gender dysphoria Archives - Tennessee Star

Judge Rules Wisconsin School District’s Gender Affirming Policy Without Parental Consent Violates Constitutional Rights

October 4, 2023October 3, 2023 M.D. Kittle

In a major victory for parental rights, a Waukesha County judge has ruled the Kettle Moraine School District’s policy of affirming students’ preferred gender identities without notifying guardians is a violation of basic constitutional rights.

Judge Michael P. Maxwell, in what is expected to be a nationally watched ruling, found the southeast Wisconsin school district violated parents’ constitutional rights to raise their own children by allowing minor students to change gender identity at school without parental consent, and even over their objection.

American College of Pediatricians Rejects Reaffirmation of Children’s Transgender Medical Treatments by American Academy of Pediatrics

August 12, 2023August 11, 2023 Susan Berry, PhD

The American College of Pediatricians (ACPeds) stated Thursday in a press release it opposes the decision by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) to reaffirm transgender medical interventions for children and teens, but supports AAP’s claim it will be reviewing the latest evidence pertaining to the highly controversial treatments.

Last week, AAP reaffirmed its support for providing children and teens with transgender hormones and surgeries – called “gender-affirming care” by the transgender medical industry – while it simultaneously announced it would review medical research on the life-altering treatments.

American Academy of Pediatrics Reaffirms Support for Trans Activists’ ‘Gender-Affirming Care’

August 5, 2023August 4, 2023 Susan Berry, PhD

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) reaffirmed its support Thursday for providing children with transgender hormones and surgeries – so-called “gender-affirming care” – at the same time it announced a review of medical research on the life-altering treatments.

The medical organization reaffirmed its 2018 position on the provision of the hormone drugs and surgeries to young people who say they are uncomfortable with their biological sex.

Detransitioner Chloe Cole Tells Congress ‘My Childhood Was Ruined’ by ‘Gender-Affirming Care’

July 29, 2023July 28, 2023 Susan Berry, PhD

Detransitioner Chloe Cole appeared before a House subcommittee Thursday, testifying that transgender hormone drugs and surgeries “ruined” her childhood and left her with “lifelong irreversible harm.”

Cole, 19, who now serves as a senior fellow and patient advocate for Do No Harm, an organization that seeks to “protect patients, physicians, and healthcare itself from the practice of medicine based on discriminatory, divisive ideologies,” testified before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Federal Government Surveillance at the hearing titled “The Dangers and Due Process Violations of ‘Gender-Affirming Care.’”

Louisiana Legislature Votes to Override Governor’s Veto of Bill Protecting Minors from Transgender Drugs and Surgeries

July 19, 2023July 19, 2023 Susan Berry, PhD

The Republican-led Louisiana House and Senate voted Tuesday to override Gov. John Bel Edwards’ (D) veto of a bill that would prohibit minors with gender dysphoria from obtaining life-altering transgender hormone drugs and surgeries.

The “historic” vote is only the third time a veto session ended in a single day with Republican lawmakers striking down Edwards’ veto on just one bill, Nola reported.

Maine Governor Signs Bill Allowing Teenagers to Obtain Cross-Sex Hormones Without Parental Consent

July 15, 2023July 14, 2023 Susan Berry, PhD

Maine Governor Janet Mills (D) signed into law legislation this week that eliminates the requirement of parental consent for 16-17-year-old minors to be provided cross-sex hormones to change their physical appearance to correspond to their gender identity at a given point in time.

L.D. 535, titled an Act Regarding Consent for Gender-affirming Hormone Therapy for Certain Minors, states “a health care professional may provide gender-affirming hormone therapy and follow-up care to a minor without obtaining the consent of the parent or guardian of the minor,” with the requirements being that the minor is at least 16 years old; has been diagnosed with gender dysphoria; has been judged by a healthcare professional to be experiencing “harm” from not obtaining cross-sex hormones; and the minor’s parents do not support the hormone treatment.

Pennsylvania Freedom Caucus: No Penn State Funding Until Puberty Blockers Ditched

June 7, 2023June 6, 2023 Bradley Vasoli

The Pennsylvania House Freedom Caucus (PAFC) this week issued an ultimatum to the Pennsylvania State University: Either your hospitals will stop providing puberty blockers to children or funding won’t be forthcoming.

