The New York Times has published a piece by Katie J. M. Baker, looking at what happens when students change their gender identity “and parents don’t know.”
For instance, one family from California, the Bradshaws, was baffled to learn that their child’s school had transitioned their daughter behind their back:
The Bradshaws accepted their teenager’s new gender identity, but not without trepidation, especially after he asked for hormones and surgery to remove his breasts. Doctors had previously diagnosed him as being on the autism spectrum, as well as with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, PTSD and anxiety. He had struggled with loneliness during the pandemic, and, to his parents, seemed not to know exactly who he was yet, because he had repeatedly changed his name and sexual orientation.
There are several red flags here that both Baker and the Bradshaws appear to gloss over: the fact that this young person is on the autism spectrum with a history of mental-health problems, social and emotional issues, and a tendency to change her mind. However, the focus of the article is not on the recklessness of rushing such a child through medical transition, only on the discomfort some have with the lack of transparency.
While it’s at least started to acknowledge these controversies, the New York Times still thinks this issue is “wrenching” and “complicated.” Really, it’s quite simple. Transitioning children is not a safe or effective cure for gender dysphoria. Transitioning children behind their parents’ backs is an egregious intrusion into family life and a violation of parents’ constitutional right to direct the care of their own children.