{"id":1682705,"date":"2022-10-11T06:24:33","date_gmt":"2022-10-11T10:24:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1682705"},"modified":"2022-10-11T06:27:24","modified_gmt":"2022-10-11T10:27:24","slug":"39-states-take-sides-in-pivotal-trial-over-ban-on-child-transgender-surgeries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/39-states-take-sides-in-pivotal-trial-over-ban-on-child-transgender-surgeries\/","title":{"rendered":"39 States Take Sides in Pivotal Trial Over Ban on Child Transgender Surgeries"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/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%2F39-states-take-sides-in-pivotal-trial-over-ban-on-child-transgender-surgeries%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=1682705&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>Combatants on both sides of the war over gender-altering drugs and surgeries for minors are crying out: \u201cWe\u2019ve got to help these distressed children!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But trying to chart a course toward that goal is like trying to see clearly through a dust storm.<\/p>\n<p>Arguments over medical standards, morality, and money are swirling through statehouses and courthouses, schools and churches, hospitals and homes. Undisputed facts are in short supply, obscured by waves of emotion and evolving, politicized terminology.<\/p>\n<p>At the same time, a rising tide of juveniles experiencing gender dysphoria, a persistent dissatisfaction with one\u2019s gender, demands urgent attention.<\/p>\n<p>Against that backdrop, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/t-arkansas\">Arkansas<\/a>, home of the nation\u2019s first ban on gender-altering procedures for children under 18, will see if its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/t-law\">law<\/a> holds up in court.<\/p>\n<p>The law\u2019s constitutionality goes on trial in Little Rock starting Oct. 17, less than three weeks after a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/newsom-signs-legislation-making-california-a-trans-sanctuary-state_4766558.html\">very different law<\/a> became official, declaring California the first \u201csanctuary state\u201d where out-of-state minors can come for transgender-related medical treatments.<\/p>\n<p>The California law will likely face a court challenge, too, as a conflicting patchwork of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/t-legislation\">legislation<\/a> on the issue blankets the nation.<\/p>\n<p>For now, the spotlight is glaring on Arkansas\u2019 Save Adolescents from Experimentation (SAFE) Act, as forces line up to prop it up or shoot it down.<\/p>\n<p>As the case heads for trial, the SAFE Act counts 19 states, primarily Republican, in its corner, along with some two dozen other groups, transgender people, and doctors.<\/p>\n<p>The American Civil Liberties Union, which sued to overturn the act, counts 20 predominantly Democrat states in its corner, plus dozens of families with transgender children and several dozen medical societies and activist groups that promote human rights and LGBT rights nationally and globally.<\/p>\n<p>The law\u2019s fate could greatly influence how America responds to a small but widening pool of families and children in turmoil over a child\u2019s gender dysphoria.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4694692\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/img.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/uploads\/2022\/08\/28\/HEADLINE_Gender-Treatment-1_JF_08262022-1200x772.jpeg\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-4694692\" src=\"https:\/\/img.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/uploads\/2022\/08\/28\/HEADLINE_Gender-Treatment-1_JF_08262022-600x386.jpeg\" alt=\"Epoch Times Photo\" width=\"600\" height=\"386\" \/><\/noscript><\/figcaption><\/a> Chloe Cole, an 18-year-old woman who regrets surgically removing her breasts, holds testosterone medication used for transgender patients, in Northern California on Aug. 26, 2022. (John Fredricks\/The Epoch Times)<\/figure>\n<h2>No Middle Ground<\/h2>\n<p>The complex debate has split into two polar-opposite groups, each with its own set of catchphrases.<\/p>\n<p>One group favors making puberty-blocking drugs, cross-sex hormones, and gender-altering surgeries available to youths, saying such procedures constitute \u201cmedically necessary, life-saving, gender-affirming care.\u201d Those phrases repeatedly appear in court filings opposing the Arkansas law.