Penn State Health operates six hospitals in central Pennsylvania. The PAFC is castigating the university-run system for “prescribing experimental puberty blockers and providing “‘gender-affirming care’ to children as young as FIVE YEARS OLD.”

Republican Lawmakers Upset after Several More Bills Felled by Katie Hobbs’ Veto Hammer

May 23, 2023May 22, 2023 Neil Jones

The office of Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs (D) revealed she had taken action on several more pieces of legislation Monday.

Of the 13 bills she dealt with, eight were on the receiving end of her veto stamp, including bills on pronouns in schools, election officials, and the Rio Verde Foothills (RVF) water solution.

Cosponsor Admits Bill Forces Pennsylvania Doctors to Practice ‘Gender-Affirming’ Medicine

April 25, 2023April 24, 2023 Bradley Vasoli

On Monday, a legislative committee passed a bill a cosponsor admits would force Pennsylvania physicians to provide treatments meant to mask a gender-dysphoric person’s biological sex.

A measure supporters call the “Fairness Act” and tout as an anti-discrimination bill passed the Democrat-controlled Pennsylvania House Judiciary Committee on a 12-9 party-line vote. In a speech defending the bill, cosponsoring Representative Emily Kinkead (D-Bellevue) confirmed assertions by the legislation’s opponents that it would compel doctors to deliver “gender-affirming” medicine.

Michael Knowles and Brad Polumbo Debate Gender Policy at University of Pittsburgh

April 20, 2023April 19, 2023 Bradley Vasoli

As conservative Catholic Daily Wire podcaster Michael Knowles took the podium at the University of Pittsburgh Tuesday night, protesters chanted, “Trans rights are human rights!”

About to make his initial remarks at a debate titled “Should Transgenderism Be Regulated by Law?” Knowles took the shouts in his stride.

Pennsylvania Freedom Caucus Condemns Greater Johnstown Schools’ Gender-Transition Policy

April 7, 2023April 6, 2023 Bradley Vasoli

A group of conservative Pennsylvania state lawmakers on Thursday voiced outrage at the Greater Johnstown School District’s “Gender Transition Plan” and “Gender Support Plan.”

Particularly troubling to members of the Pennsylvania Freedom Caucus (PAFC) are provisions in the district policies to circumvent parents’ involvement in the way their gender-dysphoric student may address his or her condition.

University of Florida Reports Significant Increase in Trans-Identifying Students, Sex Change Treatments in Response to DeSantis Audit

March 7, 2023March 6, 2023 Admin

University of Florida (UF) health centers reported an uptick in the number of transgender patients, fulfilling a request by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration in January, UF student newspaper the Independent Florida Alligator reported.

The Florida Office of Policy and Budget sent a memo to university leaders on Jan. 11 demanding reports about the number of patients treated for gender dysphoria at affiliated health centers. UF Health reported an increase in sex change treatments including puberty blocker prescription, hormone therapy, surgery and behavioral services at its various clinics since 2018, according to the reports obtained by the Alligator.

Gov. Bill Lee Signs Bills Banning Transgender Hormones, Surgeries for Minors and Drag Shows from Public Spaces

March 3, 2023March 3, 2023 Susan Berry, PhD

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R) signed two bills Thursday, one that prohibits minors from receiving puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and transgender surgeries, and another that outlaws drag shows in public spaces and restricts them to age-appropriate venues.

Tennessee Legislature Passes Ban on Child Sex Changes

February 23, 2023February 23, 2023 Admin

A Tennessee bill barring sex change procedures for minors passed in the state Senate Thursday and is headed to Republican Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee’s desk, a spokesman for the state’s Senate Republican Caucus told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem Signs Bill Banning Transgender Hormones, Surgeries for Minors

February 15, 2023February 15, 2023 Susan Berry, PhD

Gov. Kristi Noem (R-SD) signed legislation Monday that protects minor children and teens from experimental puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and mutilating irreversible surgeries for the treatment of gender confusion.

In signing HB 1080, the “Help Not Harm” bill, into law, Noem said in a statement, “South Dakota’s kids are our future. With this legislation, we are protecting kids from harmful, permanent medical procedures.”

Matt Walsh Stuns Tennessee Democrat Lawmaker: ‘Do You Think a 16-Year-Old Can Meaningfully Consent to Having Body Parts Removed?’

