{"id":1590328,"date":"2022-08-05T07:46:50","date_gmt":"2022-08-05T11:46:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1590328"},"modified":"2022-08-05T07:47:49","modified_gmt":"2022-08-05T11:47:49","slug":"telling-kids-to-hate-their-biology-might-be-whats-actually-killing-them-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/telling-kids-to-hate-their-biology-might-be-whats-actually-killing-them-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Telling Kids To Hate Their Biology Might Be What\u2019s Actually Killing Them"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftelling-kids-to-hate-their-biology-might-be-whats-actually-killing-them-2%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1590328&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Whenever anyone expresses concern about pressing gender ideology on American youth, the typical retort is to cite <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/mmwr\/volumes\/69\/su\/su6901a3.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">suicide<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2022\/05\/05\/1096920693\/lgbtq-youth-thoughts-of-suicide-trevor-project-survey\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">statistics<\/a>. \u201cTransgender and nonbinary youth have considered suicide at higher rates than other LGBTQ youth,\u201d warns an NPR article from May. \u201cChildren and teens who do not identify with their assigned gender can face higher rates of depression, suicide and self harm than other kids,\u201d The New York Times <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2022\/03\/15\/well\/family\/support-child-gender-identity-trans-non-binary.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reported<\/a> in March.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Because of the vulnerability of \u201ctrans youth,\u201d activists claim, resisting pro-trans indoctrination <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/culture\/culture-features\/trans-teen-medical-care-law-ban-suicide-1324451\/\">is a direct threat<\/a> to the welfare of an already victimized and marginalized group. School leaders <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/education\/2022\/07\/18\/gender-transition-school-parent-notification\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">claim they are justified<\/a> in hiding the trans identity of students from parents who might harm them. \u201cAffirming trans children\u2019s genders reduces their risk of attempting suicide,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vox.com\/first-person\/22977970\/anti-trans-legislation-texas-idaho\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">asserted a March article in Vox<\/a>, and compared \u201canti-trans legislation\u201d to genocide (yes, really). A political cartoon in The Washington Post earlier this year <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/media\/disgraced-washington-post-cartoonist-blasted-anti-desantis-cartoon-image-drowned-syrian-boy\">even accused<\/a> Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis of being personally responsible for the suicide of trans children.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Yet what if the opposite is true, that <em>promotion <\/em>of alternative sexual identities among America\u2019s children is aggravating our national mental health crisis, and increasing the likelihood of self-harm among vulnerable young populations?<\/p>\n<h2>Is There Something in the Water?<\/h2>\n<p>Sometimes it feels as if over the last decade the world awoke to to find itself transgender. The number of young people who identify as transgender has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ny1.com\/nyc\/all-boroughs\/news\/2022\/06\/10\/study-estimates-transgender-youth-population-has-doubled-in-5-years\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">nearly doubled in just five years<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2022\/06\/10\/science\/transgender-teenagers-national-survey.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">according to a report from earlier this year<\/a>. Moreover, the rise in young people identifying as trans <a href=\"https:\/\/slate.com\/human-interest\/2017\/09\/trans-youth-clinics-are-seeing-more-trans-boys-than-before-why.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">has been steadily increasing<\/a> for the last two decades. Earlier in 2016, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2016\/07\/01\/health\/transgender-population.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The New York Times reported<\/a> that the number of adults identifying as trans had doubled in five years (see a pattern?). \u201cThe sharp increase could be because many more young people now feel more comfortable identifying themselves as transgender \u2026 or it could be that more accurate data sources are now available to account for them,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.edweek.org\/leadership\/number-of-trans-youth-is-twice-as-high-as-previous-estimates-study-finds\/2022\/06\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">conjectured an article at Education Week<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>There are other plausible theories \u2014 such as a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.science.org\/content\/article\/new-paper-ignites-storm-over-whether-teens-experience-rapid-onset-transgender-identity\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">2018 scientific study<\/a> that suggested trans identification among youth might be socially contagious \u2014 but they have been quickly and aggressively maligned as bigoted and \u201canti-transgender\u201d by pro-trans liberal elites. That fact is telling: rather than pursue unbiased, dispassionate study of data to understand an unprecedented social phenomenon, the pro-trans movement resorts to name-calling and cancellation. And however many \u201chidden\u201d trans children there were in 2000, it seems a bit presumptuous (and dare I say unscientific) to conclude, with no data, that this sea change is wholly explained by growing acceptance of trans persons in America.