<\/p>\n<p>In the other camp, supporters of the SAFE Act and similar legislation decry the \u201cmedicalization, manipulation, and mutilation\u201d of vulnerable children, driven by groupthink and profit motives of a new, multibillion-dollar <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/billion-dollar-transgender-industry-leaves-broken-families-and-lives_4777773.html\">gender-transition industry<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The nation\u2019s largest medical groups support the \u201cgender-affirming\u201d approach and have thrown their support behind the American Civil Liberties Union\u2019s (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/t-aclu\">ACLU<\/a>) lawsuit, which says \u201ca well-established medical consensus\u201d guides treatment plans for gender dysphoria and doesn\u2019t always advocate medical intervention.<\/p>\n<p>Critics say the medical establishment has silenced dissenters\u2019 concerns about altering children and teens\u2019 developing bodies when the science is far from settled; long-term effects remain unknown.\u00a0They question the wisdom of rushing the procedures, citing studies showing the vast majority of transgender-identifying youths later \u201cdesist\u201d and revert to the gender that matches their biological sex.<\/p>\n<p>Rep. Robin Lundstrum, who introduced the SAFE Act, said, \u201cThere have been plenty of times in the past when medicine had said, \u2018This is the right thing to do,\u2019 but they\u2019ve been wrong, and common sense and science have won out.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4786731\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/IMG_3969.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy size-full wp-image-4786731\" src=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/themes\/eet\/images\/white.png\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/IMG_3969.jpeg\" alt=\"Epoch Times Photo\" width=\"1192\" height=\"849\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-4786731\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/IMG_3969.jpeg\" alt=\"Epoch Times Photo\" width=\"1192\" height=\"849\" \/><\/noscript><\/figcaption><\/a> Arkansas Rep. Robin Lundstrum, a Republican who sponsored the nation\u2019s first law to ban medical gender-transition procedures for minors, speaks at a legislative session on Feb. 15, 2022. (Courtesy of Robin Lundstrum)<\/figure>\n<h2>Politics<\/h2>\n<p>By all indications, the number of children and teens identifying as an alternative gender is surging, perhaps because of social contagion, under the influence of peers and internet sites that glorify transitioning.<\/p>\n<p>According to a Reuters <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/investigates\/special-report\/usa-transyouth-data\/\">report<\/a> released this month, 42,000 U.S. children and teens were diagnosed with gender dysphoria in 2021, a caseload that nearly tripled since 2017.<\/p>\n<p>The Gender Mapping Project, which calls itself \u201can educational resource for anyone who has been affected by the gender industry,\u201d says a handful of gender clinics for children existed in North America a decade ago.<\/p>\n<p>The number now exceeds 400, as confirmed by a force of unpaid volunteers who work in secret to gather evidence on the clinics\u2019 activities.<\/p>\n<p>Advocates argue that the availability of \u201cgender-affirming care\u201d can tamp down suicides and attempted suicides, which occur at alarming rates among gender-dysphoric youths.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4762189\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/img.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/uploads\/2022\/09\/28\/GettyImages-1233399228-1200x801.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy size-full wp-image-4762189\" src=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/themes\/eet\/images\/white.png\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/GettyImages-1233399228-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"Epoch Times Photo\" width=\"4894\" height=\"3266\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-4762189\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/GettyImages-1233399228-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"Epoch Times Photo\" width=\"4894\" height=\"3266\" \/><\/noscript><\/figcaption><\/a> In this photo illustration, a teenager in distress poses for a picture in Arlington, Virginia, June 11, 2021. (Olivier Douliery\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/figure>\n<p>In Arkansas, a half-dozen transgender adolescents attempted suicide within a few weeks after the SAFE Act\u2019s passage, the ALCU said in a court filing, implying that the impending ban may have pushed those teens over the edge.<\/p>\n<p>Lundstrum\u2019s reaction: \u201cIf you have children wanting to kill themselves, there are some serious underlying issues that need to be addressed.\u201d Anyone who is suicidal needs to go to an emergency room and a counselor\u2019s office, not to a plastic surgery suite or an endocrinologist\u2019s office, Lundstrum said.<\/p>\n<p>She cites a lack of solid, long-term studies showing medical interventions help the suicide rate among transgender juveniles. And, she said, there\u2019s convincing proof that sex-reassignment surgeries worsened the problem among adults. A respected, 30-year Swedish study showed sex-transitioned adults committed suicide at a rate 19 times greater than the control group.