February 9, 2023February 9, 2023 Susan Berry, PhD

Matt Walsh left speechless a Tennessee Democrat representative who failed to catch Walsh in a supposed contradiction when the conservative author asked the lawmaker a simple question during a State House Committee meeting covering a bill that would ban life-altering transgender medical treatments for minors.

State Representative Caleb Hemmer (D-Nashville) attempted to confront Walsh with a statement he supposedly made about 16-year-olds getting married, when, as the conservative author noted, he was a radio host “13 or 14 years ago and in my early 20s,” and leftist Media Matters subsequently did a “hit piece” on him using an inaccurate version of his statement.

‘Trans Lives Matter’ Activists Occupy Oklahoma Capitol Building to Protest Protecting Minor Children from Life-Altering Transgender Drugs and Surgeries

February 7, 2023February 7, 2023 Susan Berry, PhD

About 150 transgender rights activists occupied the Oklahoma Capitol building Monday to protest Republican-led proposed legislation that would protect minor children and teens from life-altering hormone drugs and surgeries, the consequences of which they may not fully comprehend until they are adults.

The protesters, many from LGBTQ activist groups Oklahomans for Equality and Freedom Oklahoma, descended upon the Capitol building and into the rotunda where they proceeded to chant loudly.

‘Extreme’ Gender Ideology Pushes U.S. to Provide Children Greater Access to Transgender Treatment than in Europe

January 18, 2023January 17, 2023 Susan Berry, PhD

The prevalence of radical gender ideology in the United States has driven the nation to offer children greater access to transgender medical interventions than is available in Europe, a study by Do No Harm has found.

Compared to the United States, “Europe goes a safer and more scientific route,” states Do No Harm, a diverse group of physicians, healthcare professionals, patients, and policymakers seeking to “protect healthcare from a radical, divisive, and discriminatory ideology.”

Biden’s Trans-Identifying Top Health Official: ‘I Have No Regrets’ About Lengthy Transition Because ‘I Can’t Imagine a Life Without My Children’

December 22, 2022December 21, 2022 Susan Berry, PhD

A Biden administration top health official who identifies as transgender and has encouraged parents and doctors to use puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones to immediately “affirm” a child’s preferred “gender identity,” said during a public event he has “no regrets” that his “transition” took over ten years because he “can’t imagine a life without my children.”

As a headline at The Washington Stand noted, Dr. Rachel (born Richard) Levine appears to have admitted that “gender transition procedures can cause sterility.”

Puberty Blocker, Cross-Sex Hormone Prescriptions Double in America’s Children Since 2017

December 21, 2022December 20, 2022 Susan Berry, PhD

Health insurance claims data for treatment of gender dysphoria in children aged 6-17 years shows puberty blocker prescriptions have doubled since 2017, and claims for cross-sex hormones also doubled up until 2021.

According to data compiled by Komodo Health Inc for Reuters in October, in 2021, 42,167 children and teens between the ages of 6 and 17 were diagnosed with gender dysphoria, three times the number in 2017.

State Representative Jason Zachary Leads Legislation to Stop Gender Reassignment Surgeries in Tennessee

December 9, 2022December 9, 2022 Julie Carr

Friday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed (R-TN-14) State Representative Jason Zachary to the newsmaker line to discuss the ACLU’s lawsuit threat to Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare’s failure to maintain a schedule gender reassignment surgery and his legislature to maintain such surgeries halt in the state of Tennessee.

Growing Body of Evidence Shows ‘Social Influence’ Is Causing Teens to Undergo Sex Changes

November 26, 2022November 26, 2022 Admin

The recent surge in transgender identification is caused in part by peer influence, a growing body of evidence suggests, and some transgender advocates are acknowledging this issue.

Many activists argue that transgenderism has become more prevalent because growing social acceptance allows more transgender people, who would otherwise keep their gender identity a secret, to live openly. Critics of youth gender transitions, however, argue that the growing rate of transgender identification in adolescents, along with rapidly changing demographics of transgender people, are evidence that peer influence is driving young people to identify as transgender who otherwise wouldn’t.

Florida Medical Board Votes to Ban Transgender Hormone Treatments and Surgeries for Minors Under 18 Years

November 1, 2022October 31, 2022 Susan Berry, PhD

The Florida Board of Medicine has voted to ban puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgeries such as double mastectomies and castrations – what LGBTQ activists call “gender-affirming care” – for children under the age of 18 in the state.