<\/p>\n<h2>The Broader Youth Mental Health Picture<\/h2>\n<p>What\u2019s often ignored in discussions of trans youth and mental health are the broader trends in American society. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/healthyyouth\/mental-health\/index.htm#:~:text=Mental%20Health%20Is%20A%20Growing%20Problem,-chart%20bar%20icon&#038;text=More%20than%201%20in%203,a%2044%25%20increase%20since%202009.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">According to the CDC<\/a>, in 2019 \u201cmore than 1 in 3 high school students had experienced persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness \u2026 a 40 percent increase since 2009.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That same year, approximately 1 in 6 youth had \u201creported making a suicide plan in the past year,\u201d which was up 44 percent since 2009. Indeed, experts <a href=\"https:\/\/www.prb.org\/resources\/the-mental-health-crisis-among-american-youth\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">regularly speak<\/a> of a \u201cmental health crisis\u201d among American children. These numbers predate the pandemic, though its foolhardy management by government and school officials <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2021\/10\/20\/1047624943\/pediatricians-call-mental-health-crisis-among-kids-a-national-emergency\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">exacerbated this national emergency<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Wouldn\u2019t it at least be plausible that these two trends, moving seemingly in tandem, might be related? Children are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.americansurveycenter.org\/the-lonely-childhood-of-generation-z\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">increasingly lonely, isolated, and anxious<\/a>, much of it a result of the digital age, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wbur.org\/hereandnow\/2020\/01\/09\/social-media-anxiety-depression-teens#:~:text=Social%20media%20use%20and%20screen,a%20period%20of%20four%20years.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">social media use<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/2020\/02\/children-pornography-and-suicide\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">pornography addiction<\/a>. Skyrocketing numbers of broken homes have led to <a href=\"https:\/\/ethikapolitika.org\/2016\/01\/21\/how-divorce-killed-scott-weiland-and-made-grunge-rock\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">all manner of negative consequences<\/a> for children, as sociologist Bradford Wilcox\u2019s research <a href=\"https:\/\/ifstudies.org\/blog\/married-parents-one-way-to-reduce-child-poverty\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">has shown<\/a>. Might the increase in \u201cgender dysphoria\u201d among American youth be related to broader societal dysphoria felt by an entire generation of kids?<\/p>\n<h2>Is Promoting Trans Identities the Real Mental Health Crisis?<\/h2>\n<p>Although collection and analysis of reliable data on trans youth are limited by constraints imposed by ideologues <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2022\/04\/14\/transgender-activists-use-unreliable-surveys-to-emotionally-blackmail-america\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">who do not want to hear inconvenient truths about transgenderism<\/a>, there is some revealing information. John S. Grabowski in his new book \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/tanbooks.com\/contemporary-issues\/social-issues\/unraveling-gender-the-battle-over-sexual-difference\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Unraveling Gender: The Battle Over Sexual Difference<\/a>\u201d notes that for \u00adpost-\u00adoperative transgender people, the rate of psychiatric \u00adhospitalization is three times higher than for control groups. Rates of mortality and criminal conviction for trans people <a href=\"https:\/\/www.firstthings.com\/article\/2022\/08\/made-by-god\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">are substantially higher as well<\/a>. Suicide attempt rates are almost fivefold, while suicide death rates are a tragic 19 times higher. In other words, even for those who undergo hormone injections and surgery (which supposedly is done to make such persons happier), the mental health problems persist, and even worsen.<\/p>\n<p>Moreover, as Jane Robbins noted in a <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2020\/06\/16\/exploiting-child-suicide-to-bully-parents-of-trans-kids-is-the-ultimate-science-denial\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Federalist article two years ago<\/a>, citing Swedish child and adolescent psychiatrist Sven Roman: \u201cThere is currently no scientific support for gender-corrective treatment to reduce the risk of suicide.