<\/p>\n<p>Lundstrum, a Republican, laments that the warring factions in this controversy have split along political party lines. She noted that few Democrats in Arkansas\u2014or elsewhere in the U.S.\u2014have spoken out.<\/p>\n<p>When Lundstrum heard about a Georgia lawmaker willing to oppose transgender treatments for minors, she contacted his office to offer moral support. But a staffer told her that the legislator faced immense blowback, so he bowed out.<\/p>\n<p>Leaders need to set aside political agendas, Lundstrum said, and drill down to the core issue: What influences might be compelling children to feel they need to change their bodies dramatically?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe should be locking arms across the political aisle and telling these kids they are incredible just the way they are,\u201d she said. \u201cIf we don\u2019t, I think that, in 10 years or less, as the science comes out, people are going to look back and say, \u2018I can\u2019t believe what we\u2019ve done.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Unlikely Ally<\/h2>\n<p>After taking one glance at the SAFE Act and its sponsor, a Southern Baptist from a red state, some people assumed that Lundstrum surely must be misguided, anti-transgender, or \u201ctransphobic.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But those labels, lobbed at Lundstrum and her legislation, are laughably inaccurate, says Scott Newgent, a biological woman who medically transitioned to appear male. Newgent calls Lundstrum a friend.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4786753\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/image000000-2.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy size-full wp-image-4786753\" src=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/themes\/eet\/images\/white.png\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/image000000-2.jpg\" alt=\"Epoch Times Photo\" width=\"225\" height=\"225\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-4786753\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/image000000-2.jpg\" alt=\"Epoch Times Photo\" width=\"225\" height=\"225\" \/><\/noscript><\/figcaption><\/a> Scott Newgent, 49, of Texas, opposes transgender surgeries and drugs for youths, citing regret over own transitioning. Undated photo provided in 2022.(Courtesy of Scott Newgent)<\/figure>\n<p>Now living in Texas, Newgent, 49, became medically masculinized at 42. Since then, Newgent has undergone eight surgeries, endured repeated complications, and amassed $1.2 million in medical bills. The costs will continue climbing for the rest of Newgent\u2019s lifespan.<\/p>\n<p>Doctors brushed off Newgent\u2019s questions about the risks of transition procedures; many \u201cgender-affirming\u201d advocates do that, too, Newgent said, blinding gender-dysphoric children and their parents to the dangers of the proposed panacea.<\/p>\n<p>Newgent says the transgender-rights movement is not motivated by \u201clove and acceptance,\u201d as society was led to believe. Instead, it\u2019s about making money. \u201cEvery child that they say is \u2018transgender\u2019 equals $1.3 million\u201d for the medical and pharmaceutical industries, Newgent said.<\/p>\n<p>A parent of three children, Newgent vehemently opposes \u201cmedical transitions\u201d for minors. Because of his transgender journey and impassioned pleas to shield children, Newgent has drawn international attention.<\/p>\n<h2>Surprised Skeptic<\/h2>\n<p>Upon hearing about Lundstrum\u2019s bill, Newgent agreed with its stated intent but was prepared to hate it.<\/p>\n<p>Many people in Lundstrum\u2019s primary political sphere are conservative, heterosexual, and presumably clueless about the thorny issues entangling medical gender transition, Newgent said. Without that understanding, it would be impossible for her to produce a well-crafted piece of legislation to restrict the procedures.<\/p>\n<p>Newgent also was skeptical of Lundstrum\u2019s motives. Had she latched onto the hot-button issue of the day to make political hay?<\/p>\n<p>After investigating, Newgent was pleasantly surprised about the bill and its sponsor.<\/p>\n<p>He found the SAFE Act was worded accurately, backed by research, and potentially very effective. \u201cI say, \u2018Bravo.\u2019 A few tweaks and this could be a nationwide HALT to medical transitioning children,\u201d he wrote in a May 2021 blog post.<\/p>\n<p>Newgent commended Lundstrum for citing \u201cthe experimental nature\u201d of using puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones on children. The SAFE Act also lists \u201cserious known risks\u201d of these drugs\u2019 legal but off-label use, including blood clots, osteoporosis, diseases of major organs, and irreversible infertility.