The move to prohibit the life-altering hormones and surgeries for the treatment of gender dysphoria in children and teens makes the Florida medical board the first in the nation to pursue such a rule, NBC News reported Saturday.

Tennessee Attorney General Skrmetti Leads Coalition of GOP AGs in Letter Demanding DOJ Respect Rights of Critics of Children’s Trans Surgeries

October 12, 2022October 13, 2022 Peter D'Abrosca

After the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association and the Children’s Hospital Association asked the Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate critics of transgender surgery for minors, Tennessee’s Attorney General is leading a coalition of his peers in responding.

“We, the undersigned State Attorneys General, write to express our deep concern with the recent letter you received from the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Medical Association, and the Children’s Hospital Association asking you to investigate and prosecute people who question the medical establishment’s current treatment of children struggling with gender dysphoria,” says the letter penned by Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti, and co-signed by 12 other attorneys general. “You cannot and should not undertake such investigations or prosecutions.”

Gender Dysphoria Diagnoses for Children Soared 70 Percent in 2021

October 7, 2022October 6, 2022 Admin

Childhood gender dysphoria diagnoses soared 70% from 2020 to 2021, according to medical records of 330 million Americans analyzed by Komodo Health Inc, Reuters reported Thursday.

The findings reveal a massive uptick in gender dysphoria diagnoses for children aged 6 to 17, with at least 121,882 children receiving that diagnosis in the five years leading up to 2021, according to Reuters. While most children who are diagnosed with the disorder do not medically transition, the rate of children on puberty blockers more than doubled from 2017 to 2021 to just over 5,000.

The data aligns with other findings outlining the rapid rise in transgender identities among adolescents, but it’s less clear why the trend accelerated so rapidly in 2020. Some have attributed the youth transgender trend to social contagion, citing the popularity of trans videos on TikTok and other social media platforms, while others have pointed to school programming on gender identity issues for young children.

Ohio State Board of Education Considers Resolution Against Gender Ideology

September 21, 2022September 20, 2022 Bradley Vasoli

Ohio’s State Board of Education on Tuesday heard public comment on a proposed resolution treating biological sex as an “objective, scientific fact” and opposing school policies that seek to blur the lines on this subject.

Board member Brendan Shea (District 5) introduced the measure, which balks at regulations recently proposed by President Joe Biden. If finalized, the federal Department of Education rules would effectively force schools to call gender-dysphoric K-12 students by their preferred names and pronouns rather than their given names and biological pronouns. They would also require school athletic programs to assign children to teams based on avowed gender identity rather than physiological sex.

Chicago Children’s Hospital Partners with Local School Districts to Push Radical Gender Ideology

September 8, 2022September 7, 2022 Susan Berry, PhD

Chicago’s largest children’s hospital is working with local government school districts to provide training materials that promote radical gender theory and LGBTQ activism.

Education researcher and author Christopher Rufo reported at the New York Post Monday he obtained documents from a whistleblower that show Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago has provided school administrators throughout the Chicago area with gender theory and LGBTQ activist materials to be distributed to teachers, administrators, and staff for ongoing employee training programs.

Dem-Appointed Judge Opens the Door to More Men Being Housed in Women’s Prisons

August 23, 2022August 22, 2022 Admin

A Democrat-appointed federal judge opened the door to allowing more males to be housed in women’s prisons Tuesday by ruling that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) covers people with gender dysphoria.

Kesha Williams, a biologically male former inmate who identifies as a transgender woman, sued several people associated with the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center in Virginia for allegedly violating the ADA in their decision to house Williams with men, according to court documents. Judge Diana Gribbon Motz, a Clinton appointee, sided with Williams and rejected a lower court’s dismissal of the initial lawsuit.

Britain’s National Health Service to Shut Down Gender Clinic Pushing Puberty Blockers

August 2, 2022August 1, 2022 Susan Berry, PhD

Britain’s Tavistock & Portman National Health Service (NHS) Clinic is shutting down following a review that found the clinic, which has led the way in prescribing puberty blockers for young children claiming to be transgender, is not a “safe or viable long-term option.”

The north London clinic “has been accused of rushing teenagers into life-altering treatment on hormone-blocking drugs,” The Times of London reported Friday, opening the way for potential lawsuits by patients with claims of mistreatment.

