Dear Transgender Community:
I am making a departure from my usual writing for bereaved parents as I believe this topic to be of interest to all parents, teachers, school districts and the LGBQT community. I write because I want to spare other mothers and fathers the immense pain of losing a child. Life is hard for everyone. I am sure there is pain in the transgender community. But, if you do not have a child, you cannot possibly understand the horrific grief of losing a child. And how a parent's life is never the same.
I believe there are true transgenders just as there are true gays and lesbians. Probably have been from the beginning of time. The transgender population in the US is approximately 1.8% of the population in recent years. Except in Washington DC, it is 2.8% probably due to two large lobbying groups there. The LBGQT population represents about 3% of the US population.
Being a nurse, I researched if there was any way to diagnose transgenderism other than through behavior or a psychological evaluation. I came across an interesting university study which used brain MRI's for 164 individuals who did not identify as transgender and 164 people who did identify as transgender. All the 164 individuals who did not identify as transgender, had no brain changes. All the 164 individuals who identified as transgender had brain changes in their hypothalamus. Most specifically, in the area of the hypothalamus which controls body image and gender identity.
I, personally, believe there was no further investigation into this finding or further research funds due possibly to political correctness. It may not have been the result that was wanted, appreciated or expected. That being said, it is my opinion that any child, teen or adult concerned about confirming their gender identity, should have a consult with a neurologist to get a brain MRI.
This is only prudent medical practice. Who undergoes hormone therapy which results in huge bodily changes and life long lasting effects without having any studies or imaging? The same for surgery. Who undergoes any surgery, especially, drastic life altering surgery without a diagnosis confirmed by studies or imaging?
I, in no way, want to offend or give a difficult time to any transgender person. But, I believe your cause has been put on steroids by insisting on going into every US school to "find" and "support" unrecognized transgender students. Not every kid who is special needs, shy, unconfident, depressed or being bullied is as a the result of unrecognized transgenderism. You are a tiny minority. Accept and live who you are. Be happy with who you are.
Indoctrination of young kids and teens to believe they were assigned the wrong gender at birth or that all their problems are the result of not knowing they are transgender is wrong. You would do much better to understand and accept that a child belongs to the parent. Not the school. Not the State. And most certainly not to the LGBQT community. So my advice is change your methodology.
It is never a good strategy to insert yourself between parent and child. It just doesn't work based on my own experience as a school nurse for 38 years and as evidenced by many heated school board meetings. I know there are federal funds which can be used in the schools to promote your agenda. This had to be approved by the teachers unions because in some cases you have replaced school staff.
I would suggest you use that money, instead, to establish parent support groups. Where you can have parents who suspect their child is transgender or the child has told their parents that they believe they are transgender come for support and information. Not persuasion, not indoctrination and not rebuke as to what terrible parents they are for questioning their child's gender identity conflict. Whenever you have to force, hide or threaten a point of view, it may mean the child is not transgender. There are other studies to show 90% of kids nine to fourteen years old outgrow the idea they are the opposite sex. Same with teens under seventeen. Ninety percent outgrow the idea.
Very troubling is the statistic that 50% of those undergo gender reassignment surgery commit suicide. That needs to be studied vigorously. Was it that gender identity was never their problem or they were not happy in their new identity or unable to adjust to the change? Many others are coming forward to say they regret their decisions to have gender reassignment surgery. The United Kingdom recently closed their transgender treatment facility because after many years, it was concluded they were doing more harm to kids than good.
I believe if a child is truly transgender, both parent and child know this at an early age. This is where a support group could do a lot of good. Experts in the field could give presentations to parents. Information that is much needed. Then be there for them as support and let matters evolve on their own between parent and child. Support parents getting other opinions. Help parents with school issues.
The thing is, if you protest too much, want to control too much and force yourselves into every school in the US, what does that say? It says you appear to be attempting to recruit innocent kids into a cause that is yours, not theirs. You cannot force kids and adults into being transgenders when they really are not because you want a large transgender community. The statistics I have cited do not support the validity of your methods. Remember what Caesar said, "Yon Cassius doth protest too much."
You are bringing negative attention upon yourselves and the LGBQT community. I don't want that and neither do most people. You have your lifestyle. Embrace who you are, not who you want others to be. Help each other. Be there for adults who want to explore their gender identity and need support.
I estimate from my annual reports, as a school nurse, I saw a total of 729,000 kids just for injuries and illness. Not counting the additional number of kids I saw for the various screenings I was required to do. As I was 30 years in high school, I can tell you I had kids who were gay and kids who were lesbian.
Out of All those kids, I had ONE transgender young man in tenth grade who was very open about his sexual identity. His father accepted his decision. His mother did not so he lived with his father. He dressed as a male. Used the boy's bathroom. Was beginning hormone therapy. Told me he had to live a year as a woman to adjust to the change before doctors would do his reassignment surgery. I asked him, because I wanted to see if I was right, if he knew from an early age, he really wanted to be a girl. He was surprised and asked me how I knew. I said, just a belief I had about transgenderism.
I notice that you seem to go into all white, mostly suburban, schools rather than majority minority schools in large cities. Why is that? Is there some hidden agenda? This makes me question if everyone in your movement is truly who they say they are. Hard to trust people and know their motives. Your forceful desire to sexualize children from an early age through teens is what I find objectionable. It is unwarranted, IMHO. Certainly unwelcome by parents. And I believe as a mother and a nurse harmful and confusing. The business of children is academics and play not exploring their sexual identity when they never questioned it in the first place. What are you trying to prove?
I will leave you with an interesting quote from Lenin: "Morality is entirely subordinate to the interests of class war. Everything is moral that is necessary for the annihilation of the old exploiting social order and for uniting the proletariat." Any means justifies the end.
I don't know, but suspect, some of the trans community may using transgenderism as a way of destroying traditional values to promote Marxism. Be cautious. Millions upon millions of people have died, starved, suffered and been imprisoned under Marxism. If part of your agenda is to promote Marxism, be very carful what you wish for. The glories and successes of the proletariat never existed anywhere in the presence of these evil, dark forces. Nor will they for you, the LBGQT community or any of us.
Much better if we peacefully co-exist without forcing each other one way or another. Without censoring each other. Without interference from each other. Without destroying each other. Without threatening each other. Without silencing each other. Without hiding information from parents about their child. Without believing in victimization, but rather autonomy and achievement. This is the American dream possible for all of us.