<\/p>\n<p>He contacted Lundstrum to apologize for unfairly prejudging her.<\/p>\n<p>Over the phone, the two struck up a friendship; they communicate often but have not yet met in person. Despite coming from starkly divergent backgrounds, Newgent and Lundstrum found common ground.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cImagine me, Scott Newgent, a fully transitioned transman, saying the words of Robin Lundstrum: \u2018Those kids are precious. Some of them may choose to be transgender when they\u2019re older. That\u2019s OK. \u2026. But when they\u2019re under 18, they need to grow up first. That\u2019s a big decision; there\u2019s no going back,\u2019\u201d Newgent wrote.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn fact,\u201d Newgent wrote, \u201cI have said almost these exact words, many times now.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4786771\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/img.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/uploads\/2022\/10\/10\/IMG_8235-1200x2026.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy  wp-image-4786771\" src=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/themes\/eet\/images\/white.png\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/IMG_8235-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"Epoch Times Photo\" width=\"226\" height=\"382\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4786771\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/IMG_8235-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"Epoch Times Photo\" width=\"226\" height=\"382\" \/><\/noscript><\/figcaption><\/a> Arkansas Rep. Robin Lundstrum wears a T-shirt supporting TreVoices.org, which transgender man Scott Newgent runs to advocate on behalf of youths struggling with gender identity and sexual orientation. (Courtesy of Robin Lundstrum)<\/figure>\n<p>In its lawsuit against the SAFE Act, the ACLU declares that a person\u2019s gender identity, or sense of belonging to a particular gender, \u201cis durable and cannot be altered through medical intervention.\u201d If that\u2019s so, how can people declare they are \u201cgender-fluid\u201d and frequently change their genders?<\/p>\n<p>Newgent\u2019s take: \u201cGender is not fluid. Masculinity and femininity are fluid.\u201d But neither of those attributes replaces \u201ca biological fact,\u201d he said: DNA imprints a person\u2019s sex as male or female, and no amount of drugs or surgeries can change that.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI will\u00a0<em>never\u00a0<\/em>be a man,\u201d despite outward appearances, Newgent said.<\/p>\n<p>A high percentage of the young people who declare, \u201cI am trans,\u201d are autistic, abused, mentally ill, or just oddballs who feel lost and isolated, Newgent said. Proponents of medical transition are selling them a fantasy: \u201cThey can be cured of this oddity,\u201d Newgent said.<\/p>\n<p>Lots of these people later come to important realizations, Newgent said. They see their deep mental and emotional scars remain after the procedures. Some recognize their confusion was over sexual orientation rather than gender identity. \u00a0That helps explain why some gays and lesbians have sided with Lundstrum, a mother of two and grandmother of four whose political base is populated with Christian evangelicals, Newgent said.<\/p>\n<p>Lundstrum said some people over-emphasize her religion. \u201cPeople think I\u2019m going to thump them over the head with a Bible,\u201d she said, laughing. \u201cI\u2019m not that way.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Newgent said Lundstrum has demonstrated that she doesn\u2019t have to be in lockstep with her base: \u201cShe does what is right and doesn\u2019t back away from it.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4751791\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/img.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/uploads\/2022\/09\/23\/pronoun-badges-copy-1200x800.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy size-full wp-image-4751791\" src=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/themes\/eet\/images\/white.png\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/pronoun-badges-copy-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Epoch Times Photo\" width=\"3000\" height=\"2000\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-4751791\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/pronoun-badges-copy-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Epoch Times Photo\" width=\"3000\" height=\"2000\" \/><\/noscript><\/figcaption><\/a> A LGBT activist holds pins about gender pronouns, on the University of Wyoming campus in Laramie, Wyoming, on August 13. (Photo by Patrick T. Fallon\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/figure>\n<h2>\u2018Like Seeing a Car Wreck and Not Calling 911\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>Unbeknownst to Newgent and most others, Lundstrum\u2019s educational background influenced her to propose the SAFE Act.