The Bulwark conserves conservatism by suggesting that Ron DeSantis is a parents' rights hypocrite if he allows ban on 'youth transgender care'

If Ron DeSantis is re-elected Governor of Florida in a couple of weeks, the billions of transgender kids in Florida are going to be up a creek. And that raises a very important question at The Bulwark: What happened to parents’ rights?

DeSantis's surgeon general is planning to ban *all* youth transgender care, even social transitioning. What happened to parents' rights? https://t.co/xElsENwM0U

— The Bulwark (@BulwarkOnline) October 24, 2022

What happened to Conserving Conservatism? More from The Bulwark:

On October 28, the Florida Boards of Medicine and Osteopathic Medicine are planning to discuss, and probably confirm, guidelines that [Joseph] Ladapo issued in April prohibiting gender-affirming treatments for minors, including social transitioning. Ladapo’s recommendations are part of a broader campaign against transgender care which at times has been motivated by ignorance, zealotry, and rank partisan politics.

“Ignorance, zealotry, and rank partisan politics.” Aka The Bulwark’s bread and butter. But we digress.

University of Miami Visual Journalism Prof. Alberto Cairo continues:

Ladapo’s guidelines, which go against current standards of care used by all major medical organizations, are based on cherry-picked and misrepresented evidence as well as the testimony of a few carefully chosen anti-LGBTQ “experts.” Ladapo’s recommendations have already had a chilling effect on Florida hospitals; some have stopped accepting new patients needing care for gender dysphoria in anticipation of coming changes in state law.

The reason Ladapo is seeking to ban youth gender-affirming care is the “lack of conclusive evidence” of its benefits. This is one of the oldest tricks of science deniers. Science—particularly medical and mental health science—is rarely “conclusive” in the sense of absolute certainty that Ladapo is using. Science—again, particularly medical and mental health science—is an ongoing process of managing uncertainties and trade-offs.

Research on gender-affirming care has many uncertainties, but a majority of up-to-date scholarship suggests that it is beneficial. As happens with any other medical treatment, there are potential side effects to puberty blockers—which have been used for decades with no public outrage about it—or hormone treatments that can be assessed and monitored for every person. From what research we have at the moment, their benefits outweigh possible side effects. And there are no negative medical side effects to social transitioning.

The Bulwark joins the many outlets badly distorting the evidence on youth gender medicine. "Lack of conclusive evidence" is, if anything, too gentle. For kids who socially transition pre-puberty, then go on blockers, then go on hormones, there are *zero* adult outcome studies. pic.twitter.com/vxWm4Q2JJ7

— Jesse Singal (@jessesingal) October 24, 2022

What's remarkable about what the Bulwark did here is that "benefits outweigh possible side effects" links to a shoddy article in Science-Based Medicine by a clinician with a direct financial stake in this, rather than, say, Sweden's health system officially finding *the opposite* pic.twitter.com/dj4daCG2Rm

— Jesse Singal (@jessesingal) October 24, 2022

This also comes two days after the NHS signalled it's likely to radically change *its* approach to this stuff in a dramatically Swedenish direction.

At a certain point, it's impossible these authors and evidence are oblivious to all this. They intentionally hide it from you.

— Jesse Singal (@jessesingal) October 24, 2022

The Bulwark trafficking in willful deception?!

Yep, sounds about right.

Whatever your *personal*, anecdotal experiences, aren't you just… lying about the broader scene? Isn't that the word for this? pic.twitter.com/9jU18YKAs5

— Jesse Singal (@jessesingal) October 24, 2022

None of this means DeSantis is right or that his heart is even in the right place, but for the love of God if a journalism professor refuses to treat this matter journalistically, what is the point of any of this?

— Jesse Singal (@jessesingal) October 24, 2022

And goes without saying that any attempt to legislate *social* transition is absolutely insane and will lead to terrible outcomes and nightmarish situations in which the state comes down like a hammer on individual families. It's bonkers any conservatives favor that.

— Jesse Singal (@jessesingal) October 24, 2022

That’s a fair point from Singal. But at least when it comes to the medical side of “youth gender-affirming care,” The Bulwark is very deliberately leaving out all the facts and playing fast and loose with the data.