I have written extensively on the movement to promote transgenderism among children. Over the past decade, progressives have used the school system to influence young minds to believe men can become women and vice versa.
This movement has gained much ground in the United States as progressives seek to force the rest of the population to embrace their ideas on gender identity.
However, at some point, they realized that persuasion wasn’t going to work. As it turns out, convincing people who understand basic biology that one can swap sexes isn’t exactly a winning strategy.
This is why they are now supplementing their efforts to change culture with the weaponization of government against those who dissent. There have already been several examples of this in states like California and New York. Now, Kentucky is getting in on the act.
Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear on Wednesday imposed an executive order banning the use of “conversion therapy” on minors in the state. The measure is intended to prohibit therapists and parents from trying to change their children’s sexual orientation or gender identity through counseling.
The governor took action using his executive powers after efforts to enact a state law banning the practice repeatedly failed in the state’s Republican-dominated legislature.
“My faith teaches me that all children are children of God,” Beshear said during the signing ceremony at the Kentucky Statehouse. “And where practices are endangering and even harming those children, we must act. The practice of so-called ‘conversion therapy’ hurts our children.”
As Beshear prepared to sign the order, someone shouted his opposition, saying “this is a denial of affirmation therapy.” Activists for mental health and LGBTQ+ rights drowned out the protester with cheers.
The Family Foundation, a socially conservative group based in Kentucky, quickly denounced Beshear’s action, saying it tramples on the rights of parents and suppresses religious expression.
“This order, like previous failed legislative efforts, is designed to promote false LGBTQ ideologies and muzzle Christian counselors, therapists and pastors from helping children struggling with sexual orientation or gender identity confusion,” David Walls, the group’s executive director, said in a statement.
Anticipating such attacks, Beshear said his action “does not force an ideology on anybody.”
“It simply stops a so-called ‘therapy’ that the medical community says is wrong and hurts our children,” the governor said.
Of course, that last line is a blatant lie. Under the law, parents will only have the option of subjecting their children to “gender-affirming care,” which includes allowing kids to go through social “transitions” to the opposite sex along with taking puberty blockers and hormone treatments. In some cases, it could also involve surgery. This is a brazen effort to use the force of government to enforce progressive gender ideology on everyone regardless of their personal beliefs about transgenderism.
The executive order bans so-called conversion therapy and prohibits state or federal funds from being used for this purpose. It grants the state’s board of licensure the authority to punish those who are determined to have practiced conversion therapy on minors.
Yet, limiting treatment options for gender dysphoria is not only a violation of parental rights, it is dangerous for children who are confused about their gender. Despite what progressives claim, “gender-affirming care” is not backed up by conclusive science showing that these treatments are a net benefit for minors. Indeed, studies coming to that conclusion have been shown to have numerous flaws.
The problem is so pronounced that even Dr. Riittakerttu Kaltiala, who once helped pioneer these treatments, cautioned that they are doing more harm than good. She observed a pattern in which patients – often teenage girls with psychiatric issues – deteriorated after “transitioning.”
Dr. Kaltiala also noticed that much of the rise in children identifying as transgender is driven by social contagion rather than actual gender confusion.
Another study showed that at least one-third of children undergoing “gender-affirming care” experienced worsening mental health outcomes. The study provides ample reason for skepticism toward “gender-affirming care,” with detransitioners reporting lingering physical and mental problems caused by puberty blockers.
Even further, several studies have shown that the majority of children who experience gender dysphoria end up growing out of it by the time they reach adulthood without medical interventions. This means that Beshear’s order could force parents to subject their children to potentially irreversible treatments when they are unnecessary.
This is a dangerous development.
As more blue states seek to wield the power of the state to compel the rest of us to adopt their warped ideas on gender, this problem will become even worse. The thought that the government could punish parents, therapists, and other medical professionals from seeking treatment options outside of “gender-affirming care” is not only Orwellian, it is yet another example of the government attempting to take the place of the parents.
The truth is that these decisions are best left up to the parents. The government should never be empowered to decide for parents what is best for their kids. If Kentuckians want the freedom to parent as they see fit, they had better get rid of government officials who want to usurp their roles.
