks back in five years?
Top surgery= radical mastectomy = not only breasts, but the removal of axillary lymph nodes and lymphatic tissue as well as the pectoral muscles from the chest wall.
There will be a time when treatment is needed because the lymph nodes and lymphatic tissue have been removed. This is one of the many reasons why surgeons no longer automatically go to radical mastectomy for treating breast cancer and why so many women in previous years suffered so terribly post surgery.
The label "top surgery" denies what is really happening, the word "radical" needs to be included. Consider it a preferred adjective!
Yes, Noah’s interview really hit a nerve with me. He clearly wore his parents down as they wanted to do anything to make him happy and not kill himself. The affirming doctors which “showed he was right to transition” probably were sick of dealing with him and just gave in. It’s actually pretty easy to get whatever you want from a medical professional. They just want to do their jobs and move people along. And when he listed all his actual mental diagnoses (adhd, ocd, etc.) and then said they were because of his gender dysphoria… I was like… what a disaster this all is. A tragic disaster.
I found Noah’s interview to be upsetting. Noah laid out the whole process—feeling uncomfortable in your body during puberty, going online and watching trans influencer videos on YouTube 24/7, going to a therapist who suggests your mental health struggles are related to gender, going to the gender clinic, getting medicalized.
Noah having this solidified identity AS transgender (as many do) is confusing in itself. Trans is something YOU DO not who you are. I understand if trans-identified people form friendships etc with other trans-identified people as they may have common experiences etc, but you can’t BE trans anymore than you can BE anxiety, or depression, or an eating disorder.
This episode drove home for me that kids/teens cannot have unfettered access to the internet without consequences. We must engage our kids with their bodies and minds in IN-PERSON activities and connections.
This reminds me of Judith Harris' book (The Nurture Assumption - Why Children Turn Out the Way The Do). She was combating the - at the time - assumption that children are born as blank slates and that from then on parents and families make them have the personalities they end up with. A modern variant of the Rousseau ideology. She drew on extensive research which establishes about 40% heritable traits in a variety of behaviors and development outcomes. But what reminds me of this book here is the other 40% category, which she found to be "peers". Families only account for about 20% of long term development outcomes. The big wildcard which is as powerful as heredity is peer influences. And that is where the Internet is coming into play now. It used to be a neighborhood effect to some extent. Then, when going to larger schools, a wider community effect. But now, it's this world-wide self-sorting into various pathologies and exaggerated concentrations of unhealthy ideas - at every point in the spectrum.
Or maybe the doctors wanted to make a million dollars off the gender affirming procedures and hormones Noah will require over the course of a lifetime?
Noah's interview broke my heart. What an intelligent, articulate, and funny young person. I wish him nothing but good things and hope the medical interventions he received continue to make him happy. However, his discussion of the struggle to accept his adolescent body (struggles many typical females face), the affirming therapy he received, and his many other mental health diagnoses did not convince me that juvenile transitioning is a good idea. Rather, it confirmed my concerns that children aren't ready to make such truly life-altering decisions. In my opinion, social transition if you must, but save the medical interventions for adulthood.
I understand the evolution that has occurred in society that has led to 'gender-affirming care'. But so much of the civil rights struggle that I've witnessed during my lifetime has been convincing society to accept people for who they are. Wouldn't the logical progression then be 'body-affirming care', i.e. going out of your way to ensure that people are accepting of their physical body, without having to resort to irreversible treatments? I guess that's where social transitioning comes in?
I agree with everything you said here except that "social transitioning" is a commitment gadget. Kids change their names and then it's hard for them to admit they were wrong...
And the mental health establishment realizes that there's an issue at hand and treats the patient accordingly, i.e. they're not going to allow that person to starve themselves to death if they can help it. I'm not sure if it's a perfect analogy, but I'd need someone to explain to me why the two situations are different and thus they believe require treatments that are seemingly 180 degrees out of phase with one another.
Much of the "civil rights struggle" was Marxist promoted bollocks, and known to be at the time. The bollocks du jour is unsurprising; being absolutely predictable and coming from exactly the same sources.
"Under Defendants’ advice and supervision, between 13-17 years-old, Chole underwent harmful transgender treatment, specifically, off-label puberty blockers, cross-sex hormone treatment, and a double mastectomy."
I believe they are both 18 now. A sane way forward:
"‘Texas Millstone Act’ Would Prohibit Gender Mutilation Procedures for People Under 26
As more people have been taken advantage of by greedy physicians, the Texas Millstone Act would help protect innocent people from these life-altering procedures."
Yes, he says that he never "feels like himself". The poor young man has been abused by his mother and many others at least since he was 6 years old. Medical people gained glory through him. His family became rich and famous. I think some of his surgeons who are men in women-face themselves (such as Marc/Marci Bowers who you can see interviewed on the "What is a Woman?" documentary) likely got off on it sexually - but that is an opinion. And, the whole world enjoyed the display of the reality tv show. The whole thing was shameful.
He's really physically and emotionally damaged but may find some peace someday as himself - which is a young man born Jaron Bloshinsky. He is an innocent victim and I hope that he can find some peace.
I'm a progressive writer and actor in Minneapolis. My social and professional community is made up of many very far-left theater artists. When the podcast first came out, I listened to the first couple of episodes and thought they were great (still do, after listening to all 6). I posted a recommendation for the series on my FB page and got immediate, heated, passionate blowback. It quickly turned into a pile-on from people I know and have worked with in real life, all of whom refused to listen to the podcast but didn't hesitate to tell me why I was wrong and bad for doing so. It was disturbing to say the least, and an ironic microcosm of the dynamics described in the series itself. I wrote about the experience and my response to it here: https://moperry.substack.com/p/a-rallying-cry-for-liberalism
Wow. Not only were your FB friends unwilling to listen to this riveting podcast series, they were unwilling to let *YOU* recommend it in a public forum. This feels like the kind of evil totalitarianism JK is talking about. (Just subscribed to your substack, great piece about your trip to the bull riding competition in SD!!)
The old saw about the difference between "liberals" and conservatives needs to be modified so the conservative is a progressive who's been canceled (as an alternative to being robbed).
I am really enjoying this series. Megan is an excellent host. I grew up watching her antics in the WBC. The change is interesting to see. You can definitely hear the same patience that was given to her come out in those she speaks to.
She asks excellent(!) questions. On top of that she has a pleasing voice to listen to. Like butta.
As another commenter said, I was ultimately unconvinced by Natalie's argument, however it did give me pause for a moment to consider. Which is exactly what I am looking for in journalism. I want to have my view challenged.
JK is intelligent, thoughtful and wise. The last few minutes of episode two talking about how her world view and Snape/Dumbledore I have revisited many times.
At this juncture, I am convinced by JKs arguments. I think she has gone above and beyond the requirement for being reasonable, and I am glad she has not turned on her position. I have the feeling that she would given better evidence.
Salem! My hometown. I know the history all too well. Loving the podcast so far, but yesterdays episode made me see red. The story of the 17-year-old made me more convinced than ever this is mental illness and we need to stop simply affirming their every whim. Yes, be kind. Treat every human with respect. But I can not go along with their delusions or demands. I agree more with J.K. We need to teach people acceptance and love of who you are. You can not simply make shit up and then demand everyone agree with you.
I’m happy to see you refer to the “good faith debate” the podcast has sparked, because so far, the trans agenda has been advanced by the opposite of good faith. Its primary means of advancement has been the use of emotional blackmail. “You must accept (indeed, you must celebrate!) every single radical position we throw out there or else children will kill themselves!!”
Another subtler tactic - but one also characterized by bad faith - is what the writer Rod Dreher refers to as the Law of Inverse Pathological Enthusiasm. Dreher notes that to a left-wing social justice advocate, discussing social justice issues incessantly from a progressive point of view demonstrates that person’s virtue and commitment to justice, “but talking about them at all from a dissenting point of view is evidence of an insane obsession with the topic.”
Paraphrasing Dreher:
Progressive: "Trans trans trans trans trans!"
Conservative: "Trans?"
Progressive: "Why are you so obsessed with someone’s gender, you bigoted lunatic?!”
Beyond the emotional blackmail and the use of Dreher’s law, the trans movement has perverted the language with their pronoun madness, all the while insisting that everyone else must also pervert the language in exactly their prescribed fashion. They have proselytized and groomed children in schools, all the while counseling them to hide these conversations from parents. They have utterly corrupted science and medicine by dragooning practitioners and writers in these fields into supporting the cause (dragooning made easier by the money now sloshing through the system for conversion drugs and surgeries). And of course, they have employed the sinister power of the mob to stage attacks on social media designed to destroy the livelihoods of people who dissent from their agenda.
Frankly, if the trans movement hadn’t behaved in such an aggressively bad faith manner to this point, there would be no “witch trials” to talk about and very little if any interest in a podcast on this subject. I am seeing signs that the tide may be turning, and if your podcast is either a cause or an effect of this tide turning, then good on ya!
Excellent comment!! You put into words the nagging in my head of how can they speak lies and successfully get some people to believe they speak truth?? I'm so outraged by the whole thing that I can barely stand it. It's like they're endorsing pedophilia.
The latest episode is interesting. It was obviously recorded before the Jamie Reed whistle blowing article in the Free Press and Hannah Barnes' book Time to Think (available as an ebook in the US) were published. After reading Time to Think, Dr Erica Anderson tweeted on 18 March 2023 "Just finished reading ‘Time to Think,’ and now I need to go for a long walk and consider what I have learned. For those concerned about gender questioning youth? Please read this before we talk again." Anderson is a former president of WPATH.
