“To see what is in front of one’s nose needs a constant struggle.”
NR’s Caroline Downey engages in the struggle described by George Orwell day in and day out, cataloguing the horrific consequences of what the newly enlightened call “gender-affirming care” for children.
While much of the mainstream press hides behind euphemism and blithely defers to captured professional organizations such as the American Academy of Pediatrics, a dedicated and honest reporter simply looks at what’s right in front of her.
And it’s not a pretty sight.
Caroline’s “Detransitioners” series brings to light stories that gender activists and their allies in the press would rather ignore. We hope that you will consider supporting our work exposing these medical interventions as part of our ongoing webathon.
Each of the series’ subjects struggled with mental-health problems as adolescents and were nevertheless steered toward medical transition by professionals who either downplayed or completely ignored the long-term mental and physical consequences of surgical and hormonal interventions.
Evie, 19, was sexually abused by her father as a young girl and then guided toward transition by the very therapists and doctors her mother trusted to heal her trauma. She was eventually prescribed testosterone and received a double mastectomy, leading to serious health complications and, now, regret. She’s pregnant but will never be able to breastfeed her child.
Prisha was racked by bipolar disorder and anorexia as a teenager; she had so lost touch with reality that every time she went to see her psychiatrist, she’d be asked what year it was and who was president. Everything got worse when she was raped at the age of 14. Desperate for community, she turned to online chatrooms, where trans adults convinced her that transition held the key to escaping her trauma. After a brief consultation, she was able to secure a form letter from a World Professional Association for Transgender Health gender specialist recommending transition and went on to receive a mastectomy and testosterone treatment, leading to a suite of permanent health complications, including sexual dysfunction and chronic nerve pain.
Evie, Prisha, and the unknown number of young people who regret their transitions are not alone in bearing the cost of trans activism: Incarcerated women, female athletes, and those women who rely on female-only spaces such as domestic-violence shelters share the burden.
Caroline tells their stories as well.
In 2021, she reported on a women’s prison in Washington state where female inmates had been sexually assaulted by male inmates who were admitted to the prison based solely on their self-professed gender identities. A serial killer whose victims were all women and a registered sex offender who raped a female minor before transitioning were among the six male criminals who were transferred to the prison, according to a former guard who spoke with Caroline.
The gender activists and their allies in the press have a big advantage: Most Americans, regardless of their views on gender ideology, would rather not examine the consequences of their crusade, for understandable reasons.
That’s why Caroline’s work is so vital.
These stories are not easy to read, and they’re not easy to tell. I wish Caroline didn’t have to spend her time reporting them, but if her work helps bring awareness to what’s sitting under our noses, it will have been worth it.
If you appreciate Caroline’s commitment to staring darkness in the face, please consider contributing to NR’s webathon. Every dollar gets us closer to our $100,000 goal and helps us stay in the fight.
