President Donald Trump. Fox News/Truth Social.
President Donald Trump has issued an executive order that bans chemical and surgical treatments for gender transitions for those under the age of 19. Fox News. Trump said in the order that the "treatments" can lead to sterilization and medical complications that can last a lifetime and said many children regret them after they become adults. Surgical treatments, like the removal of breasts, or chemical treatments, like puberty blockers, will no longer be allowed to be used. Trump said that institutions that offer these treatments will be defunded and any laws that enforce bans on these activities will be vigorously enforced.
The White House full statement can be found here.
My Comment:
Though I am mostly on board with this, I do have one major criticism of this order. The age. I have never been comfortable with laws that extend the range of what is considered a child past the age of 18. This order bans 18 year olds from doing something that 19 year olds can and I can't abide that. You are either an adult at 18 or not and that means that anything that is legal for a 19 year old or a 21 year old should be legal if you are only 18. Either 18 is an adult or not, and if you can carry a gun in a war than you should be able to drink a beer or buy a handgun when you get home. And though I don't really support gender surgery at any age, if it's legal than 18 year olds should be able to do it.
But sometimes you have take the bad with the good and the rest of this order is very good. I was never on board on transitioning children and like most people I was horrified by the cases I have seen. The idea that a small child can one day decide that they are the opposite sex and then folks validate that and given them pills that prevent puberty is horrible. And when they grow older they can have their sexual body parts, like their penis or breasts, removed. It was horrifying. I don't care what the doctors or scientists say, this was not a good thing and it should be stopped.
The efforts to transition children was probably a major reason why folks have turned on the transgender community. Indeed, it's been a reason why I haven't been aggressive in having kids. What's the point if the mother can arbitrarily decide that your son is a girl or your daughter is a boy? And then force them to have pills that prevent puberty and cut off their parts when they get older? And if you object in any way you can lose all access to your children. Seem extreme? Well it happened to Jeff Younger. But at least now his son won't be taking those puberty blockers...
I think most folks would have adopted a live and let live view towards the transgender community if it wasn't for cases like Younger's. Indeed, I think most folks would at least be willing to humor the more reasonable folks, like Caitlyn (Bruce) Jenner. But once folks figured out that children were going to be major target than the pushback began. And now the question is how far it will go.
There will likely be major legal battles against this order and I am guessing it will end up in the Supreme Court. Supposedly there is a case from Tennessee that has already heard oral arguments about this very issue. They are expecting a ruling in July. But until then I am expecting major court challenges to this that may put the order on hold. I think that the order will likely survive, but you never know what the court will do.
I do worry that there could be violence from the transgender community in backlash from this order. That doesn't mean the order wasn't worth doing, but it is something I worry about. There have been quite a few transgender attacks on people for political reasons and this order might set a few of the more radicalized ones off. I would not be surprised if there is another Audrey Hale out there waiting in the wings...
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