Surely we should consider gender dysphoria as a symptom of underlying distress, not as a diagnosis? It may even be a helpful symptom, resolving some conflicts, avoiding certain issues, gaining attention or perhaps serving other purposes. But treating symptoms does not address the cause behind them. And like prescribing an aspirin for a brain tumour, it won't fix the problem, merely temporarily covering it up. And to turn distressed children into sterile, mutilated surgical patchworks fails to give them any of the help they really need, as well as, almost incidentally, expressing the underlying contempt for the homosexuals many of them would have become, as well as that for the women they will have to pretend to be. This is not just a scandal: it is shameful.
I love this podcast and look forward to each new episode. Although Dr Erica Anderson was interviewed, I do hope we get to hear from experts in Europe about the findings of the Finnish, Swedish and UK systematic reviews on the topics of puberty blockers and hormones for minors. I find this information to be crucial in a political climate where those who are in support of these interventions tend to claim that the science is settled and demonize all those who disagree as anti-science and/or anti-trans. The science is far from settled on these topics, and—as an expert cited in a recent article on the BMJ claimed—American associations advocating for these interventions in minors are giving strong recommendations based on weak data. This message should be sent loud and clear if dialogue is ever to move forward.
Well congrats on getting trans people to consent to interviews but my position remains unchanged. I think this is the main reason trans people don't want to engage in good faith debate. Both guests are delusional. Their ideas cannot become policy. They are too self absorbed to even imagine how and why men in women's bathrooms and safe spaces elevates risk. They don't see the danger of transing confused kids. Meghan did not push back. She didn't probe the issue of men in women's prisons or shelters, or transing kids which are the main points Rowling makes. Trans people are terrified that biology affects behavior. You can't change your genetics/nature. 300 million years of sexual dimorphism cannot be cosmetically airbrushed or surgically incised away. XY still have a reproductive imperitive. Most of them don't get sex reassignment surgery because sexual deviance is central to their behavior. A huge % of trans XY are sexually attracted to women. That doesn't make them lesbians. It makes them men capable of impregnating women. Keep them out of women's safe spaces.
The first guest was cancelled by TRAs for running afoul of pronoun orthodoxy yet he keeps pushing all of their idiotic agendas. We don't have to accept a society with no gender boundaries. Trans people can pretend all they want but the lines must remain drawn to protect biological women and minors. Forcing people/society to accept or humor your fetish/psychosis is not a human right.
Transgenderism is a social contagion perfectly compatible with the hyperfragility Haidt documents. Humans that are too frail to accept reality are collectively demanding that reality change to accomodate them. Academia, businesses and government become their surrogate helicopter parents swooping in to resolve the confilct for them. It's untenable.
This was an excellent podcast series! I was literally cringing listening to trans activists trash JKR. I just couldn’t understand what she said that was so anti trans! Years ago I always believed that there would be predators and other mentally ill people that would jump on the transgender band wagon just to harm or take advantage of women. Maybe it is my distrustful nature but here we go! Why would anyone think its okay for a grown man with a penis to parade around a YMCA locker room naked in front of young women and children??!! Better yet for a man to compete against women in sports after said women have spent their young lives training to be the best in their chosen sport. So disrespectful to females in every way. That being said I agree with JK that you do you after the age of consent. Please stop doing surgery on under age children!
Although age 18 is too young, especially after the kids have been indoctrinated with GenderBread Persons/Queer Theory in high school - and minds are not matured yet. They get the kids whipped up and biding their time to self harm at the magic age of 18.
I think we need a Millstone Act nationally:
"‘Texas Millstone Act’ Would Prohibit Gender Mutilation Procedures for People Under 26
As more people have been taken advantage of by greedy physicians, the Texas Millstone Act would help protect innocent people from these life-altering procedures."
Democratic State Sen. Nancy Skinner, author of SB 345, represents Oakland, CA - home of the Kaiser facility being sued by Chloe Cole and now Layla Jane.
Agree, Also the interview with Noah is a bit premature in the grand scheme of things. He may be very troubled from the sounds of it and 17 just had chest surgery 3 months ago???!! Only time will tell if this transition was really the answer to all his problems.
Yes, lots of girls are getting double mastectomies at these young ages after bathing in GenderBread/Query Theory and then regretting it after some time - like Chloe Cole and Layla Jane who are suing Kaiser in Oakland, CA. I think Chloe was maybe 16 and Layla was 13. They are both 18 now and full of regret.
I favor Millstone Acts: "‘Texas Millstone Act’ Would Prohibit Gender Mutilation Procedures for People Under 26
As more people have been taken advantage of by greedy physicians, the Texas Millstone Act would help protect innocent people from these life-altering procedures."
Fantastic podcast-everything about it including music is great. I find myself looking everyday to see if a new episode dropped. In this episode I found Natalie and Noah both captivating and intelligent. Noah being just 17 is extremely intelligent. I wonder if this intelligence drives his anxiety and over thinking. I have a 17 year old son and he and his peers seemed to become monosyllabic grunters at puberty. I can’t imagine any of them speaking this thoughtfully and with such insight. Noah is probably on the high IQ side and because of this might always feel like an outsider. In Natalie’s case all the battles she is fighting seem virtual. In the real world trans people are a protected class and cannot be discriminated against. A conservative court ruled on this. Having to work out the complexities in regards to shelters, prisons, locker rooms and sports is the reality of the situation. The idea that if you discuss these complexities you’re a veiled bigot is illogical thinking. This goes back to the post by Haidt last week. There is a lot of disordered thinking going on that could be helped with CBT. Natalie mentioned how offensive it is to say this increase in trans kids is driven by the internet but I think this disordered way of thinking is. Living in physical reality and having to conform your mind to live with the limitations of reality is an anecdote to anxiety and depression. It’s agency-I can’t control reality but I can control my reaction to it. Natalie and Noah are young. They probably have no idea that in the second half of their life their entire relationship with their body will change and it functioning without pain or disease will become dominant. It’s considered conversion therapy if you don’t affirm but wouldn’t it be helpful if at first you taught a child not to treat their feelings as the gospel and tools to fight disordered thinking. They may still want surgery but what a gift you will have given them if you teach them how to get out of the disordered thinking that is making them so anxious, depressed and traumatized.
Bingo! She kept saying a long time of considering and then would say it had been a year. How is that a long time? Just this lack of understanding how with time we change and grow and our thoughts change is why teenagers shouldn’t be making these permanent decisions about fertility ability to breast feed etc. there’s a reason why we have guardrails up for kids…. And it’s a shame the parents of ‘Noah’ caves to their daughter. I am willing to bet she will change her mind and hve some regrets. But pride and lack of humility could prevent her from admitting to those regrets until she’s much older. I fear this will be likely for the many kids and young adults that take part in this trend. Time will tell and I’m betting on it.
I was responding to Current Resident's ultimate sentence: "Still, I was interested in hearing from someone who went through the process. Let's see what Noah thinks in five, 10, or 25 years." Noah and people like him will be the jury. Charges are still being formulated, I think.
I am so impressed by the way this podcast is covering this topic. I know people are complaining on either side--"Only ONE episode from the trans point of view? How can you call this balanced!?!?!?" or "How can you give a platform to trans activists!?!?" But I feel like both these arguments miss the crucial mission of this podcast and The Free Press--to provide a platform for a variety of views and to allow for truly nuanced discussions. Part of me doesn't want to hear what the "anti-Rowling" side has to say, but that's not my better self thinking that. If what we care about is knowing the objective truth rather than staying in our echo chambers and feeding ourselves with rage against the other side, isn't it crucial to hear different perspectives? If, when we're done listening, we've been convinced, okay. If we still disagree with the "other side" and hold the views we did originally, also okay. At least we are being honest and open.
As someone from a similar-ish background to Megan Phelps-Roper, her confession about her fear of getting things wrong again or ending up in another form of bigotry rings so true for me. I've been so wrong before, and I know I can be now. That's why it's so important to listen and consider instead of closing my ears off to opinions I don't like.
This is an absolutely wonderful podcast; I'm so glad it's getting attention and sparking conversations!
We have got to stop playing along with people’s psychopathologies. We have got to stop affirming untruths as though it’s compassionate. We don’t agree with anorectics that they are fat and need to keep dieting, or even have their intestines excised, do we? They have a body image dysphoria and need counseling. All these other versions of body image dysphoria are a symptom of a deeper problem. We also have kids identifying as having autism or some other psychological problem. Why? The situation is screaming at us. Our kids are messed up. They lack purpose and meaning, they need something to believe it. They don’t see anything. So they create something to give their lives meaning, to get attention and belong to a group.
JK Rowling is brave to push back, but she doesn’t go far enough. The trans movement has gone way too far now, into child mutilation and gaslighting of little kids. Enough.
This is one of the best podcast series I’ve ever heard. The brief history of online language and bullying and recent feminist history are all important backdrops to this story and provide a much needed context. JK Rowling never made flippant, bigoted statements. Supporting the trans community and their rights and protecting the hard earned rights of females and female only spaces shouldn’t be an either/or endeavor. The disgusting online abuse Rowling and others, including violent sexual threats and rape, are intended to silence. Rowling is an extraordinary woman. There are millions of women who suffer abuse who have no voice and no “platform.” I applaud her for standing up for them and standing for the right to be heard without a life-destroying backlash that destroys livelihoods.
And the medical community must return to its roots: first do no harm.
Since when does any patient dictate diagnoses to the physician?
Probably around the time drugs started advertising on TV and people decided they needed that med. We really need to go back to no advertising for drugs. We banned them for cigarettes.
All Doctors who harm children must be named, shamed, and punished. Follow the money - the billionaire Pritzker family profits from pushing trans drugs: https://yuribezmenov.substack.com/p/how-to-do-no-harm-part-2
OMG! How can the medical profession stand by and allow these monsters? They are no better than Mengele.