<\/p>\n<p>She holds a doctorate in health sciences and has always been keenly interested in children\u2019s studies and human sexuality. She worked as a rape crisis counselor and educator for a hospital. She also taught at John Brown University in northwest Arkansas.<\/p>\n<p>After leaving academics and becoming a state lawmaker in 2015, Lundstrum stayed abreast of her former field of study.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNever in a million years did I think my political life and academia would merge like this\u2014never,\u201d Lundstrum said in an interview.<\/p>\n<p>But in late 2020, Lundstrum and other Republican women gathered for \u201cThe Dream Big Caucus.\u201d They brainstormed legislation that would have the most significant impact on Arkansans.<\/p>\n<p>Lundstrum piped up: \u201cYou know, there\u2019s a lot going on in human sexuality.\u201d She mentioned learning about minors\u2019 \u201cchemical and surgical transition\u201d in other states, particularly along the east and west coasts.<\/p>\n<p>She recalled saying: \u201cWhat I\u2019m seeing is really terrifying because these kids have no clue what\u2019s going on\u2026Is anybody else seeing this?\u201d Yes, her fellow lawmakers responded, telling her that it was happening in their state, too.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd I was like, \u2018Whoa, whoa\u2026not in Arkansas,\u2019\u201d Lundstrum, a near-lifelong resident, said. She found websites proving that Arkansas hospitals were promoting transition processes for minors.<\/p>\n<p>Lundstrum dug around and was alarmed when she saw the procedures were becoming more common than most people knew. Then she saw post-surgery pictures of teens. \u201cIt is brutal. It\u2019s cruel. It looks like something out of a Nazi camp. And I don\u2019t think that\u2019s an exaggeration,\u201d she said. \u201cNo 13-year-old should ever have their breasts removed. And no 17-year-old boy should ever have his penis and scrotum removed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She felt compelled to act: \u201cIt\u2019s kind of like seeing a car wreck and not calling 911.\u00a0 When you see a car wreck, you call 911.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Act Passed Swiftly<\/h2>\n<p>A few months later, in February 2021, Lundstrum introduced the SAFE Act. Within weeks, it passed the House, 70-22, and the Senate, 28-7. \u00a0One Democrat Senator broke rank; Republicans cast all the other votes.<\/p>\n<p>In April 2021, Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson, at the urging of medical groups, vetoed the SAFE Act, calling it government overreach. He said parents and doctors should make treatment decisions for juveniles, not the government. The next day, both chambers of the Arkansas Statehouse voted to override the veto.<\/p>\n<p>The bill proved timely. In May 2021, Sweden\u2019s Karolinska Hospital ranked as the eighth-best in the world, made an announcement that sent shockwaves through the transgender treatment realm. The hospital said it would stop using puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones as treatments for youths.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is a watershed moment,\u201d the Society for Evidence-Based Gender Medicine <a href=\"https:\/\/segm.org\/Sweden_ends_use_of_Dutch_protocol\">said<\/a>. The Swedish decision reflected a dawning global awareness of \u201cthe low quality of evidence\u201d in studies investigating benefits of the treatments for youths, the Society said. As a result, efforts to help gender-dysphoric children may move away from medical interventions and toward \u201cethical psychological treatments and support,\u201d the Society said.<\/p>\n<p>The Swedish announcement made some supporters of the SAFE Act do a virtual \u201cI-told-you-so\u201d dance. The Family Council, a Christian advocacy group that influenced Lundstrum\u2019s bill, <a href=\"https:\/\/familycouncil.org\/?p=22369\">wrote<\/a> that the Swedish hospital\u2019s shift in policy \u201cis just more evidence that Arkansas was right to pass the SAFE Act.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Several states responded by proposing bills patterned after the SAFE Act; the ACLU responded with its lawsuit.<\/p>\n<h2>Unconstitutional Discrimination Alleged<\/h2>\n<p>In its initial federal court complaint, filed in May 2021, the ACLU said it was representing four Arkansas families with gender-dysphoric youths, plus a pair of doctors who treat that condition. The SAFE Act \u201cthreatens the health and well-being of transgender youth in Arkansas\u201d and also is unconstitutional, the ACLU alleges.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt discriminates on the basis of sex and transgender status,\u201d the ACLU said, noting the law forbids certain treatments \u201conly for transgender patients and only when the care is \u2018related to gender transition.