BARBARA'S

What is ailing our girls??

Shrier identifies a myriad of factors contributing to this Transgender craze among teen girls, including:

• The iPhone and social media  Teen girls spend a lot of time on the Internet, much of it with “friends” who are complete strangers.
• Social isolation  They spend little time in real live conversation with friends who are physically present and who can provide a “reality check” — Is what I’m thinking and doing sensible? Right? Good? Online, there is often a tendency to limit their friendship circle to teens who are of like mind and who share their struggles. In the context of this Transgender phenomenon these social media friends are most likely all Trans, and they encourage each other to go further.
• Influencers on social media  Girls who are feeling unhappy or who find it hard to make friends  find other girls on social media who say they used to feel the same way, but — there’s a solution:  “If you’re feeling depressed or uncomfortable in your changing body, maybe you’re Trans; you’re really a boy.  Testosterone takes away your depression, makes you feel better about yourself.” A quick and easy solution. These Influencers, strangers to the troubled teen girl, “coach” her on how to transition: what to say to health professionals to convince them that they have felt this way since they were very young. These Influencers encourage girls to begin to transition, with the assurance that they can always change their mind.
• School sex education   Teaching on LGBTQ+ gives girls the idea and the terminology to self-diagnose their problem.
• Health care professionals  Counselors and nurses in high school and college are quick to suggest that if a girl is depressed it could be because she’s Trans.

The truth

So much misinformation is being spread on social media. So many falsehoods are being taught in schools. So many medical professionals are putting ideology before good medical practice. Shrier pleads, “Let’s tell the truth”:

• The truth about puberty Puberty is naturally a time of confusion and emotional ups and downs as the body changes and sexual feelings awaken. But going through puberty helps a young person to resolve identity issues naturally. Using puberty blockers disrupts this process.
• The truth about Testosterone  Initially, Testosterone does give a sense of well-being, even euphoria. But after a spike of ecstasy, depression can spike, and the massive doses of Testosterone necessary to maintain male characteristics cause serious side effects. Many girls have deep regrets that they began transitioning. Keira Bell in the United Kingdom is one of them. She says she lives daily with the regret of transitioning to male gender in her teens.
• The truth about being able to change your mind and go back Most of the changes initiated by puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones can never be fully reversed.
• The truth about the validity of a teen’s self-diagnosis Teens sometimes make mistakes and unwise decisions, because parts of their brain are not yet fully developed. The prefrontal cortex, the last area of the brain to mature, is responsible for setting priorities, suppressing impulses, and weighing consequences. It is not fully developed until the mid-twenties. A troubled teen girl needs a medical professional to examine, diagnose, and then prescribe treatment.

To be continued

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