Correct.
"Echoes of Eugenics: What the Doctors Trial at Nuremberg Means for Us in the US"
https://pitt.substack.com/p/echoes-of-eugenics-what-the-doctors
As a commentator said on a later PITT (yesterday)
"When this is all over, we will need to examine why and how our institutions and the media were so easily captured."
Indeed. Sick nugget: one "hospital" was found STILL killing in the June of 1945; over a month after the German surrender.
They are Mengele!
And what about our political leaders? Hurrah for Elon Musk!
MN Governor Tim Walz signed a child "gender affirming" executive order
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1636463718455189511
@covid_clarity Mar 9
MN Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan on parenting and children changing their gender...
"When our children tell us who they are, it is our job as grown-ups to listen and to believe them.
That's what it means to be a good parent."
Elon Musk
@elonmusk
Replying to
@covid_clarity
Not when they’re fed propaganda by adults.
Moreover, every child goes through an identity crisis before their personality/identity crystallizes.
Therefore, we shouldn’t allow severe, irreversible surgery or sterilizing drugs that they may regret until at least age 18.
From a standpoint of policy, Minnesota may now be the most leftist state in the country. The good news is that at least some traditional Democrats there believe state government is going too far.
I love the name, "Millstone Act". We need this nationally. Minds are not fully formed before around age 26 (which is why, of course, they go after children):
"‘Texas Millstone Act’ Would Prohibit Gender Mutilation Procedures for People Under 26
As more people have been taken advantage of by greedy physicians, the Texas Millstone Act would help protect innocent people from these life-altering procedures."
https://texasscorecard.com/state/texas-millstone-act-would-prohibit-gender-mutilation-procedures-for-people-under-26/
I live in Texas and hope this passes.
You'll not be surprised to hear the Hellenes had come to a similar conclusion two and a half millenia ago. They thought you were fully adult at thirty. In a great many respects we haven't clawed our way back to where Hellenistic civilisation was knowledge-wise in 200AD.
Lets bring the voting age back to 21.
Probably also since it became a multi billion dollar growth business:
https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/us-sex-reassignment-surgery-market
U.S. Sex Reassignment Surgery Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Gender Transition (Male To Female, Female To Male), And Segment Forecasts, 2022 - 2030
Let’s work to see a market crash in this area.
I like it.
Cause there are so many ads about gender affirming care?!? 🙄
When it's a big money maker.
For the most part it is more dangerous to take a troubled teen to a therapist than not as all roads lead to "is trans" which somehow has taken on a magical quality beyond "body dysmorphia".
I’ve told my daughter to keep my grandchildren out of the US for the duration for that very reason.
Where does your daughter live?
She, her husband and the grandkids live in Asia.
Tell me about it. I had maybe three sessions with a child psychologist before I concluded he was an idiot and refused to see him again. It was about thirty years before I stumbled upon what the problem was in The Sunday Times. This was when it was a reputable paper and not a dubious wrag. Fast forward and you now can't trust anyone in or adjacent to healthcare to be able to find their own arse with the aid of a torch and a gundog.
I agree with you about the NYT which I once liked, and healthcare.
Probably better off taking them to some pedo priest.
I figured out long before a Physician that I likely had endometriosis. I dealt with a few bad doctors dismissing my symptoms before finding a good one that confirmed my intuition was correct. This has happened many times, actually. It's not uncommon for bad doctors to misdiagnose patients, and patients to figure out their own diagnosis before finding a competent Physician.
You’re not wrong, there are times that a patient has to advocate for themselves, but the complete submission of medical professionals to teenagers’ self-diagnoses isn’t the same as an adult with defined physical symptoms dealing with the medical profession.
Liberal media is absolutely lying describing her as transphobic when most people actually agree with her.
JKR should use this: "When the debate is lost, slander becomes the tool of the losers." Socrates
When I read this I think of comprof and R T.
What else would you have JKR do, Maureen?
Operative saying is that there’s no such thing as bad publicity. Attention to the trans movement is publicity, but ignoring it is like ignoring an early cancer. There’s probably a sweet spot that, in a perfect world, would spotlight the problem and suggest how to fix it. But given the speed of viral communication, any light quickly becomes heat and therefore counterproductive. Rowling said her piece and then largely shut up. I consider that to be a perfect response. And, alas, also a very rare one.
Do what I did in my post—- declare trans a psychopathology.
I think that she as much as did that. It's pretty obvious where her feelings are on this. It wasn't necessary for her to pile on by adding yet another voice. You don't persuade rational people by the number of voices that espouse an idea. You do it by being the rational one.
I think JKR is doing a fine job. But I don't fault you for your opinion, which I think is also a reasonable one. (Not that my opinion of your opinion should make much of a difference to you, but hey....) ;-)
Someone else on the PITT substack said:
"I definitely believe we are witnessing the first internet-spawned cult." I think she's right. She was responding to my comparison to Heaven's Gate. Remember that?
When you view it that way the behavior of the suddenly turned inward, depressed, and angry teens makes a lot of sense - if parents are not in the cult they are bad people, members get new names (serious commitment gadget there), they have specific steps they need to take, they have "Euphoria", they "know" they will achieve perfect happiness and their true "authentic self" if they can just keep taking steps to reach some perfect spot (hence the demand for instant cross sex hormones and operations), they are so messed up it is hard to get out (ie, if I am wrong it's really really bad), etc. It is as if Heaven's Gate was endorsed by all of society. But, then Heaven's Gate was not so profitable or politically useful.
https://abcnews.go.com/US/heavens-gate-survivor-reflects-cults-mass-suicide-25/story?id=83213680
"On March 26, 1997, an anonymous caller directed police to a mansion outside San Diego where authorities soon discovered the largest mass suicide on U.S. soil.
The 39 victims found within the home were all members of a strange and secretive cult called Heaven's Gate, which had a goal to transcend to "higher beings" by spaceship."
Similar to teens: ""I was always looking for answers, looking for purpose in my life," said DiAngelo. "I loved these people. ... it meant everything to me." DiAngelo first spoke to ABC News' Diane Sawyer in 1997."
Hummmmmm.... "Over the course of several years, Applewhite and Nettles required their followers to adhere to increasingly more strange and severe rules, including severing all contact with family and friends and encouraging the adoption of an asexual appearance. In later years, some members of the group underwent castration."
Today, "support" means we are supposed to say something similar to: "Yes, dear, the human body really is a vehicle meant to carry your being to a spaceship if you feel that way."
Now, imagine if "Trans" only had 39 victims.
This is certainly an early one from the internet. If Josef Goebbels had had an internet, that might have been the first. He had to make do with radio and ginormous public appearances of der fuhrer. Worked well enough to cause the deaths of millions upon millions.
Turns out that the dark web hosts a fair number of people who are bent on creating mass casualties. We call them domestic terrorists. I've seen some of their blogs. Calling them disturbed is like calling a dwarf short.
Internet isn't required, but no question it's a convenient shortcut.
I'd argue the first was Social Justice Warriordom. The Tranny Cult is a schism off of that.
I agree that SJW-ism was the start of the infection but I'm not sure it had all the elements of a Cult before "Trans".
My thoughts exactly as I listened to episode 6. The teen was incredibly articulate and knowledgeable, but also clearly and admittedly suffering from other mental disorders. Something is not right that parents would allow him tell the world intimate details of his life weeks after a life altering surgery. It seems like complete malpractice and actually criminal to mutilate this child's body when so many issues have not been sorted out or resolved. The world that has been opened to them at young ages has been a real pandora's box. I remember being surprised that parents were reading HP books to young children (5 and 6 years old). Then much "young adult literature" exposes our kids to ideas regarding sexuality, dysfunction, mental illness at far too young of an age, but parents and teachers are celebrating how much the kids love to read without questioning content. And then social media, youtube and online forums are opening them up to ideas and platforms and many parents aren't paying an ounce of attention or questioning who they are learning from or connecting with. We are all being gaslit. When they call a mastectomy "top surgery" something is very wrong. Trying to make gender mutilation seem so benign feels very 1984 where our language is being carefully controlled so we are lulled into acceptance. That being said, I think Megan Phelps Roper is doing a great job in telling a nuanced story.
Paraphilia among adults is a word that also comes to mind. But, I think it is also a word that is on the way out - just as Pedophilia is getting replaced with "Minor Attraction".
I'm reaching for my Luger.
It is my opinion that this poor young man needed real help, not "affirmation".
"Trans flight attendant famed for airline ad dies by suicide: ‘Sorry I could not be stronger’"
https://nypost.com/2023/03/23/trans-flight-attendant-famed-for-united-ad-dies-by-suicied/?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_source=NYPTwitter&utm_medium=SocialFlow
He was only 25 when he took his own life. Perhaps if medical "transition" were not allowed before age 26 he would be alive today. - LM
Agreed, LM. I consider anyone who advocates mutilation before some serious counseling evil. These people have psychological issues that need to be addressed. I have a son with anxiety issues and a daughter that just we through a stress induced eating disorder so spare any indignation regarding counseling. It, coupled with time, works.
Exactly right, Danimal28. This should not be about some phony "civil rights movement of our time" so that endocrinologists and plastic surgeons can make $$$ fast. People need real talk therapy first and should not take drastic medical steps prior to a mature age like 26. Texas has a Millstone Act about that. These phony "gender therapists" must stop rubber stamping "identities" which are promoted in schools with GenderBread Persons/Queer Theory.
Agreed NC. As much as I respect JK for her work and courage, she helped create some of our identity issues and needs to work harder to correct it.
How did she create identity issues?
