LGBTQ+ Issues
Poland – Regional Council votes to remain LGBT-free zone
The Polish regional council has recently voted to remain a zone, which bans the promotion of homosexuality and other minority sexual identities, especially in schools. Poland’s conservative communities said it’s not that they have anything against the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community, they can live as they choose, they simply do not want to participate or be forced to accept what they do not agree with especially when it comes to children. As a result, the European Commission threatens to withdraw more than €2.5 billion of EU funds unless it revokes the declaration but Poland stands firm and rejected proposals to revoke their declaration. Poland denies being discriminatory towards LGBT persons and said, they are misunderstood. More
USA – Teachers sue Virginia State over transgender pronouns
Three teachers are challenging a school district policy forcing all teachers to refer to self-identified transgender students by their preferred pronouns. Recently, the Virginia Supreme Court upheld a lower court ruling that ordered the reinstatement of a gym teacher (Byron Tanner Cross) who got suspended for speaking out against the then-proposed transgender policy during a school board meeting. The school not only requiring teachers to use preferred pronouns, but also allowed students to use the school restroom of their choosing regardless of their biological sex. So far, six of Virginia’s 133 school boards have rejected the transgender policies. Opposition is growing in all states towards transgender pronoun and bathroom mandates, as well as permitting biological males who identify as females to compete in girls’ sports. Just last month Attorneys general from 20 states filed lawsuit against the Biden Admin for these transgender mandates. Push back is steadily gaining momentum. More, even more.
Ireland – International Group: 80% of children with gender issues outgrow it.
Psychotherapist Stella O’Malley holds a B.A. in Counselling and Psychotherapy and a M.A. in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, and is from Ireland. She says 80% of children who have “gender issues” grow out of them by the time they reach adulthood. “I did a film about this issue, called Trans Kids: It’s Time to Talk,” she told Sky News Australia. “The premise of this film was to ask – could any of the kids that are part of this massive explosion, all around the world … grow out of it and be happy in their own skin? “We were shocked how much we were shut down.” Ms O’Malley is the founder of Genspect, an organisation which advocates for parents of gender-questioning children. more, study.
Netherlands – Study: Transgender mortality rate
The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology journal published a report on the data that was compiled from medical records over five decades. Analysis of data compiled from the Netherlands reveals transgender individuals have a significantly higher mortality rate when compared to people without gender dysphoria, an outcome that suggests a need to closely examine the effects of hormone treatments. Researchers Martin den Heijer, Ph.D., of Amsterdam University Medical Centre (UMC) and colleagues found mortality risk among the transgender population did not decrease between 1972 and 2018.
The study included the data of 4,568 adult transgender individuals – 2927 transgender women (biological men) and 1641 transgender men (biological women). The mean age of the patient population at the start of hormone treatments was 30 years for transgender women and 23 years for transgender men. UMC operates a gender identity clinic, and, as the authors explain, data of transgender individuals who received hormone treatments between 1972 and 2018 were linked to Statistics Netherlands. “Cause-specific mortality in transgender women was high for cardiovascular disease, lung cancer, HIV-related disease, and suicide,” the researchers wrote. However, transgender men were 3.3 times more likely to die as a result of “non-natural causes,” for example, suicide, than women without gender dysphoria. This observational study showed an increased mortality risk in transgender people using hormone treatment, regardless of treatment type. This increased mortality risk did not decrease over time. More
USA – Biological male identifying as a woman is registered sex offender
The transgender woman (biological male) who sparked a nationwide debate in June by entering the nude women’s section of a Korean spa in Los Angeles turns out to be a registered sex offender who is facing separate charges and is under investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department. The incident led to months of sometimes-violent protests, with media outlets declaring it an example of bias against the transgendered, or even that it didn’t happen. The original controversy came to national attention when a woman posted video of herself confronting spa staff over the incident. The spa’s management said they could not remove the “trans woman” due to California anti-discrimination laws. More
USA – Group of clinicians filed amicus brief against Pediatric Endocrine Society
An international group of over 100 clinicians and researchers called The Society for Evidence-Based Gender Medicine (SEGM) has filed an Amicus Brief with the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, challenging the position held by WPATH and and the Pediatric Endocrine Society that mastectomies for gender-dysphoric adolescents are evidence-based. SEGM is concerned about the lack of quality evidence for using hormonal and surgical interventions as first-line treatment for young people with gender-dysphoria. SEGM recognizes the right of mature adults to undergo “gender-affirming” interventions despite the low quality of evidence (i.e., small study samples, weak study designs, very limited long-term follow-up, etc.) on which these interventions are based. However, when it comes to vulnerable youth whose gender identity is still developing, experimental treatments such as this should not be an option. SEGM formed this conclusion after thorough evaluation of the evidence, and by direct experience working with this population. The Amicus Brief highlights the following:
- the rapid rise in numbers of gender dysphoric adolescent females with co-occurring mental health problems
- the brief history of pediatric medical transition, its questionable outcomes, and its lack of applicability to the currently presenting cases
- the low quality evidence underpinning the practice of providing mastectomies to gender-dysphoric minors
- the lack of an established standard of care, the poor quality of WPATH “Standards of Care,” and growing dissent from WPATH’s recommendations by leading gender clinics worldwide
- the emerging direction coming from pioneers in medical transition of minors that psychotherapy, rather than hormones and surgery, must be the first-line treatment for all gender-dysphoric youth.
The current state of scientific knowledge does not support the assertion that “gender-affirming” surgical interventions for minors are safe, effective, and medically necessary. SEGM’s concern is reinforced by a recent surge of minors with post-pubertal emergence of transgender identity, complicated by multiple mental health issues. This further amplifies the risks of applying irreversible interventions not based on quality, reliable scientific evidence. Amicus brief, reporting article.