Gender Ideology and How it is Negatively Impacting Children

When I first came across this ideology (in my own life, a child close to me); it was sold to me as compassionate and affirming. What could be wrong with that? Activists in this area use all the right words to make it sound like something a caring person would support. I was cautiously open minded. In time, I came to realise that this ideology was the opposite of affirming and compassionate. Throughout my life I have learned to see and know the difference between seeming good and doing good. In my opinion, gender ideology (particularly when children are involved); does not pass the test.

Telling a child that they were born in the wrong body and the only way they could be OK and even survive, is if they become a lifelong medical patient and have invasive; and permanent medications and procedures (with no concern for subsequent loss of fertility and sexual function) is not what I call affirmation or kindness. Yes this is happening in Australia and around the world.

For many years now my job as a nutritionist and counsellor has been to help people to connect with their body, accept, respect and maybe even grow to love their body. That is what affirmation, kindness and compassion looks like. How could I support something that encourages people to thoroughly reject and hate their body, it goes against all of my knowledge and intuition.

You don’t need to be Einstein to figure out why young people might be rejecting their body. This is really common before and during puberty (I’m sure you remember how challenging puberty can be). What we do know, is that the majority of kids grow into their body once they go through puberty. Funnily enough puberty is actually the cure for those feeling disconnected or uncomfortable in their body!

What we also know, is that 4 out of 5 children who experience body dysphoria (dysphoria, specifically gender dysphoria, refers to distress felt when one’s gender identity doesn’t align with their biological sex) have co-morbidity’s (other issues that may be driving this issue).

This can include bodily trauma, sexual assault, abuse, neglect, anxiety, depression and other health or mental health issues that need to be addressed. These issues, along with being on the autism spectrum, are extremely common in this cohort of children.

I have been doing a deep dive into this topic over the last few years, looking at the experiences of young people navigating their identities. This blog post and my two latest Wellness Connection podcast episodes (106 and 107), linked at the bottom of this blog post; are intended to help you understand why young people are attracted to this ideology; what is promises them and why they are often left devastated and may become lifelong medical patients.

These gender ideologues; when talking about gender often say, gender roles are a restrictive out dated social construct that should be pushed against. Then in the next breath they say, that boys like playing with barbie dolls, so clearly he is a girl trapped in a boy’s body, we need to give him hormones and surgery so he can be his “true self”! Twenty years ago, he would just grow up to be his true self (without any interference) and in some cases maybe would be a feminine man or a gay man (which of course if fine). That is what I call affirmation, allowing someone to grow into who they are.

The wonderful Billboard Chris (Google him) always says this: “there are two sexes, zero genders and infinite personalities”. After looking at this issue for a long time, I think he is right. Women can choose to be masculine, men can choose to be feminine, there is no right way to be a boy or girl. No medicalisation or interference needed.

In many places this ideology is being pushed on children today and they are being asked to choose what they identify as! This is just confusing and lying to kids. Our identity is forged by going out and being in the world, you become someone by living your life. It is not just a category that you choose from a list and announce on tic toc!

Since around the year 2015 the definitions of being trans have broadened significantly, moving from a clear understanding of transsexualism – where a very small number of adults transition to “pass as the opposite sex”, usually later in life after deep consideration (but still know their actual sex). Now it includes children who may simply express themselves differently being put on a pathway to transition. The word transsexual has been replaced with transgender.

With the rise in girls (who rarely had this issue in the past) identifying as boys at a staggering three-to-one ratio, questions arise about social contagion (which is very common for girls), peer pressure, and the roles of some parents and educators in at the very least confusing, if not actually indoctrinating.

One alarming aspect of this is the concept of “gender-affirming care” for youth (who believe they are trans), which often includes the use of puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones. The misconceptions surrounding the reversibility of these treatments and their long-term implications present a serious concern.

Affirmation is being sold as the only way to move forward to treat whatever mental health issue these children present with. Transitioning is sold as the panacea that will solve all their problems. No need to explore any other co-morbidities, you are definitely in the wrong body! You may not be old enough to drink, vote, get a tattoo or drive, but you definitely know you need to have extreme body modifications! For years we have known that our brains do not fully form until our mid 20s so we encourage our youth to not make drastic or crazy decisions until later in life. But apparently this is different. A 16 year old (sometimes younger) girl can consent to having her healthy breasts removed and being made infertile.

You would think that these children would have lots of therapy, and need to jump through lots of hoops to get so called gender affirming care. This is not always the case. In many places; anything other than affirmation is considered to be conversion therapy, and banned. Mental health professional are encouraged, sometimes forced to use affirmation only. Kids are also taught by activists (usually online), everything they need to say to get approved (this includes saying that they will end their own lives if not given the treatment).

After the first approval, every other medical professional including the endocrinologist who prescribes hormones and the surgeon who cuts off healthy breasts and genitals, just assumes the last health professional did their job and does not neccesarilly explore alternative issues or alternative treatments. Once you are on the path, there appears to be little to no checking in or safeguarding along the way.

It is worth hearing the devastating testimonies of detransitioners (people who realise their mistake and want to go back to their biological sex). We are always told this is less than 1%, however now there is an admission that it is at least 30% who change their mind. In general this is not tracked (as discussed in the Cass Review), if you don’t track it, you don’t need to acknowledge it! I suspect the numbers will increase over the next few years. Many are suing their clinic’s, the Tavistock in London is an example of this, it has been closed and has many lawsuits against it.

Understanding the motivations behind transitioning is an essential part of this discussion. It isn’t merely a matter of identity but as I explained earlier, is frequently intertwined with mental health issues, trauma, and societal pressures. These overlapping factors can lead individuals – especially youth – to make life-altering decisions without a full understanding of the potential consequences.

My intent is to provide parents with a grounded perspective and understanding of the many factors driving these changes in our youth. I believe children are having unnecessary, life changing medical interventions. The Hippocratic Oath says “first do no harm”, “gender medicine” is the complete opposite; and it is the wild west of medicine, all of these children are guinea pigs.

Ultimately my goal is to draw attention to the dangers of this ideology and help adults to understand this topic and its possible implications for the young people in their life. My heart goes out to all who are affected by this complex issue and I wish only the best for these individuals. This discussion is a criticism of the ideology and the poor safeguarding for children, not an attack on individuals.

I cannot emphasise enough the importance of open dialogue in safeguarding children’s well-being. Questioning gender affirming care and trans ideology brings a lot of hate and means that you get called many names including transphobe (a made up term to stop people from questioning this ideology).

In my opinion, when you are not allowed to question science and biology and not allowed to question safe-guarding of children and other vulnerable people, you know you are dealing with a cult. When you see how detransitioners are treated, you will know what I mean!

One day, hopefully in the not too distant future, we will look at this time in society and medicine with horror saying how could we have harmed children and vulnerable people like this? Until that day, the fight continues……

Please watch the two episodes below or listen in your favourite podcast app for a deeper dive into this topic.