For over a decade the series' fandom has long been a place that accepts multiple genders. People are free to think whatever they want, but if she is making billions off of a product she has the responsibility to encourage facts(there are only two human genders). She did that in 2019 and I give her credit for it. She should have done it years earlier imho.
Perhaps some details would help make your point. I can’t think of any that support your thesis.
Like I said, she can't be blamed for this, but could have made her public comments earlier.
https://sciencenorway.no/books-gender-and-society-gender-differences/harry-potter-fans-explore-gender-and-sexuality-online/1888797
Anything you might imagine has a dark sibling on Pornhub. All fandoms have creepie sub-fandoms. Most authors are too busy authoring.
ASD and their adjacents are real; pyschological problems are real. Chucking the baby out with the bath water is hardly a solution.
What’s “ASD”?
Autism spectrum disorder
All I hear is whah whah whah whah... everything is fucked up and doesn’t look like my mom said it should. Go fuck yourself. You put forward this idea of live and let live just don’t impose on me, but really that shits just cover for the fact that you don’t like that there are people that fly in the face of your “conservative” values. Conservatives only stand for their own freedoms. All of you that are jumping on this hateful bandwagon, they are coming for you next.
We have played along with the psychopathologies of the religious right forever. That’s shit is coming home to roost. Science has caught up with religion and said bullshit.
What we don't like is the mutilation and sterilization of children on the basis of a diagnosis with an 85% false-positive rate.
And I write as a 67-year-old who voted for Democrats only for 48 years.
There is not an 85% false positive rate. That is a dated statistic from the 90s that is commonly used by legislators. Most recently in Montana, where they just passed a bill to ban gender affirming care for anyone under 18. The legislator that sponsored the bill, after scrutiny, admitted this and they still passed it with the language sited in the bill. More recent studies show that detransition is extremely rare, at closer to 3%.
And the comment that I am replying to from NCMaureen clearly goes past limitations on children.
No, it's not a dated statistic.
"Finland's top transgender treatment expert slams spread of 'disinformation' on children with gender confusion - and says 'four out of five' kids who question their gender grow out of it" https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11780631/America-wildly-step-treatment-children-gender-dysphoria.html
“As mentioned earlier, symptoms of GID [Gender Identity Disorder] at prepubertal ages decrease or even disappear in a considerable percentage of children (estimates range from 80–95%) [11,13]. Therefore, any intervention in childhood would seem premature and inappropriate." https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1743-6109.2008.00870.x
See also https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/0092623X.2022.2150346?journalCode=usmt20#.Y7XcuzZoulI.twitter
You might be interested to read:
"The Dutch Model Is Falling Apart By Rose Kelleher / January 2, 2023"
https://genspect.org/the-dutch-model-is-falling-apart/
and see:r/detrans | Detransition Subreddit:
https://www.reddit.com/r/detrans/ which apparently has been gaining about 1000 detransitioners a month.
Here's a good article: "Transgender tide may be turning"
https://mercatornet.com/transgender-tide-may-be-turning/83542/
except that the US is behind as the article explains.
Also, good for Elon Musk (the context is that MN Governor Tim Walz signed a child "gender affirming" executive order: https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1636463718455189511
@covid_clarity Mar 9
MN Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan on parenting and children changing their gender...
"When our children tell us who they are, it is our job as grown-ups to listen and to believe them. That's what it means to be a good parent."
Elon Musk @elonmusk Replying to @covid_clarity
Not when they’re fed propaganda by adults.
Moreover, every child goes through an identity crisis before their personality/identity crystallizes.
Therefore, we shouldn’t allow severe, irreversible surgery or sterilizing drugs that they may regret until at least age 18.
"We have played along with the psychopathologies of the religious right forever."
Hey, your heroes just shut down churches and fitness centers while they kept liquor stores and strip clubs open. Oh, and they are advocating men competing 'as women'. Oh, and your beloved government types have been censoring you for about 12 years on social media(Matt Taibbi anyone?).
You need to police your own rather than pick on 'conservatives'. Conservatives advocate for your rights including free speech. We have served in some shitty places to protect your rights.
1) You have no idea who my heros are.
2) I would agree that shutting down churches (even though you are much more likely to find me at the strip clubs you mentioned) is bull shit.
3) I really could care less about social media.
4) I think Matt Taibbi (and Bari Weiss) should be commended for their journalism.
All of that aside, I stand by my comment. There is a place for gender affirming care for children. Like most things, it is a nuanced issue. Noah is a great example of how the system should work (in my opinion). What NC Maureen is talking about is bullshit. if child harm is the only measure by which we decide what should be banned and what should not, there is a long list. The Catholic Church seems to be going strong. I could be wrong, but I haven't heard any news regarding banning Sunday Mass (post-covid).
That is the thing - I don't care if you spend your time at strip clubs. Live and let live. It is your business, not mine.
I do not think NC's comment is bullshit; we need to tell our greatest resource the truth rather than coddle them. There are two genders. Period. Yes, we should psychologically help them in any way, but I am not for 'affirming' anything against proven reality. I have watched a great friend allow his daughter to cut off her breasts - mutilation - at the age of 15 when all she needed was time to get through her problems. Like all of us in our teens.
As for the Catholic Church... They - at least in my area - are full of shit for not standing for what they should - freedom.
Appreciate your comment and agree with 1-4.
Why does everyone feel like they need to put "period" or "full stop" on statements? By the way you should know that I am a trans woman.
Anywho... I disagree. There is along list of studies that show that gender is a spectrum. I could maybe grant you that there are only 2 biological sexes, but there are also that small fraction of intersex people out there that throws a wrench in that as well.
I obviously do not know your friend, and I am sorry that he and his son need to navigate that. I hope that they are met with a great amount of empathy, which is not afforded to many in that community. Did they detransition? Do they regret it? Does your friend regret it? Did they go through the same rigerous process that Noah did? I can empathize with your friend and how hard it must have been to hear this from his child. I am a parent. It is hard to get the images of what we as parents see our kids as. We get attached to futures that we see for them. You state, "all she needed was time to get through her problems". How could you know that?
"How could you know that?"
Because I have been through a LOT of life experiences, most recently with one of my daughters.
A teenager needs to grow rather than be immediately reacted to.
Fuck off is all the rebuttal this needs.
Oh wow! I am amazed by your massive intellect... you even used the word rebuttal... can you pull my hair next time? lol
This has quickly become one of my favorite podcast series. The interview with Natalie was another great episode. I think Natalie is an intelligent, caring, and articulate person, but her argument ultimately left me unconvinced. The final nail in the coffin for me was when she called on J. K. Rowling to leave her position of feeling hurt and victimization to try and consider the other side’s opinion. What’s truly astounding about this is it is exactly what the trans activist side refuses to do! I’ve listened to and considered their arguments, and Rowling has made it clear she’s done far more listening to the “other side” than any of the people cancelling her could claim to have done. They make the same vague statements toward victimization and justifications for silencing others every time. Stop with the talk of “responsibility that comes with your platform” (aka agree with us or be silent) and “we’re just fighting for the right to participate in society”. No, you’re wrong. Full stop. You are not being stopped from meaningfully participating in society in any way and are trying to impose your self-identity on everyone, with real-world consequences.
Megan is an excellent host and her compassion, patience, and understanding are truly commendable. Giving Natalie this platform to express the trans’ perspective was enlightening and an important step to giving the full picture on this complicated issue. I’ve expressed my doubt about the Free Press’ ability to reach an audience beyond conservatives and disaffected liberals, to reach the far left activists who most need to have a mirror held up in front of them. I think this podcast, and this episode in particular, could be the most effective attempt to do so thus far.
I kept coming back to the same place. Who is stopping trans people from doing anything? I certainly haven’t seen any evidence of that.
I have seen evidence of trans and their “allies” demanding I deny baseline facts in favor of “identity,” which I will not do. That’s a hard point for me and mine.
Leave kids alone and leave me and mine out of it. That’s all I ask.
See the cudgel they use--“trans rights are human rights”. Who says they are deprived of the human rights we all share equally? But what they want is altered reality. They want us all to participate in their denial of biology. That’s not a human right. That’s madness. And I refuse. You want to dress up like the opposite sex? Fine, go ahead. But don’t tell me I have to play along and say, oh yes, you ARE the opposite sex.
I'm going to take this to the ridiculous. What happens when a group of nut cases says "We identify as cockroaches."? They dress up as cockroaches and eat crap off the floor and live in walls.
Will the gay/trans community and their Democrat friends hold rallies and march in the streets supporting the cockroach movement? Will they demand the end of home use pesticides?
This sounds crazy but I think these trans rallies are just as crazy. They are inventing a cause, making something out of nothing. I think the bulk of our population doesn't give a damn. You can dress up like a giraffe and claim you are a giraffe. Who gives a shit? I won't push heterosexual ideas on a trans giraffe so just don't push you goofy trans/gay ideas on me.
My wife and I have some very dear gay friends. Not once have they pushed their sexuality on us or tried to hit on us and the same applies to how we treat them.
Kafka’s absurdity becomes reality.
That’s what this is all about, right? There are no more objective truths. When we lose trust in truths, we can be made to believe anything. Step 1 towards totalitarianism.
I refuse to participate.
I think the left are full of drama queens who make something out of nothing. they beat their chests, cry, sob and get angry, violent and snarky. They hold rallies and their Dem/Soc pals jump on the band wagon and say, "Look at me. I'm so compassionate and caring". I think they are mentally unbalanced, prone to anger and try to force their psychosis on the rest of us.
I have said before, they are divorced from reality.
Have you seen this one?
https://twitter.com/Tropicow/status/1636475730946056195
"Fear not! The banks that are failing are not woke! OK, they’re woke, but they’re not broke! OK, they’re broke, but they are not without allies who realize that they must support this house of cards freak show. OK, the contagion will take the little people down, but so what?
