The concept of “gender-affirming care” has been framed in many media outlets as lifesaving and essential, but a closer look at the practices involved might raise more questions than answers. We’ve been led to believe that parents who don’t consent to these interventions for their children are risking their well-being, with warnings that failure to act could result in tragedy. But is it really that simple?
“Gender-affirming care” sounds compassionate and kind on the surface, but a closer look reveals some stark realities. The phrase encompasses a range of interventions, from telling children they can “switch” genders, to blocking natural puberty with powerful drugs used to chemically castrate sex offenders, to surgeries that amputate healthy body parts, like breasts and genitals. It’s a lot darker and more complicated than the soft, inclusive language suggests.
Many Americans express support for “gender-affirming care” in polls, but would they if they fully understood what it entailed? Hard to say. What we do know is that the mainstream media has worked overtime to cover up the more disturbing aspects of these treatments. Anyone, even medical professionals, who questions this movement is branded a transphobe. And once you’re slapped with that label, good luck being heard in today’s political climate. The left has managed to push this narrative so hard that anyone who suggests that children aren’t “born in the wrong body” is dismissed as cruel or backward.
Interestingly, there’s been a slight crack in this narrative, with The New York Times—of all outlets—reporting on the hesitance among gender medicine researchers to publish their findings. One such researcher, Dr. Johanna Olson-Kennedy, a strong advocate for child sex changes, admitted she hasn’t published the results of a government-funded study because it didn’t show the mental health improvements she was hoping for. In fact, the study found no significant mental health improvements in children who took puberty blockers.
Dr. Olson-Kennedy’s reluctance to share her study results stems from fear that the data could be “weaponized” to justify further bans on these treatments. This revelation contradicts the widely accepted Dutch study that has been used as a foundation for clinics worldwide, which claimed that puberty blockers significantly benefit children suffering from gender dysphoria. But if these new results ever see the light of day, it could have major implications for how this controversial treatment is viewed going forward.
Despite the push to keep these treatments accessible, the cracks are starting to show, and the data is increasingly suggesting that the supposed benefits of gender-affirming care, particularly for children, might not be all they’re cracked up to be.
