Trans journalist Erin Reed called Douthat’s interview “hostile” and noted that El-Sayed previously stood up for trans rights when asked in August by Fox News’ Jesse Watters whether he supports “sex changes for minors.” El- Sayed replied, “The government shouldn’t tell you what kind of health care you should have, and if you’re a minor, that’s between you and your doctor and your parents.”
In September, a state university student asked about his position on gender-affirming care. El-Sayed answered, “I don’t think the government gets to have a say about what health care is provided in what circumstances and why.”
Reed also praised El-Sayed for remaining steadfastly committed to trans rights at a time when other Democratic politicians have adopted right-wing framing, saying they oppose government-funded surgeries for trans kids (something that almost never occurs) and “biological men in women’s sports” (an inaccurate and insulting reference to trans girls and women athletes who want to play on sports teams matching their gender identity).
“El-Sayed’s race will be one of the most important to watch on election night,” Reed wrote. “If he can win a highly contested seat despite the anti-transgender Republican money spent against him and the attacks from the right-leaning wing of his own party, it will be a clear case that embracing anti-trans views is not required to win swing states and swing districts across the United States.”
On his campaign website, under the heading “Healthcare Freedom for Women and LGBTQ+ Americans,” El-Sayed wrote, “Healthcare decisions should be made by a patient (and their parents if they are a minor) and their doctor–no one else. That includes reproductive and gender-affirming care…. I oppose any effort to criminalize certain medications and the use of lawfare or funding cuts to stop healthcare providers from providing full-spectrum healthcare that meet all the needs of their diverse communities.”
oh i remember this one, first it was that your brain finished developing at 18, then 21, now its 25 and im seeing people consider banning all sorts of things until you hit 30. All based on pop psychology pseudoscience and a study that cut off at those specific ages and concluded that your brain never stops changing. Its funny how all pretense of having rigor and being careful with science stops once its something you can use to oppress minorities.
You know what’s also proven? HRT for trans minors is both easily reversible and proven to lower suicide rates. But from what I’ve seen from the people that spout these points you’d probably like it better if they killed themselves
The brain is only truly complete when you’re dead. Best to be safe and never let anyone make a decision.
I’d be ok with that rule, provided it only apply to those who’d complain the loudest: US “libertarians” and fascists.
Not really, since that’s obviously tyranny, but it could make for a fun week to do it temporarily 😁
1: the brain study didn’t conculde anything of the sort. It’s chart just showed constant growth and stopped where they ran out of available data. Human brains keep developing your entire life.
2: Both feminizing and masculizing trans HRT have changes that cannot be reversed without substantial surgery. Puberty blockers however are entirely reversible.
1: reread my post 2: the onset for the more permanent effects tends to be weeks to months, but most endos tend to underdose grown adults who have been evaluated to suffer from severe gender dysphoria, let alone a trans kid whos toooootally doing it for a fad and is throwing themselves at trucks for attention. But its not really relevant since i wanted to say puberty blockers but misspoke
No worries. There’s a bunch of stress on this issue.
You said that one study said brain development stops at 25. I asserted that to the best of my knowledge that study itself didn’t even say that – it’s just people misquoting it.
Wikipedia has what looks like a fair article debunking the idea. :)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brain_matures_at_25_myth
You are spot on about puberty blockers being reversible. Which is why there is any use for them at all with trans-curious youth for whom there is any question at all that they might not be trans.
Denying HRT to teenagers who are confident in their gender identity is just cruelty. Going through cis-puberty has irreversible changes and causes mental anguish for a mono gendered trans person. Especially since, as you said, the permanent changes take months to occur.
I don’t want to ban anything until you’re any age, I want to know what seems to be the most rational age that best quantifies the sentiment that you must be able to provide consent to interact morally in this world with your personhood. If you cannot reason properly, you cannot produce consent.
If you can - by way of sufficient evidence - show that a 21 year old can produce the fundamental same level of rationality as a 25 year old, then I would agree that a solid age is 21.
But the problem here isn’t age, it’s consent.