@JordanSchachtel Mar 16
The head of global markets at Credit Suisse is a mentally ill "gender fluid" man who sometimes believes he wakes up as a woman."
It's like pre-French Revolution times.
I think there are children at school now who think they are cats and the teachers get litter boxes.
It wouldn't surprise me.
Furries are a thing.
They are almost there - Have you not heard of 'furries'? Your trans-cockroach would only be a sub-genre.
"But what they want is altered reality." You nailed it!
And they want laws to reflect their altered reality. We now have a Supreme Court Justice who does not know what a woman is and that really scares me.
Affirmative action hire.
More like altered reality action hire.
I don't know if any Dem/Soc know what a woman is except for Bill Clinton, of course.
haha
Some of us said similar things about gay marriage and gay parenting and gay rights and altered reality and leaving kids out of it, etc. Warnings about slippery slopes were not heeded.
Of course T is the next agenda item after L, B, and G. This train doesn't stop when so-called "well-meaning liberals" or self-styled "reasonable" people want it to.
Buy the ticket, take the ride.
The next letter is going to be 'P'edophiles.
Correct. Which is why it was important for T to come first. The age of medical consent is critical. Logically, if a child can consent to "transition" (which involves permanently life-altering drugs, surgery, etc.) then certainly he or she can consent to sex.
Or, his/her parents can consent on his/her behalf. Think that wouldn't happen? Look at what's happening now.
Yes, changing the age of consent/adulthood seems key.
I had an exhausting back and forth this week with someone on reddit about whether or not children have ever had gender-conforming surgery. Of course the goal posts kept moving.
"It's literally never happened."
I showed 3 examples who are currently in the news (two are suing Kaiser health for removing their breasts at 13 and 15). And, you know, Jazz who has an ENTIRE multi-season show documenting her many surgeries as a minor.
"oh great you found 3 extreme edge cases."
So I showed them a pub med study exploring outcomes for hundreds of patients from 12-17 having mastectomies.
"those aren't children. Those are adolescents."
So I showed them that all but 2 UN member nations define "child" as under 18, as do all US gov agencies I looked at (dozens, from Social Security to Census Bureau and on) and hundreds of thousands of news article hits in legacy media referring to "children under 18."
At the point I realized I was arguing with a crazy person they were saying that by listing "US Customs and Border Patrol" among my long list of agencies using the world "child" for that age group, I had revealed myself as a right wing bigot who wants to keep children in cages. And that teens weren't children because the media sexualized Britney Spears and Miley Cyrus.
Here's the thing, by going against international law defining "child" as under 18, you are endangering the human rights of would-be child brides, child soldiers, children sentenced the death, etc.
They're kids. Do not throw hundreds of millions of them under the bus so that you can fiddle with consent law.
It already is. Do keep up. :-)
Bingo, pay the girl.
To go along with altered reality and the bullying of JKR:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/entertainment/news/richard-dawkins-declares-there-are-only-two-sexes-as-matter-of-science-that-s-all-there-is-to-it/ar-AA18TXkh?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=b2ab1f394173498391d4eb6201c94f37&ei=47
I totally agree. And, when you point out things like this TRAs make vague comments about "nuance".
I also appreciated Megan’s thoughts on how discussions with those who disagreed with her early life changed her perspective.
The internet used to be a place for those kinds of probing, in depth conversations. Alas, no more it appears.
I agree; why do they demand so much attention? Trans is a lifestyle choice, not a "basic human right" or some such innate trait that requires legal protections. The legal system should not be used to promote lifestyle choices, in other words.
I don't mind people living whatever lifestyle they want as long as they don't harm others. But their creepy attraction to children is not acceptable. Several such people have been oddly attracted to my own child and we've had a few discussions about it so that she'll be prepared.
The synagogue, which has a gay director of children's education, recently hired a young man who calls themself "Bonnie"; their bio mentions how much they loves dealing with young children.
Giving these creatures a legal umbrella to sue and even imprison the rest of us when we criticize them is just another sign of our civilization's decline.
“The synagogue, which has a gay director of children's education, recently hired a young man who calls themself "Bonnie"; their bio mentions how much they loves dealing with young children.”
First, I refuse to mutilate my native language with a third person plural to refer to a second person singular.
Second, I wouldn’t allow anyone proudly promoting that profile anywhere near my kids just as I never let unmedicated schizophrenics, alcoholics and many others--including relatives--near my kids. It’s a matter of safety for my kids.
If only all parents shared your very reasonable stance.
Get the rope.
Why do they demand so much attention? Because they are not getting positive feedback about themselves in other ways. Kids should feel good about themselves because they are good at a sport or piano. They should be scouts and part of a positive group. But these things aren’t valued anymore. What tiktok says is valued. And being trans is the new goth. Except black nail polish comes off with a little acetone. Pursuing trans is mutilating and permanent. Our kids’ minds are seriously f-‘d with. It has got to be called out and stopped.
I agree with you. But, the TransCult has to be exposed and stopped. How did a rare body dysmophia become a promoted civil rights cause based on magical thinking centered around being "born into a body"? The problem right now with sending your kids to join scouts or some other positive group is that they all bow to Gender Ideology now. Parents on PITT try sending their kid to one group and another, moving towns, changing schools - only to find it's still there.
Also missing is church/synagogue services and youth groups, moral education, sportsmanship on the playing field, adults setting a good example, respect for the classics of literature, music, and art.
Children should be allowed to live an innocent life until they are old enough to discern right from wrong on their own. Adults should not be indoctrinating them with weird sexual fantasies. I know I'm preaching to the choir here, of course.
The cure for magical thinking is not more magical thinking.
I’m just going to drop this here. Medicaid is covering these cross sex hormones and elective sex reassignment surgeries. It runs into a million dollars per individual, plus lifelong medical care to maintain the illusion. Most insurance companies cover this as well. So if you’re wondering where your tax dollars are going or why insurance premiums are increasing, this might contribute to the trend. When you consider the exponential increase in the number of people identifying as trans it’s significant. So there is harm in those increased costs and frankly devastating harm to the mentally ill people being used for profit by big pharma as well as the families trying to cope with a culture that allows no dissent from the madness.
Obamacare mandated that coverage.
https://www.healthcare.gov/transgender-health-care/
No doubt!! I bet all of it would disappear once the funds dried up. Thanks for yet another glorious Obama idea.
Take away the federal $$$ and watch how the whole Trans crap will implode.
Time to find another school!
She's 18 and out of there, but I feel bad for the younger ones, and the clueless parents who allowed this to happen.
Tell the synagogue that they're in dangerous territory. In the Episcopal church (a highly "tolerant" denomination), when I volunteered to teach Sunday School, I along with all other teachers was required to take a
2-hour hard-hitting class about sexual abuse of minors, which frequently happens at church. This is required at all Episcopal churches nationwide. They interviewed multiple offenders who told their stories on camera as part of their therapy. Mind-blowing. They discussed how they choose their victims & that was a consistent approach. They were all over the map, SS teachers, coaches, Boy Scout leaders, etc etc. They're pedophiles. I mean, Drag Queen Story Hour, HELLO GROOMERS!!! People need to open their eyes & quit being "tolerant" while children are being sexually groomed/abused or mutilated by surgeries done by sociopaths. I feel the end of this is near------more people speaking out.
I'm afraid that it's going to take some pretty big lawsuits by the parents of sexually abused children, before these liberal organizations crack down on their bizarre hiring practices.
Even then, they will likely just cloak the abuse in "tolerance" and "inclusion". The synagogue (I don't refer to it anymore as "my" synagogue) has a gay pride thing every year, with celebratory rainbow flags and "LGBT safe space" signs everywhere. You'd think you were at a Man-Boy Love convention rather than a house of God.
It is logical. People who are attracted to kids gravitate to where the kids are. It does not make one who sees that an -ist.
I think the ever increasing demand for attention is part of the mental illness/psychopathology. And, I agree that normalizing pedophelia is a thing.
The radical left is looking for more ways to keep creeps out of trouble, and I don't know why CA thinks it needs to control everyone else. Also. I do not see why this is getting put together with a completely different issue. Democratic State Sen. Nancy Skinner, author of SB 345, represents Oakland, CA where Chloe Cole and now Layla Jane have brought lawsuits against Kaiser.
"California Bill Seeks To Provide Abortions, Trans Treatment In States Where It’s Banned With New Bill Protecting Doctors"
https://www.dailywire.com/news/california-bill-seeks-to-provide-abortions-trans-treatment-in-states-where-its-banned-with-new-bill-protecting-doctors
Magical thinking. You indulge it already; you shouldn't be surprised if others expand on it. Walk. Take your family with you.
Hi Steven. Where should parents go to escape an all pervasive ideology? I think that GI needs to be exposed, some medical licenses need to be revoked, people like First Female Four Star Admiral Richard Levine need to be removed from office, these foul teachers unions need to be disbanded or starved for funds... - LM
be prepared for what?? seems as though you have fallen victim to the "they" language too
Please refer to me as "Ze" rather than "you".
Yes to all of this. And when Natalie said that the percentage of detransitioners is “really low” it was clear that she wasn’t truly listening to the other side. That’s when she lost me.
And tranny numbers 1%. That can only be true, if at all, because of bandwaggoning and the scope being widened to include what are actually perverts and sex criminals.
I agree with you with regards to Natalie. I have watched several of her YouTube videos and she is quite well-read, eloquent and insightful. Whether you agree with her politics or not, she makes plenty of thought-provoking points. With regards of her opinion about JKR, however, I do believe there is plenty of projection; while Natalie seems to think it important that JKR can see pass her trauma, Natalie herself needs to account for how her trans identity is clouding her judgement on this issue.