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The plaintiff families in the lawsuit have transgender children who were ages 9-16 when the suit was filed. The youngest, Brooke Dennis, was \u201cdesignated as male on her birth certificate, but her gender identity is female,\u201d the suit says.<\/p>\n<p>Brooke \u201calways knew who she was,\u201d the suit says, describing affinity toward activities and clothing traditionally considered \u201cfeminine\u201d since age 2. Brooke went to a school counselor due to stress over gender issues, including classmates\u2019 debates over which sex-segregated restroom Brooke should use.<\/p>\n<p>After adopting female pronouns and a new name, \u201cBrooke has returned to being the happy, bright-eyed child she used to be.\u201d Brooke was diagnosed with gender dysphoria in late 2020 and expressed anxiety over \u201cgoing through a typical male puberty\u201d and having a male body. \u201cShe recently cried and told her mom that she didn\u2019t want to get an Adam\u2019s apple,\u201d the suit says.<\/p>\n<p>Given all of that, Brooke\u2019s parents were intending to start \u201cpuberty-delaying treatment\u201d at the first signs of puberty, the suit said. The family has contemplated moving out-of-state to get treatment for Brooke if the SAFE Act is enforced.<\/p>\n<p>Lundstrum expresses compassion for such families. But she can\u2019t help but wonder what the future might look like for these children, especially because she has heard so many stories of regret.<\/p>\n<p>Chloe Cole, now 18, is one teen who has gone public with a cautionary tale. She was born female but hated girls\u2019 clothing. Discussions on social media sites convinced her she was transgender. She revealed that belief at 12. At 13, she got puberty-blocking injections, followed by testosterone, and eventually a double mastectomy. She now calls her transition \u201cbrutal,\u201d and embraces her femininity while regretting the damage to her body.<\/p>\n<p>She has started a group called \u201cDetrans United,\u201d to support fellow \u201cdetransitioners.\u201d Cole is not listed among the official supporters of the Arkansas law, but she has publicly stated she supports a proposed nationwide ban on medical transitions for youths.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4786853\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Chloe-Cole-and-Scott-Newgent.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy size-full wp-image-4786853\" src=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/themes\/eet\/images\/white.png\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Chloe-Cole-and-Scott-Newgent.jpg\" alt=\"Epoch Times Photo\" width=\"571\" height=\"323\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-4786853\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Chloe-Cole-and-Scott-Newgent.jpg\" alt=\"Epoch Times Photo\" width=\"571\" height=\"323\" \/><\/noscript><\/figcaption><\/a> Chloe Cole (L) and Scott Newgent (R), who both regret undergoing masculinizing gender-transition procedures, are pictured with another protester at the First Do No Harm Rally against the medical transition of youths in Anaheim, Calif., on Oct. 7, 2022. (Courtesy of TreVoices.org\/Scott Newgent)<\/figure>\n<h2>Deep Pockets<\/h2>\n<p>In July 2021, before the Arkansas law took effect, U.S. District Court Judge James Moody Jr. granted the ACLU\u2019s request to block Arkansas from enforcing the law, pending the lawsuit\u2019s outcome.<\/p>\n<p>A federal appeals court recently sided with Moody and kept the temporary injunction in place, cuing a preliminary <a href=\"https:\/\/www.acluarkansas.org\/en\/press-releases\/federal-court-upholds-preliminary-injunction-against-arkansas-ban-gender-affirming\">victory lap<\/a> for the ACLU.<\/p>\n<p>In a news release applauding the decision, Chase Strangio, an ACLU lawyer on the case, said the ruling showed \u201cthe state\u2019s ban on care does not advance any important government interest, and the state\u2019s defense of the law is lacking in legal or evidentiary support.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Some <a href=\"https:\/\/www.acluarkansas.org\/en\/press-releases\/federal-court-upholds-preliminary-injunction-against-arkansas-ban-gender-affirming\">fuel<\/a> for the ACLU\u2019s fight comes from its Jon L. Stryker and Slobodan Randjelovi\u0107 LGBTQ &#038; HIV Project.<\/p>\n<p>In 2021, Stryker and Randjelovi\u0107 bestowed the ACLU with a $15 million endowment to fund that project, the ACLU said in another news release. \u201cThe gift is the largest LGBTQ rights-focused gift in the ACLU\u2019s history,\u201d the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/press-releases\/aclu-announces-jon-l-stryker-and-slobodan-randjelovic-lgbtq-hiv-project\">release<\/a> said.