It was never difficult to see this coming. The progressive left continues to push the effort to encourage children to embrace transgenderism further by cracking down on therapists who do not abide by the “gender-affirming care” model of treating children suffering from gender dysphoria. Proponents of the movement to trans children are now expanding the definition of “conversion therapy” to include mental health professionals who are not quick enough to confirm that a child is of the opposite gender.
Many states have implemented conversion therapy bans, leading therapists to face legal battles, intimidation, and the threat of losing their licenses for offering critical or exploratory approaches to children struggling with their gender identity.
Activist groups are reportedly advocating for these bans arguing that conversion therapy is a dangerous practice that leads to depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and suicidality:
While conversion therapy is broadly understood to refer to clinical attempts to get patients to stop feeling same-sex attractions, and has historically included practices like shock therapy, the term has expanded since the mid-2010s to include efforts by health care professionals to help gender-confused patients accept their birth sex rather than putting them on the transgender medicalization track.
However, critics argue that these bans limit therapists’ ability to help patients who want to explore their gender identity and understand themselves better without necessarily dissuading them from transitioning.
Many therapists have used this approach willingly, as was the case at Texas Children’s Hospital. However, various therapists have reported being harassed, threatened, and challenged for not adopting the “gender-affirming care” model being touted by far leftists who are pressuring these professionals to almost immediately affirm a child when they indicate they believe they are of the opposite gender. Many states have passed legislation that requires therapists to affirm the gender preference of children with gender dysphoria without providing a deeper level of counseling to ensure the parents are making the right decision when it comes to the mental health of their kids.
This is all wrong on so many levels.
For starters, the idea that the state should dictate how one parents their children is the epitome of overreach. The government should respect parents’ autonomy when making decisions regarding their children’s mental health. Dictating how parents should navigate their child’s gender identity undermines the fundamental principles of parental rights, an issue for which the authoritarian left cares little.
It is also crucial to note that those arguing for an expanded definition of conversion therapy have not presented sufficient evidence to prove that therapists who refuse to affirm a child’s chosen gender identity are guilty of abuse or harm. Nevertheless, many medical professionals who prefer the “gender-affirming care” model have used emotional blackmail to pressure parents into allowing their children to undergo questionable medical and surgical treatments. They convince these individuals that if they do not immediately affirm their child’s preferred gender identity, the child will likely commit suicide.
The focus should be on providing a range of therapeutic approaches that allow children to explore their gender identity without prematurely pushing them toward medical interventions. Indeed, several European nations have returned to using this approach after seeing that “gender-affirming care” causes more harm than good.
Additionally, it is essential to acknowledge the findings of multiple studies indicating that a significant majority of children experiencing gender dysphoria eventually outgrow it and come to accept their biological genders:
Evidence from the 10 available prospective follow-up studies from childhood to adolescence (reviewed in the study by Ristori and Steensma) indicates that for ~80% of children who meet the criteria for GDC, the GD recedes with puberty.
This further highlights the importance of allowing for an exploratory approach and not rushing into irreversible medical interventions.
Unfortunately, those on the hard left are not concerned about the health of the children who are encouraged to lean into the “gender-affirming care” model. These kids are going through irreversible and dangerous procedures in the name of “acceptance” and “tolerance.” Certain industries are raking in cash from the use of these treatments on children who are too young to understand their bodies and the ramifications of such procedures. But now, the left is aiding in their efforts by using the power of the state that prohibits any other approach to helping children with gender dysphoria, which means there will be even more victims in the coming years.