As it pertains to puberty blockers and hormones for minors, the countries that are looking at this topic using a higher empirical standard have concluded that the evidence for these is lacking. Precisely because this topic is so contentious and polemic, we need to be able to rely on what the data is saying and in this case, the data (or lack of data, rather) seems to validate many of JKR’s concerns. While I feel sympathetic towards Natalie, and found the moment she cried to be quite touching—actually—I also think she needs to contend with the findings of these systematic reviews. It helps no one when one side of a debate insists that they are on the side of science, while this is not corroborated by their actions.
I thought Natalie was generally very good, and reasonably intelligent. However, she often did damage to her cause by accusing JKR of things by cloaking it all in “subtext”. For every reasoned, salient opinion she expressed, she would quickly retreat into her own take on “silence is violence” or “my feelings don’t care about your facts”.
Are you familiar with Contrapoints? Everything that is being heaped on JK has previously been heaped on Contrapoints and for much the same reasons. I wouldn't be surprised if the drug regime was destroying Contrapoints' mind. I remember Contrapoints being less delusional and feeble minded, and Contrapoints' arguments being a lot more robust.
Edit: having just read of Contrapoints' comments in 'Pink News', make that a lot less delusional and feeble minded, with much, much more robust arguments. Rapid Onset GahGah.
Which are those countries using a higher empirical standard? It'd be good to read something relatively unclouded by stupid of one sort or another.
Sweden, Finland and the UK have all conducted systematic reviews of the scientific literature for the use of puberty blockers and HRT on minors. Their conclusions in many ways overlap: the evidence for these interventions is lacking. Sweden concluded that the risks outweigh the benefits, while Finland called these interventions experimental. These countries have all backtracked on the use on blockers and hormones on minors based on the findings of these reviews. Meanwhile, American institutions that promote these interventions have failed to conduct similar systematic reviews.
Thank you! I felt the same way while listening to that interview. Megan thanked her over and over and over again for deigning to speak with her, all the while Natalie was allowed to avoid all the hard questions and promote untruths.
Ugh yes! So many untruths! How trans people think the government is against them, and that they’re being persecuted at every turn and that they share zero basic rights is bonkers crazy. Which should not be surprising at all. What a fucked up upside down world view being forced on the masses.
"Trans YouTuber says she ‘feels used’ after guesting on JK Rowling podcast: ‘A lapse in judgement’" https://www.thepinknews.com/2023/02/21/jk-rowling-podcast-trans-youtuber-natalie-wynn-contrapoints/
My biggest issue with Natalie’s latest statement is that it makes it clear that it is an imperative of hers to delegitimatize the other side of the debate to the point that having a debate with such opposition is seen as problematic in itself. This need to discredit without debating comes from her absolute and quasi-religious certainty that she is part of the right side of history. Such belief, in turn, blinds her to how her zealotry is perceived by the silent majority (i.e., the portion of the population that is more than willing to be quite tolerant of trans individuals but that draws a line when beliefs and ideas are being imposed). In that regard, her brand of trans activism is quite counterproductive; her arguments on trans topics are not convincing anyone aside from the small portion of the population whose general political views already closely align with hers.
That's why platforming her position can be productive, IMO. Natalie's statement doesn't blind us, it exposes the cult. She digs her own grave by illustrating that the only way she can justify her beliefs is by regurgitating myths that keep "kindly" people (head-in-the-sand libs) from looking too deeply at the matter. By saying that trans people are persecuted everywhere or that the government is against trans rights, or that detransitioners are a tiny percentage of the population, she loses ground. Because those are false claims. Of course one would have to seek out the true information... which is difficult when your head is in the sand lol, but I know there are some people (my husband for one) who are more likely to listen to a pod like this since it gives the other side a chance to speak. So many people are sick of the tribalist road rage that the internet has become, and yearn for nuance and calm conversations that aren't just trying to sew outrage. This delivers, and FWIW validates our position even more.
I can't wait to hear JK's response on the next episode. And I hope they bust the myth that keeps so many well-meaning parents toting their children to gender clinics: that there's a 40% suicide risk if these kids aren't affirmed. Can someone show me the dead bodies from all those "un-affirmed" kids prior to 2015? What a crock.
https://4thwavenow.com/2015/08/03/the-41-trans-suicide-rate-a-tale-of-flawed-data-and-lazy-journalists/
A pro-gender affirming care therapist took the stand in the state legislature of Nebraska to claim that it was myth that parents were being coerced into agreeing to these treatments (though threats of potential suicide by doctors/experts). All this while protesters are outside holding signs and screaming about how limiting gender affirming care for minors constitutes trans genocide. Those advocating for gender affirming are for minors do not notice the incongruence and the fact that many are now able to see through their manipulative tactics.
You are correct. Three separate systematic reviews have concluded that when in comes to puberty blockers and hormones for minors there is a lack of evidence and a lack of consensus with regards to:
-the reason behind the spike in demand for this treatments
-the benefits of these interventions
-the risk factors involved
-the type of patient who may benefit from these treatments versus those who will not
“Megan does not seem to grasp that trans people are fighting for our lives, our right to exist in society.” -Natalie Wynn
🙄🙄🙄 cry me a river.
This bloke "Natalie" is Mao or Stalin calling out Hitler. It is a waste of time talking to such... whatevers. We've been talking to a wall for nearly fifteen years now. Enough.
The benefit though is that people who are looking for a balanced conversation that platforms both sides will find it here. The interviews with Natalie and Noah make the argument against gender ideology even more solid and convincing and could turn more people toward the truth of this heinous cult.
That is my hope too. If they do not get together in person, I do hope JKR gets to respond to their main concerns and arguments, not only for JKR’s sake, but also for the sake of Natalie and Noah.
Thank you for your comment. The medical.expense related to transitioning is often brought up. If you are comfortable doing so, will you expound on your son's experience with costs?
I listened to several minutes of the podcast and quit. Who is Natalie?
Natalie Wynn is prominent trans YouTuber better known as ContraPoints. She is also featured briefly in one of the earlier episodes where they discuss social media and tumblr.
The fifth installment of the podcast is called "Natalie and Noah." The entire episode is the host interviewing a trans girl, Natalie (first half), and a trans teenage boy, Noah (second half), about the movement, their experience being trans, and about Rowling's comments and the opinion of her in general. That's what the commenters are referring to.
thanks
The daftest thing is Contrapoints is an intelligent person not afraid to speak against the trend and who was subjected to exactly the same abuse J K has been recieving and for pretty much the same reasons. Megan is a better person than me; I can't empathise with such a person at all. Contrapoints is one of those the Dead Sea Scolls sect would have referred to as 'Seekers after Smooth Things' and the New Testament as 'Pharisees'.
I'd like to hug the two of you.
Once again I commend you guys for giving JK Rowling a space to be heard objectively. The digital stoning of people that is happening is horrific. I wanted to mention here though that I went to the above New York Times link you gave which goes to the opinion piece they wrote about her. Nowhere do they mention The Free Press. I mean, they link to the podcast, but don't mention the name of it, the free press or God forbid Bari. How petty.
There are probably a few people at New York Times who are jealous of Bari Weiss's success.
Oh I am sure of it! Lol. But long gone are the days of "being the bigger person" as my mom used to phrase it. 🙄
I have to amend that it says Free Press in tiny writing under the name of the podcast. But I bet that just comes with the icon and nothing to do with NYT.
I love this podcast as well as the Free Press tremendously! Megan is doing a fantastic job bringing both sides of the issue to light. It is my opinion that the interview with Noah really showed why transitioning as a teenager is so dangerous and shouldn't be allowed. His description of the wild ride of emotions he went through is exactly spot on! To go from thinking that larger breasts will "fix" things to thinking changing your gender is the answer sums up adolescence. He is a brilliant young person, but at this age, he still doesn't know what he doesn't know and he reinforced my opinion that children are no where near ready to make the decision to opt into surgery.
I listened to the podcast yesterday, but I was struck as to how recently the 'top' surgery had been performed, yet Noah was drawing conclusions already as to the effectiveness of the procedure on his mental health. I seem to recall him stating that other therapies and interventions had been effective in the short term, but that longer term they weren't working out. What makes him think that this procedure will be any different when he looks back in five years?
Top surgery= radical mastectomy = not only breasts, but the removal of axillary lymph nodes and lymphatic tissue as well as the pectoral muscles from the chest wall.
There will be a time when treatment is needed because the lymph nodes and lymphatic tissue have been removed. This is one of the many reasons why surgeons no longer automatically go to radical mastectomy for treating breast cancer and why so many women in previous years suffered so terribly post surgery.
The label "top surgery" denies what is really happening, the word "radical" needs to be included. Consider it a preferred adjective!
The lobotomies of our time. Medicine has made great strides in the last fifty years, hasnt it?
I spat tea on the keyboard!
This is why RCT's have to be done to learn anything. This wasn't even single-blind, let alone double-blind.
If anything it was... totally blind.
Yes, Noah’s interview really hit a nerve with me. He clearly wore his parents down as they wanted to do anything to make him happy and not kill himself. The affirming doctors which “showed he was right to transition” probably were sick of dealing with him and just gave in. It’s actually pretty easy to get whatever you want from a medical professional. They just want to do their jobs and move people along. And when he listed all his actual mental diagnoses (adhd, ocd, etc.) and then said they were because of his gender dysphoria… I was like… what a disaster this all is. A tragic disaster.
I found Noah’s interview to be upsetting. Noah laid out the whole process—feeling uncomfortable in your body during puberty, going online and watching trans influencer videos on YouTube 24/7, going to a therapist who suggests your mental health struggles are related to gender, going to the gender clinic, getting medicalized.