\u201d She also quotes psychologists Dr. Michael Bailey and Dr. Ray Blanchard: \u201c[T]he best scientific evidence suggests that gender transition is not necessary to prevent suicide. \u2026 There is no persuasive evidence that gender transition reduces gender dysphoric children\u2019s likelihood of killing themselves.\u201d Furthermore, says Robbins, the suicide risk among children who identify as trans is less than or comparable to that of other at-risk groups of youth.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In fact, there is evidence suggesting that promoting trans ideology is <em>increasing <\/em>self-harm in youth populations (see Walt Heyer\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/author\/walt-heyer\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">excellent collection<\/a> of Federalist essays on the harms of transgenderism). A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.heritage.org\/gender\/commentary\/does-gender-affirming-care-trans-kids-actually-prevent-suicide-heres-what-the\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Heritage study<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.heritage.org\/gender\/report\/puberty-blockers-cross-sex-hormones-and-youth-suicide\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">recently found<\/a> that \u201ceasing access to cross-sex treatments without parental consent significantly increases suicide rates.\u201d A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tandfonline.com\/doi\/full\/10.1080\/0092623X.2016.1232325?src=recsys\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">2016 report<\/a> observed that \u201ca large percentage of adolescents referred for gender dysphoria have a substantial co-occurring history of psychosocial and psychological vulnerability.\u201d A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.transgendertrend.com\/the-suicide-myth\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">2012 report<\/a> found that \u201cyoung people with gender dysphoria often present with a wide range of associated difficulties,\u201d including \u201cbullying, low mood\/depression and self-harming.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The phrase \u201cself-harming\u201d is revealing. For if the increase in trans identities among American youth is connected to the broader crisis of deteriorating mental health, then it would be better to view the trans craze as another form of self-harm, similar to eating disorders or cutting, though far more dangerous. And, indeed, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.smsna.org\/patients\/did-you-know\/self-injury-common-among-transgender-youth\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">at least one study<\/a> has found that cutting is common among trans youth. Worryingly, educators and administrators <a href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.go.com\/US\/wireStory\/mother-teachers-manipulated-child-change-gender-identity-82405978\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">are <em>encouraging <\/em>self-harm<\/a> among children by causing what <a href=\"https:\/\/www.regnery.com\/9781684510313\/irreversible-damage\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Abigail Shrier rightly calls<\/a> \u201cirreversible damage.\u201d If we really want to address the problems associated with transgenderism, it would be better to call it what it is.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\" \/>\n<p>\n  Casey Chalk is a senior contributor at The Federalist and an editor and columnist at The New Oxford Review. He has a bachelor\u2019s in history and master\u2019s in teaching from the University of Virginia and a master\u2019s in theology from Christendom College. He is the author of The Persecuted: True Stories of Courageous Christians Living Their Faith in Muslim Lands.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-comments mt-30 mt-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-comments-container d-flex flex-column align-items-center py-30\">\n    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"110\" height=\"106\" src=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/fdrlst-mark.svg\" class=\"img-fluid mb-20\" alt=\"The Federalist logo eagle mark\" \/>    <\/p>\n<p>Unlock commenting by joining the Federalist Community.<\/p>\n<p>    <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/plans\/pricing\/\" class=\"btn btn-on-white\">Subscribe<\/a>  <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Whenever anyone expresses concern about pressing gender ideology on American youth, the typical retort is to cite suicide statistics. \u201cTransgender and nonbinary youth have considered suicide at higher rates than<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":658,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1590328","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1590328","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/658"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1590328"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1590328\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1590328"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1590328"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1590328"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}