What. A. Drag.
Lately one of my TikToks found its way onto the anti-trans algorithm. I'm not a big TikToker, my audience is small, so I was surprised to see that hateful folks had meandered over to my content to hot garbage water in my comment section.
Is it okay if I say I identify myself as a helicopter?
So by stating facts people are transphobic? What a joke.
Over Christmas, I had one of my aunts ask me, earnestly, if I'm worried that kids have big imaginations, and maybe they say they think they're another gender because they are just testing it out.
Aren't you worried that they'll transition, and regret it?!
Realizing that I was standing at the gateway to a real TERFy chat, I replied point blank:
Nope, I've never worried about it.
Here's why:
First, it's none of my business.
A conversation about transitioning is between parents, kids, and healthcare providers. No one needs a governor with no healthcare background, or Sarah Stockdale, a cis, white lady, and total stranger from Toronto's opinion on this shit.
Second, it's not a thing.
The American Academy of Pediatrics studied kids who expressed an interest in transitioning. Five years later 94% of them still identified as trans, 3.5% identified as nonbinary, and 2.5% identified as cisgender. The study noted that it was most common for kids to identify as cisgender later on if they had socially transitioned before 6 years old and transitioned back before 10.
It's incredibly rare for kids to change their minds. And the kids who do, socially transition back.
My aunt can sleep well at night. But, just to make sure she's fully on board, let's go a step further.
Third, but just louder, it's not a thing!!!
Irreversible medical interventions are not a thing in gender-affirming care for kids. Let's say it louder because Ron DeSantis needs it shouted at him:
No one is performing mastectomies on children, Ron!
Typically, surgical interventions are not offered until the patient is at least 18 years old. Also, if you're a customer of modern healthcare, you know that even when someone is 18, getting scheduled for surgery is a painfully slow process. So there is a long-ass wait with a lot of healthcare steps before anyone gets near an OR.
Oh, and when they finally do get into an OR— trans patients don't regret getting surgery. In a review of 27 studies involving almost 8,000 teens and adults who had gender affirming surgeries, mostly in Europe, the U.S, and Canada, only 1% on average expressed regret.
To put that number in perspective, 65% of people who get breast implants regret it— my aunt certainly isn't worried about the abundance of boob-related regret. And where is Ron Desantis on this important medical issue?! SOMEONE SAVE US FROM THE BOOBS!
Here's what we should actually be worried about:
1 in 5 trans kids currently live in a state where there is a ban on their healthcare. In some states that means kids — who need support and gender-affirming care— will be forced to de-transition.
82% of trans kids have considered suicide, and 40% of them have attempted. This is an incredibly vulnerable group of children to scapegoat for a moral panic, and the consequences are going to be heartbreaking.
487 Anti-Trans bills have been introduced in 2023— politicians are focusing their time and effort on bullying kids and taking away their healthcare. You can see them all here.
A Tennessee bill was passed that criminalizes drag, and because of the broad language in the bill, it could also criminalize being trans in public.
A bill was introduced in Wyoming that would prosecute parents for child abuse for getting their child gender-affirming care.
4 in 10 of the books being banned in the US are because of LGBTQIA content. Yeah, that's fascist as hell.
Remember, 82% of trans kids have contemplated suicide. What happens when the media, government, and random strangers decide they should also get a say on whether their humanity is valid— and then take away all of their support systems and healthcare?
If you're mad, and if you have read this far, I hope you are, please call your representative, especially if you live in a red state. Tell them that if they don't knock this shit off you'll give money to anyone who primaries them,
If you're in Canada, do that here.
If you have a few spare dollars, consider giving them to the ACLU— they're the folks who will challenge a lot of this legislation in court.
And please use anything here that helps to have a compassionate and direct conversation with anyone in your life who might have half-read a Facebook post and feels entitled to a dangerous opinion on the lives and humanity of trans people.
Everyone deserves love, protection, and respect.
Let's use every ounce of information and privilege we have to gullet-punch anyone who comes for a trans kid.