Court Rules Georgia Sheriff Department Discriminated Against Deputy for Denial of Insurance Coverage for Sex Change

June 14, 2022June 13, 2022 Addison Basurto

United States District Court Chief Judge Marc T. Treadwell has ruled a Houston County Police Department’s exclusion of a worker’s insurance coverage request for gender reassignment surgery to be “facially discriminatory,” and that her equal protection claim “will proceed to trial.”

“I have devoted more than a decade of my life to a job that I love with the backing of supervisors and colleagues who truly respect my work,” said Houston County Sheriff Deputy, Sergeant Anna Lange. “Despite my dedicated years of service, the County has singled out and excluded the medically-necessary care that I need simply because I’m transgender. I just want to be treated fairly and earn the same benefits as my co-workers who serve on the force.”

Trans Prisoner Sues State, Wants to Get ‘Bottom Surgery’ in Prison

June 13, 2022June 12, 2022 Admin

An activist law firm is helping a transgender Minnesota inmate sue the Department of Corrections partly because authorities aren’t letting the prisoner pursue “gender-affirming” genital surgery.

Christina Lusk is the name of a male-to-female transgender person who is incarcerated at the Minnesota Correctional Facility in Moose Lake, serving time for a drug offense until early 2024. Lusk is suing the DOC with help from the law center Gender Justice, seeking financial compensation and other objectives. Lusk is upset about being housed in a male prison, suffering harassment from male prisoners, and being prevented from pursuing further transgender operations.

Prestigious Nursing School Adds ‘Transgender Non-Binary Health Care’ Program

June 13, 2022June 12, 2022 Admin

Columbia University’s School of Nursing certificate program in “Transgender Non-Binary Health Care for Advanced Practice Nurses and PAs” is launching for the fall 2022 semester.

Students will learn “pubertal suppression, hormone therapy, gender affirming surgical care, sexual health and fertility, as well as writing letters of support, and care planning for surgery,” according to the university website.

Florida Surgeon General Criticizes Federal Directives Related to Treatment for Gender Dysphoria

April 21, 2022April 20, 2022 Steve Stewart

The Florida Department of Health (FDOH) provided guidance Wednesday on treating gender dysphoria for children and adolescents in response to information recently provided by the federal government.

The FDOH press release noted that “gender dysphoria is characterized by a strong, persistent cross-gender identification associated with anxiety, depression, irritability, and often a wish to live as a gender different from the one associated with the sex assigned at birth.”

Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo issued a statement criticizing the federal directives.

Biden Administration Endorses Transgender Hormones and Surgeries in Children

April 2, 2022April 1, 2022 Susan Berry, PhD

The Biden administration released documents Thursday that endorse children and adolescents with claims of gender dysphoria to experience “gender-affirming care,” including puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and body-mutilating transgender surgeries, including elective double mastectomies and castrations.

Biden appeared in a video endorsing transgender treatments and surgeries for children.

Commentary: ‘Sex Change’ Isn’t Surgically or Pharmacologically Possible, My Surgeon Testified in Court

February 25, 2020March 2, 2020 Admin

Many people wonder why I’m so outspoken about the madness of prescribing cross-sex hormones and genital mutilation surgery for patients who suffer from the desire to be the opposite sex, known clinically as gender dysphoria.

I speak out because I consulted the “gender experts” when I had gender confusion, and they told me sex change was the only way to get relief.

But they were wrong. I didn’t need sex change – I needed effective psychotherapy to resolve childhood issues.

Scholars’ New Book ‘Inventing Transgender Children and Young People’ Questions Transgender Ideology

July 16, 2019July 15, 2019 Admin

by The College Fix Staff A new book from a group of academics offers a “dramatic intervention” into the prevailing narrative surrounding transgenderism. In “Inventing Transgender Children and Young People,” a collection of essays challenging the “dangerous” ideology taught in schools and universities, the authors warn of youngsters not…

Study Suggests Doctors Generally Willing to Provide Transgender Care But Don’t Know How

December 5, 2018 Admin

by Grace Carr U.S. doctors are willing to provide health care services to transgender individuals, but most of them aren’t adequately trained to provide care specific to such persons, a study suggests. Over 85 percent of doctors who responded to a survey said they are willing to provide care to…