Noah having this solidified identity AS transgender (as many do) is confusing in itself. Trans is something YOU DO not who you are. I understand if trans-identified people form friendships etc with other trans-identified people as they may have common experiences etc, but you can’t BE trans anymore than you can BE anxiety, or depression, or an eating disorder.
This episode drove home for me that kids/teens cannot have unfettered access to the internet without consequences. We must engage our kids with their bodies and minds in IN-PERSON activities and connections.
This reminds me of Judith Harris' book (The Nurture Assumption - Why Children Turn Out the Way The Do). She was combating the - at the time - assumption that children are born as blank slates and that from then on parents and families make them have the personalities they end up with. A modern variant of the Rousseau ideology. She drew on extensive research which establishes about 40% heritable traits in a variety of behaviors and development outcomes. But what reminds me of this book here is the other 40% category, which she found to be "peers". Families only account for about 20% of long term development outcomes. The big wildcard which is as powerful as heredity is peer influences. And that is where the Internet is coming into play now. It used to be a neighborhood effect to some extent. Then, when going to larger schools, a wider community effect. But now, it's this world-wide self-sorting into various pathologies and exaggerated concentrations of unhealthy ideas - at every point in the spectrum.
And the impact of screen time on that.
I'm reminded of Toffler and the sci-fi novel "Shockwave Rider"
That we, as children, socialise ourselves was old before Harris,
It was common knowledge but widely disbelieved by academics and the psychological community involved with child development.
Or maybe the doctors wanted to make a million dollars off the gender affirming procedures and hormones Noah will require over the course of a lifetime?
Noah's interview broke my heart. What an intelligent, articulate, and funny young person. I wish him nothing but good things and hope the medical interventions he received continue to make him happy. However, his discussion of the struggle to accept his adolescent body (struggles many typical females face), the affirming therapy he received, and his many other mental health diagnoses did not convince me that juvenile transitioning is a good idea. Rather, it confirmed my concerns that children aren't ready to make such truly life-altering decisions. In my opinion, social transition if you must, but save the medical interventions for adulthood.
I understand the evolution that has occurred in society that has led to 'gender-affirming care'. But so much of the civil rights struggle that I've witnessed during my lifetime has been convincing society to accept people for who they are. Wouldn't the logical progression then be 'body-affirming care', i.e. going out of your way to ensure that people are accepting of their physical body, without having to resort to irreversible treatments? I guess that's where social transitioning comes in?
I agree with everything you said here except that "social transitioning" is a commitment gadget. Kids change their names and then it's hard for them to admit they were wrong...
Good point! There is a very high percentage of people with eating disorders who would need similar care
And the mental health establishment realizes that there's an issue at hand and treats the patient accordingly, i.e. they're not going to allow that person to starve themselves to death if they can help it. I'm not sure if it's a perfect analogy, but I'd need someone to explain to me why the two situations are different and thus they believe require treatments that are seemingly 180 degrees out of phase with one another.
Because doctors have form for being wrong and mad most of the time? They aren't known as 'quacks' for no good reason.
Much of the "civil rights struggle" was Marxist promoted bollocks, and known to be at the time. The bollocks du jour is unsurprising; being absolutely predictable and coming from exactly the same sources.
"struggles many typical females face" Yes! Poor kid.
Here are a couple young women who went the same route and are full of regret and filing lawsuits now:
"LAYLA JANE v. KAISER HOSPITAL FOUNDATION" Layla was 13 when she had the radical surgery. https://libertycenter.org/cases/layla/
"Chloe Cole v. Kaiser Permanente"
https://www.dhillonlaw.com/lawsuits/chloe-cole-v-kaiser-permanente/
"Under Defendants’ advice and supervision, between 13-17 years-old, Chole underwent harmful transgender treatment, specifically, off-label puberty blockers, cross-sex hormone treatment, and a double mastectomy."
I believe they are both 18 now. A sane way forward:
"‘Texas Millstone Act’ Would Prohibit Gender Mutilation Procedures for People Under 26
As more people have been taken advantage of by greedy physicians, the Texas Millstone Act would help protect innocent people from these life-altering procedures."
https://texasscorecard.com/state/texas-millstone-act-would-prohibit-gender-mutilation-procedures-for-people-under-26/
Jazz Jennings is starting to break. Where does she go to get a life back?
https://pjmedia.com/culture/megan-fox/2023/03/21/i-just-want-to-feel-like-myself-tearfully-admits-americas-most-famous-trans-kid-jazz-jennings-n1680077
Yes, he says that he never "feels like himself". The poor young man has been abused by his mother and many others at least since he was 6 years old. Medical people gained glory through him. His family became rich and famous. I think some of his surgeons who are men in women-face themselves (such as Marc/Marci Bowers who you can see interviewed on the "What is a Woman?" documentary) likely got off on it sexually - but that is an opinion. And, the whole world enjoyed the display of the reality tv show. The whole thing was shameful.
He's really physically and emotionally damaged but may find some peace someday as himself - which is a young man born Jaron Bloshinsky. He is an innocent victim and I hope that he can find some peace.
"Brilliant"? Is that the new euphemism for GahGah? The lad's away with the fairies. Pun intended.
I'm a progressive writer and actor in Minneapolis. My social and professional community is made up of many very far-left theater artists. When the podcast first came out, I listened to the first couple of episodes and thought they were great (still do, after listening to all 6). I posted a recommendation for the series on my FB page and got immediate, heated, passionate blowback. It quickly turned into a pile-on from people I know and have worked with in real life, all of whom refused to listen to the podcast but didn't hesitate to tell me why I was wrong and bad for doing so. It was disturbing to say the least, and an ironic microcosm of the dynamics described in the series itself. I wrote about the experience and my response to it here: https://moperry.substack.com/p/a-rallying-cry-for-liberalism
Wow. Not only were your FB friends unwilling to listen to this riveting podcast series, they were unwilling to let *YOU* recommend it in a public forum. This feels like the kind of evil totalitarianism JK is talking about. (Just subscribed to your substack, great piece about your trip to the bull riding competition in SD!!)
You illustrate my issue with "progressivism". They taut inclusion and tolerance until you say something they disagree with.
The cancellers came for you. Now you know who they "really are."
The old saw about the difference between "liberals" and conservatives needs to be modified so the conservative is a progressive who's been canceled (as an alternative to being robbed).
I am really enjoying this series. Megan is an excellent host. I grew up watching her antics in the WBC. The change is interesting to see. You can definitely hear the same patience that was given to her come out in those she speaks to.
She asks excellent(!) questions. On top of that she has a pleasing voice to listen to. Like butta.
As another commenter said, I was ultimately unconvinced by Natalie's argument, however it did give me pause for a moment to consider. Which is exactly what I am looking for in journalism. I want to have my view challenged.
JK is intelligent, thoughtful and wise. The last few minutes of episode two talking about how her world view and Snape/Dumbledore I have revisited many times.
At this juncture, I am convinced by JKs arguments. I think she has gone above and beyond the requirement for being reasonable, and I am glad she has not turned on her position. I have the feeling that she would given better evidence.
Salem! My hometown. I know the history all too well. Loving the podcast so far, but yesterdays episode made me see red. The story of the 17-year-old made me more convinced than ever this is mental illness and we need to stop simply affirming their every whim. Yes, be kind. Treat every human with respect. But I can not go along with their delusions or demands. I agree more with J.K. We need to teach people acceptance and love of who you are. You can not simply make shit up and then demand everyone agree with you.
Salem- in the grip of Social Contagion of young females who accused older women of being witches. How appropriate’
I’m happy to see you refer to the “good faith debate” the podcast has sparked, because so far, the trans agenda has been advanced by the opposite of good faith. Its primary means of advancement has been the use of emotional blackmail. “You must accept (indeed, you must celebrate!) every single radical position we throw out there or else children will kill themselves!!”
Another subtler tactic - but one also characterized by bad faith - is what the writer Rod Dreher refers to as the Law of Inverse Pathological Enthusiasm. Dreher notes that to a left-wing social justice advocate, discussing social justice issues incessantly from a progressive point of view demonstrates that person’s virtue and commitment to justice, “but talking about them at all from a dissenting point of view is evidence of an insane obsession with the topic.”
Paraphrasing Dreher:
Progressive: "Trans trans trans trans trans!"
Conservative: "Trans?"
Progressive: "Why are you so obsessed with someone’s gender, you bigoted lunatic?!”
Beyond the emotional blackmail and the use of Dreher’s law, the trans movement has perverted the language with their pronoun madness, all the while insisting that everyone else must also pervert the language in exactly their prescribed fashion. They have proselytized and groomed children in schools, all the while counseling them to hide these conversations from parents. They have utterly corrupted science and medicine by dragooning practitioners and writers in these fields into supporting the cause (dragooning made easier by the money now sloshing through the system for conversion drugs and surgeries). And of course, they have employed the sinister power of the mob to stage attacks on social media designed to destroy the livelihoods of people who dissent from their agenda.
Frankly, if the trans movement hadn’t behaved in such an aggressively bad faith manner to this point, there would be no “witch trials” to talk about and very little if any interest in a podcast on this subject. I am seeing signs that the tide may be turning, and if your podcast is either a cause or an effect of this tide turning, then good on ya!
Excellent comment!! You put into words the nagging in my head of how can they speak lies and successfully get some people to believe they speak truth?? I'm so outraged by the whole thing that I can barely stand it. It's like they're endorsing pedophilia.
The latest episode is interesting. It was obviously recorded before the Jamie Reed whistle blowing article in the Free Press and Hannah Barnes' book Time to Think (available as an ebook in the US) were published. After reading Time to Think, Dr Erica Anderson tweeted on 18 March 2023 "Just finished reading ‘Time to Think,’ and now I need to go for a long walk and consider what I have learned. For those concerned about gender questioning youth? Please read this before we talk again." Anderson is a former president of WPATH.
