O P I N I O N

THE SOAPBOX

Stand up. Speak up. It’s Your Turn.

A group of NH legislators continue to push the issue of gender identity when the rest of the world is pushing back against gender-affirming care, especially for minor children. Just today, new draft guidance from the government in England says schools should not teach gender identity. In April of this year, Dr. Hilary Cass submitted a comprehensive report to the National Health Service (NHS). She conducted a systematic review of gender identity services provided to children and young people in England. The Cass Report took a flamethrower to the idea that there was ever any robust science or evidence to support providing puberty blockers to pre-pubescent children.

The Soapbox submission published on this forum, and written by Stephanie Labeck regarding HB1205, is full of intentional misrepresentations of the bill. HB1205 does not prohibit any student from participating in sports. It does, however, prohibit boys from playing on girls’ sports teams.

It is not discrimination to separate sports by sex. It is not transphobic to recognize biological differences between boys and girls in strength and speed. How many young girls must suffer injuries because a boy, who feels like a girl, wants to play basketball or volleyball? When girls who swam for UPenn objected to Lia Thomas in the pool and the locker room, they were told to keep quiet. Riley Gaines has spoken at length about the bullying and intimidation she and her teammates experienced in order to make one boy feel more comfortable.

I was a teacher for 15 years. I taught thousands of students on three continents. Until 2019, I had never met a “transgender” child. Ten years ago, no one would have told a child they can change their biological sex with blockers, opposite-sex hormones, and surgeries. Now, anyone who challenges that idea is subjected to ridicule, called a bigot, transphobe or worse.

I encourage everyone to look at the shocking number of gay and autistic children who have been swept up by gender ideology. These children often have poor mental health and are told the source of their discomfort is that they were born in the wrong body.

Does that sound reasonable to any adult? Does the idea that a child could be born in the wrong body sound like a logical, rational, scientific hypothesis? There is no science behind gender medicine, only cult-like fanatism.

Parents understand children are prone to magical thinking. We play along when our toddler is a princess or superhero, but we don’t affirm they can wave their arms and take flight. Children need guardrails and it is parents’ job to make sure those guardrails are in place. Anyone parenting a teenager, whose whims and tastes change daily, is probably relieved their daughter can’t run out and get the name of her boyfriend tattooed on her lower back. As a society, we impose all sorts of restrictions on children under the age of 21.

I have endless amounts of compassion for children who were pushed down the transition path by adults who lied to them about the cause of their distress. I do not extend the same compassion to adults, especially medical professionals, who knew what they were doing was nothing short of medical experimentation on vulnerable youth.

There’s nothing wrong with femme-boys or masculine girls. Children should be permitted ample room to explore who they are. There is no right or wrong way to be a boy or a girl. However, there is right and wrong when it comes to experimental, irreversible medical procedures on children who are not old enough to get a tattoo or vote.

The slogan “Protect Trans Kids” is often tossed around in NH. This implies that trans kids are a protected class of unicorn children who must be treated differently. No. All children deserve protection from adults who intend to harm them.  Just as there is no child “born bad,” there is no child born in the wrong body.

I implore NH legislators to stop pushing gender non-conforming children to become life-long medical patients. Stop pushing regressive gender stereotypes on dysphoric children who, if left alone, will probably desist or turn out to be gay. I will extend the benefit of the doubt and assume that Stephanie Lebeck has good intentions, but lying about HB1205 and name-calling those who disagree with her, is not helping anyone.

Beg to differ? Agree to disagree? Use the DISQUS app below the story. Have issues of your own? Submissions are welcome on topics of general interest. Send to publisher@manchesterinklink.com for consideration, subject line: The Soapbox.

Josie Hallinan lives in Manchester. Her full bio is below.