<\/p>\n<p>Stryker is the founder and president of the Arcus Foundation, the largest non-governmental organization devoted to the LGBT cause, according to Jennifer Bilek, a journalist who has spent years tracking how money is connected to transgender <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/t-activism\">activism<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Bilek believes that\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.firstthings.com\/web-exclusives\/2020\/01\/the-billionaires-behind-the-lgbt-movement\">billionaires<\/a> are behind the scenes, pushing for global acceptance of \u201cgender identity\u201d and \u201ctransgender\u201d ideologies. The goal, she said, is to create new markets for medical services and products. Bilek has called the transgender crusade \u201cbig business dressed up in civil rights clothes.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>\u2018Body Art\u2019 Illegal<\/h2>\n<p>In response to the ACLU\u2019s filings, Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge pointed out that laws commonly forbid juveniles from making choices that are perfectly legal for adults.<\/p>\n<p>Under Arkansas law, minors are barred from buying certain cold medicines. They can\u2019t legally play bingo or the lottery. They can\u2019t bet on horse races or dog races. And they also cannot have their nipples and genitals pierced or tattooed\u2014not even with parental consent.<\/p>\n<p>So that\u2019s why it seemed logical to outlaw removing or altering those parts of a child\u2019s body for gender-transition reasons, Lundstrum said. She sees the SAFE Act as a logical extension of the state\u2019s child-protection measures.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere is a huge list of all the things that we do to protect minors. \u2026.You can\u2019t drive until 16. And you can\u2019t vote until 18,\u201d she said. \u201cBut we will chemically castrate our children without thinking about counseling first, without finding out what the problem is, finding out why a child would want to disavow the sex that they were born with? It\u2019s the irony and the sickness of that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lundstrum says her legislation prompted great conversations with many transgender people. \u00a0A few told her that transitioning made them feel more comfortable about their identities, \u201cbut the pain, the long-term issues have cost them dearly,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>One of the most poignant observations came from a male who medically transitioned to female and told Lundstrum: \u201cSo I\u2019m living two lives at the same time, with all the health complications that come with living both genders.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>States that are listed in support of Arkansas ban on transgender procedures for minors are: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and West Virginia. In addition, Ohio has proposed a similar law, but is not listed among the official supporters of the SAFE Act.<\/p>\n<p>The states that have sided with the ACLU\u2019s fight to overturn the Arkansas ban are: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington. The District of Columbia is also listed.<\/p>\n<div class=\"author_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"one_author_block round\">\n<div class=\"top_row\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/author-janice-hisle\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/WEB_JaniceHisle.jpg\" alt=\"Janice Hisle\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Follow<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Janice Hisle writes about a variety of topics, with emphasis on criminal justice news and trends. Before joining The Epoch Times, she worked for more than two decades as a reporter for newspapers in Ohio and authored several books. A graduate of Kent State University&#8217;s journalism program, she embraces &#8220;old-school&#8221; journalism with a modern twist. <\/p>\n<p>You can reach Janice by email by writing to janice.hisle@epochtimes.us<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Combatants on both sides of the war over gender-altering drugs and surgeries for minors are crying out: \u201cWe\u2019ve got to help these distressed children!\u201dBut trying to chart a course toward<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1682707,"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-1682705","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\/1682705","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\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1682705"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1682705\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1682707"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1682705"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1682705"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1682705"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}