This mother’s story is the reason why folks like myself fight so hard against the effort to push transgender ideology on children. Despite the lies told by folks on the hard left, foisting “gender-affirming care” on kids and compelling their parents to go along with it has devastating and often irreversible consequences, including death.

Abigail Martinez, a grieving mother, shared her heart-wrenching testimony in front of a California Judiciary Senate hearing on Tuesday about the tragic loss of her daughter, Yaeli, who she believes was “murdered by gender ideology.” Martinez told the story about how Child Protective Services (CPS) took her daughter at the age of 16, with the support of her school counselor and an LGBTQ group, claiming she was abusive for not affirming Yaeli’s transgender identity:

My daughter was murdered by a gender ideology. CPS took my daughter when she was 16 years old. It was helped by her public school counselor and LGBTQ group [inaudible] and another trans-identified girl.

My daughter was taken from her loving home because the state of California claim I was abusive for not affirming her trans identity. I lost my daughter over a name and pronouns. Even after I promised to call her a male name, it wasn’t enough.

My daughter was not a boy trapped in a girl’s body. She had mental health issues. Against my consent, my daughter was given testosterone instead of therapy. The LGBTQ group used her to raise money for them. “Look at the poor reject trans boy,” they said.

Martinez continued, explaining how so many children suffering from gender dysphoria wind up in foster care. “Because this state take them from their families, tell them to run, then steal them. Parents are given one option to treat their distressed child, affirm drug and remove their healthy body part, or else lose your child,” the mother said.

Martinez explained that the abuse claim against her was eventually dropped. Tragically, it came too late. “The damage was done. By then my daughter was in horrible mental and physical pain. My daughter knelt down in front of a train. She was murdered by gender ideology,” she said.

The mother then begged California lawmakers to “stop pushing gender ideology” and said she doesn’t “want any parent to feel what I feel every day.”

With stories like these, it is important that we use accurate language to describe what happened. The state of California did not simply “take” Martinez’s child. Agents of the state, likely with guns and badges, came to her home and kidnapped her child with the implied threat of physical violence, preventing her from doing anything about it.

After kidnapping Yaeli, the state further brainwashed her, likely picking up where the school counselor left off, and talked her into taking testosterone. They refused to provide actual therapy for the child; they went straight to using “gender-affirming care” to supposedly treat her. These people are so depraved they even had an LGBTQ group exploit Yaeli to raise money.

The state, with the help of the LGBTQ group, savaged this young girl’s mind to the point that she felt the only way to ease the pain was to kneel down in front of an oncoming train.

This is what those who promote gender ideology are causing – especially in areas where you can use the power of the state to force parents into accepting this demonic belief system at the expense of their children. We can, and should, draw this out to its logical conclusion: If parents refuse to comply, the state will send men with guns and badges to kidnap these children under the threat of physical violence. After, they will take that child and continue indoctrinating them against the wishes of the parents.

How many more kids will have to die because of this ideology?

California is not the only state that allows – and enforces – the transing of children. Several others are working on legislation that would allow their governments to forcibly separate children from their parents, all in the name of being “inclusive” and respectful of kids’ gender identities.

We cannot afford to become complacent in this battle because our enemies are not. Folks who oppose this must be willing to be loud, rowdy, and uncompromising in our effort to protect these children from those who would use the government to do them harm. Otherwise, we will continue hearing more stories like Yaeli’s.