Surely we should consider gender dysphoria as a symptom of underlying distress, not as a diagnosis? It may even be a helpful symptom, resolving some conflicts, avoiding certain issues, gaining attention or perhaps serving other purposes. But treating symptoms does not address the cause behind them. And like prescribing an aspirin for a brain tumour, it won't fix the problem, merely temporarily covering it up. And to turn distressed children into sterile, mutilated surgical patchworks fails to give them any of the help they really need, as well as, almost incidentally, expressing the underlying contempt for the homosexuals many of them would have become, as well as that for the women they will have to pretend to be. This is not just a scandal: it is shameful.
I love this podcast and look forward to each new episode. Although Dr Erica Anderson was interviewed, I do hope we get to hear from experts in Europe about the findings of the Finnish, Swedish and UK systematic reviews on the topics of puberty blockers and hormones for minors. I find this information to be crucial in a political climate where those who are in support of these interventions tend to claim that the science is settled and demonize all those who disagree as anti-science and/or anti-trans. The science is far from settled on these topics, and—as an expert cited in a recent article on the BMJ claimed—American associations advocating for these interventions in minors are giving strong recommendations based on weak data. This message should be sent loud and clear if dialogue is ever to move forward.
Well congrats on getting trans people to consent to interviews but my position remains unchanged. I think this is the main reason trans people don't want to engage in good faith debate. Both guests are delusional. Their ideas cannot become policy. They are too self absorbed to even imagine how and why men in women's bathrooms and safe spaces elevates risk. They don't see the danger of transing confused kids. Meghan did not push back. She didn't probe the issue of men in women's prisons or shelters, or transing kids which are the main points Rowling makes. Trans people are terrified that biology affects behavior. You can't change your genetics/nature. 300 million years of sexual dimorphism cannot be cosmetically airbrushed or surgically incised away. XY still have a reproductive imperitive. Most of them don't get sex reassignment surgery because sexual deviance is central to their behavior. A huge % of trans XY are sexually attracted to women. That doesn't make them lesbians. It makes them men capable of impregnating women. Keep them out of women's safe spaces.
The first guest was cancelled by TRAs for running afoul of pronoun orthodoxy yet he keeps pushing all of their idiotic agendas. We don't have to accept a society with no gender boundaries. Trans people can pretend all they want but the lines must remain drawn to protect biological women and minors. Forcing people/society to accept or humor your fetish/psychosis is not a human right.
Transgenderism is a social contagion perfectly compatible with the hyperfragility Haidt documents. Humans that are too frail to accept reality are collectively demanding that reality change to accomodate them. Academia, businesses and government become their surrogate helicopter parents swooping in to resolve the confilct for them. It's untenable.
This was an excellent podcast series! I was literally cringing listening to trans activists trash JKR. I just couldn’t understand what she said that was so anti trans! Years ago I always believed that there would be predators and other mentally ill people that would jump on the transgender band wagon just to harm or take advantage of women. Maybe it is my distrustful nature but here we go! Why would anyone think its okay for a grown man with a penis to parade around a YMCA locker room naked in front of young women and children??!! Better yet for a man to compete against women in sports after said women have spent their young lives training to be the best in their chosen sport. So disrespectful to females in every way. That being said I agree with JK that you do you after the age of consent. Please stop doing surgery on under age children!
Every person involved with the Lia Thomas show should be fired.
Although age 18 is too young, especially after the kids have been indoctrinated with GenderBread Persons/Queer Theory in high school - and minds are not matured yet. They get the kids whipped up and biding their time to self harm at the magic age of 18.
I think we need a Millstone Act nationally:
"‘Texas Millstone Act’ Would Prohibit Gender Mutilation Procedures for People Under 26
As more people have been taken advantage of by greedy physicians, the Texas Millstone Act would help protect innocent people from these life-altering procedures."
https://texasscorecard.com/state/texas-millstone-act-would-prohibit-gender-mutilation-procedures-for-people-under-26/
The sane states should all do this! I live in TN & gender care here has been banned, so no hormones & no surgery. YAY!
I agree! And, lucky you. But, beware of CA with it's laws about being a Sanctuary State for runaway groomed teens and stuff like this:
"California Bill Seeks To Provide Abortions, Trans Treatment In States Where It’s Banned With New Bill Protecting Doctors"
https://www.dailywire.com/news/california-bill-seeks-to-provide-abortions-trans-treatment-in-states-where-its-banned-with-new-bill-protecting-doctors
Democratic State Sen. Nancy Skinner, author of SB 345, represents Oakland, CA - home of the Kaiser facility being sued by Chloe Cole and now Layla Jane.
Agree, Also the interview with Noah is a bit premature in the grand scheme of things. He may be very troubled from the sounds of it and 17 just had chest surgery 3 months ago???!! Only time will tell if this transition was really the answer to all his problems.
Yes, lots of girls are getting double mastectomies at these young ages after bathing in GenderBread/Query Theory and then regretting it after some time - like Chloe Cole and Layla Jane who are suing Kaiser in Oakland, CA. I think Chloe was maybe 16 and Layla was 13. They are both 18 now and full of regret.
I favor Millstone Acts: "‘Texas Millstone Act’ Would Prohibit Gender Mutilation Procedures for People Under 26
As more people have been taken advantage of by greedy physicians, the Texas Millstone Act would help protect innocent people from these life-altering procedures."
https://texasscorecard.com/state/texas-millstone-act-would-prohibit-gender-mutilation-procedures-for-people-under-26/
Check out “go fund me” section on top surgery. You’ll be flabbergasted at the numbers of pages of women asking for help in removing their breast
Yes - it is horrific.
Fantastic podcast-everything about it including music is great. I find myself looking everyday to see if a new episode dropped. In this episode I found Natalie and Noah both captivating and intelligent. Noah being just 17 is extremely intelligent. I wonder if this intelligence drives his anxiety and over thinking. I have a 17 year old son and he and his peers seemed to become monosyllabic grunters at puberty. I can’t imagine any of them speaking this thoughtfully and with such insight. Noah is probably on the high IQ side and because of this might always feel like an outsider. In Natalie’s case all the battles she is fighting seem virtual. In the real world trans people are a protected class and cannot be discriminated against. A conservative court ruled on this. Having to work out the complexities in regards to shelters, prisons, locker rooms and sports is the reality of the situation. The idea that if you discuss these complexities you’re a veiled bigot is illogical thinking. This goes back to the post by Haidt last week. There is a lot of disordered thinking going on that could be helped with CBT. Natalie mentioned how offensive it is to say this increase in trans kids is driven by the internet but I think this disordered way of thinking is. Living in physical reality and having to conform your mind to live with the limitations of reality is an anecdote to anxiety and depression. It’s agency-I can’t control reality but I can control my reaction to it. Natalie and Noah are young. They probably have no idea that in the second half of their life their entire relationship with their body will change and it functioning without pain or disease will become dominant. It’s considered conversion therapy if you don’t affirm but wouldn’t it be helpful if at first you taught a child not to treat their feelings as the gospel and tools to fight disordered thinking. They may still want surgery but what a gift you will have given them if you teach them how to get out of the disordered thinking that is making them so anxious, depressed and traumatized.
Good insights. But the reason Noah is so articulate compared to most 17-year old boys is that Noah is female.
Still, I was interested in hearing from someone who went through the process. Let's see what Noah thinks in five, 10, or 25 years.
Bingo! She kept saying a long time of considering and then would say it had been a year. How is that a long time? Just this lack of understanding how with time we change and grow and our thoughts change is why teenagers shouldn’t be making these permanent decisions about fertility ability to breast feed etc. there’s a reason why we have guardrails up for kids…. And it’s a shame the parents of ‘Noah’ caves to their daughter. I am willing to bet she will change her mind and hve some regrets. But pride and lack of humility could prevent her from admitting to those regrets until she’s much older. I fear this will be likely for the many kids and young adults that take part in this trend. Time will tell and I’m betting on it.
Exactly. I was going to add that "the jury is still out" but realized the jury hasnt been formed yet. They havent set a venue even yet.
What's the charge?
I was responding to Current Resident's ultimate sentence: "Still, I was interested in hearing from someone who went through the process. Let's see what Noah thinks in five, 10, or 25 years." Noah and people like him will be the jury. Charges are still being formulated, I think.
Excellent comment.
I am so impressed by the way this podcast is covering this topic. I know people are complaining on either side--"Only ONE episode from the trans point of view? How can you call this balanced!?!?!?" or "How can you give a platform to trans activists!?!?" But I feel like both these arguments miss the crucial mission of this podcast and The Free Press--to provide a platform for a variety of views and to allow for truly nuanced discussions. Part of me doesn't want to hear what the "anti-Rowling" side has to say, but that's not my better self thinking that. If what we care about is knowing the objective truth rather than staying in our echo chambers and feeding ourselves with rage against the other side, isn't it crucial to hear different perspectives? If, when we're done listening, we've been convinced, okay. If we still disagree with the "other side" and hold the views we did originally, also okay. At least we are being honest and open.
As someone from a similar-ish background to Megan Phelps-Roper, her confession about her fear of getting things wrong again or ending up in another form of bigotry rings so true for me. I've been so wrong before, and I know I can be now. That's why it's so important to listen and consider instead of closing my ears off to opinions I don't like.
This is an absolutely wonderful podcast; I'm so glad it's getting attention and sparking conversations!
IMO, a huge part of trans-activism is people who need to job/income/cause now that gays are completely accepted.
Yes, along with the anti-racism grifters.