This editorial and the Associated Press article, “Major UK report says transgender children are being let down by harmful debate and lack of evidence,” as well as the Cass Review’s evidence inquiry It did not address questions about which studies were included. They were excluded and whether Dr Hilary Cass and the University of York researchers who conducted the review of the scientific literature used appropriate criteria to determine whether the research was sound. The report asserts that there is “insufficient evidence about the long-term outcomes of interventions to manage gender-related distress.” But are there indeed gender-expanded adults who underwent medical intervention at a young age? Why aren’t their voices “high quality” enough to serve as evidence?
The article relies heavily on the Cass Review’s statement that there is a “lack of evidence” and “toxic political debate” on the subject. I actually agree. Transgender kids are disappointed in these things, but not in the same way that the authors of these works are.
Where are the voices of children who are transitioning and growing? Are there any teens who are taking hormones and are doing great in school and life? Please don’t tell me it doesn’t exist. I have it in my kitchen now. But the way this report is presented makes it seem as if they are unicorns, mythical beings found only in left-wing literature. Their voices deserve a prominent place in the Post and Associated Press’ reporting.
Gender-expanded children exist. Younger generations have a different approach to gender. So there will probably be more exploration of gender than ever before. Does that mean all these children will grow up to be gender-expanded adults? No, that’s “exploration”. I think that in the “old days” of the 2000s, there were mainly children with strong gender dysphoria. The treatment probably would have been clearer. Today, maybe not so much. More children may be “experimenting” with their gender identity. Treatment must be adapted. However, this does not mean treatment should be prohibited, and many states and agencies are using the weight of the Cass review to do so.
Tina Neal, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania
The author is the founder of the nonprofit support organization Tertium Quid.
I belong to a support group for parents of transgender youth, and many of us have similar stories. Once-happy children are spending more time online during school closures. After researching Reddit, Tumblr, and Discord, they found groups of people talking about gender. Their curiosity turned into an obsession, and they soon came out as “transgender.”
Many of us have observed that obsessions in children are accompanied by uncharacteristic expressions such as anger, self-harm, anxiety, depression, and alienation from family.These changes in personality and behavior intensified. rear Even if we affirmed, our children announced their new gender identity.
Declaring themselves transgender has dramatically worsened children’s mental health. The professionals we turned to for help didn’t listen to the broader context we shared.
Until recently, we couldn’t talk about pain because it was an off-limits topic. With the publication of the Cass Review, perhaps we will be able to speak more freely.
I’m a physician with a special interest in the evidence behind medical strategies to affirm transgender identities, and I’ve been following Cass’s work for at least two years. The detailed final review will be a great resource for medicine and wider society as we try to sort out what actually helps children with gender dysphoria. Unfortunately, in the United States, opinions about gender identity are increasingly aligned with political identity. With the Cass Review, the UK is at the forefront of depoliticizing gender care. Our country should also follow Britain’s example.
In 2021, the Post published an op-ed by Erica Anderson and Laura Edwards-Leaper advocating for gender-exploratory therapy as a first step for children who question their gender, making a point of highlighting voices of doubt. assumed early leadership. That was a good start, but with the publication of the Cass Review journalists had a huge opportunity to inject even more good science into the American debate.
mark buchanan, Avon, Connecticut.
A step backwards for student rights
Regarding the April 20 front page article “Title IX expands for trans students”:
As an attorney representing students accused in Title IX cases. I was saddened to read that new rules approved by the Biden administration roll back the right to cross-examination guaranteed by rules promulgated by then-Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos during the Trump administration. Ta.
It is difficult to imagine how one-sided and unfair such a process would be. Schools are under pressure from the Ministry of Education to take all possible steps to combat sexual misconduct and are subject to financial penalties if they are deemed insufficient. Before the DeVos Rule was enacted, universities hired “neutral” investigators who listened to both parties and made recommendations to rubber-stamp courts based on a mere preponderance of the evidence. In some schools, investigators were charged with acting as prosecutor, judge, and jury.
Under the now-repealed rules, each party had the right to cross-examine participants and witnesses in a live hearing to test the credibility of their testimony. We will now return to a system in which the stories of alleged victims are not tested by serious questioning. In all cases in our legal system, except in student disciplinary proceedings, participants have the right to confront adverse witnesses by cross-examination. In Maryland, you can confront your adversary at a zoning hearing, but your ability to graduate or pursue further degrees is determined by a disgruntled former partner who is now reviewing the relationship in a different light. If there is a possibility, it won’t happen. In all cases, the crime victim must take the stand and have his or her testimony verified by cross-examination. Even feminist icon Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg expressed regret at the limitations on due process rights in Title IX proceedings. Are today’s college students so lacking in agency that they cannot be trusted to stand on their own two feet, tell their own stories, and have those stories tested for credibility and truth?
As a liberal, I have always believed that due process is for everyone, not just groups that share my political ideals. The Biden administration seems to have forgotten that.
Ronald L. Schwartz, college park, maryland
Regarding the April 21st front page article “Legendary Cowboy’s Last Ride”:
We hope Post Sports columnist Sally Jenkins will continue writing about the rodeo from the animals’ point of view.
Rodeo is not a real “sport”. This term refers to willing and equal participants. Not eligible for rodeo. Rather, it is primarily hype and a macho movement aimed at domination that has little to do with ranching. Real working cowboys didn’t regularly ride bulls, wrestle steers, ride horses live, or practice calf roping as a timed event. The animals were also not abused by placing flank straps on them, “hot-shotting” them with holding chutes, twisting their tails, kicking, or slapping them. Hundreds of animals are maimed or killed every year at rodeo arenas, all in the name of “entertainment.” It needs to end.
Consider what legendary labor leader Cesar Chavez wrote in a letter to me in 1990 in “Action for Animals.” Racism, economic poverty, dogfighting and cockfighting, bullfighting and rodeo are cut from the same fabric of violence. Only when we become nonviolent toward all life will we ourselves learn to live well. ” These are words to live by.
Britain banned rodeos in 1934. Is the U.S. this far behind?
Eric Mills, Oakland, California
About Anna Husalska’s April 20th editorial “Missiles rain down, tulips bloom, and Ukrainian soldiers attack. ”
Husarska’s message contains a powerful message. I had a company in Kharkiv, Ukraine, with an office near Freedom Square and a factory outside the city. I have watched a country evolve from a post-Soviet state of economic hardship to a prosperous and vibrant entity.
Kharkiv has a theater similar to the Kennedy Center, a grand classical organ theater, shops, and most importantly, a highly educated, entrepreneurial, and technologically advanced population. The lads were really great. And they still have the will and spirit to die for independence. We have to stay behind these people. They should know they can count on us.
Howard Pedolski, rock building
