It’s not very often that the New York Times gets something right, so when they do, they deserve to get props from us for it. Unfortunately, if they’re getting props from us, it’s a safe bet that the Left is very, very angry.
That certainly seems to be the case with regard to a recent New York Times piece that shines a light on the fact that subjecting teens (or even younger kids) to “gender affirmation” treatment such as puberty blockers can have serious and long-term effects on those kids’ health.
But as an increasing number of adolescents identify as transgender — in the United States, an estimated 300,000 ages 13 to 17 and an untold number who are younger — concerns are growing among some medical professionals about the consequences of the drugs, a New York Times examination found. The questions are fueling government reviews in Europe, prompting a push for more research and leading some prominent specialists to reconsider at what age to prescribe them and for how long. A small number of doctors won’t recommend them at all.
Dutch doctors first offered puberty blockers to transgender adolescents three decades ago, typically following up with hormone treatment to help patients transition. Since then, the practice has spread to other countries, with varying protocols, little documentation of outcomes and no government approval of the drugs for that use, including by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
But there is emerging evidence of potential harm from using blockers, according to reviews of scientific papers and interviews with more than 50 doctors and academic experts around the world.
The drugs suppress estrogen and testosterone, hormones that help develop the reproductive system but also affect the bones, the brain and other parts of the body.
We’re not medical professionals or anything, but we feel like giving teens drugs that can screw up their physical and mental development might not be the best idea.
And you believe that, you’re a transphobic bigot. And if you report on it, well, you’re a transphobic bigot.
wrote about the Times, specifically @mega2e and @By_CJewett, letting their imaginations run away with them as they try to limit the number of trans people who are allowed to exist https://t.co/SoMqS54XGA
— Lauren Theisen (@theisen95) November 15, 2022
Yesterday, the New York Times published yet another scaremongering feature length piece "just asking questions" about trans care for children.
Today, Texas is proposing legislation JAILING the parents of all trans kids in the state.
— Cassie, Freelance Transfiguration Specialist (@CassieCeleste) November 15, 2022
You can draw a direct line between articles like what was published in the New York Times yesterday and laws like this.
They build the basis for genocide against trans people and will be used in the hearings and court battles.
(cancel NYT btw)https://t.co/hg4Gs2Yd0Z
— Erin Reed (@ErinInTheMorn) November 15, 2022
Hey New York Times, if the people who helped incite violence and bomb threats against Children's Hospitals are celebrating and praising your coverage around gender affirming care, you might want to think about what you're doing wrong. pic.twitter.com/OE1dY616Gz
— Alejandra Caraballo (@Esqueer_) November 14, 2022
The New York Times is basically "TRANS PEOPLE: THREAT OR MENACE?" at this point. https://t.co/H6lwuIGnsu
— Jodie Troutman (@LongTallJodie) November 15, 2022
The @NYTimes's crusade against trans people, especially kids, is nauseating. It's clearly driven by resentment of anyone criticizing the authors and sources on social media and written without the least consideration for the public. Despicable. https://t.co/NZDpKgZqY1
— 💭 (@samthielman) November 14, 2022
“Drawing attention to long-term health problems for young people is ‘despicable,’ but liberally prescribing drugs that cause those long-term health problems is good” is certainly a take. As is “The New York Times is a right-wing rag.”
"The NY Times's crusade against trans people" pic.twitter.com/TQRlAU50Ne
— Alex Griswold (@HashtagGriswold) November 15, 2022
That famous bastion of social conservatism, the New York Times
— Alex Griswold (@HashtagGriswold) November 15, 2022
Heh.
For what it’s worth, the New York Times has managed to nevertheless persist despite all the criticism conservatives have thrown at it, so chances are pretty good that they’ll weather this radical trans activist storm as well. And, if they’re smart, they’ll be willing to weather the radical trans activist storm going forward as well, because, quite frankly, we need more honesty from the MSM.
Glenn Greenwald, for one, wholeheartedly agrees:
Credit to the NYT for writing this unflinching look at how puberty blockers have been handed out to kids as young as 8 with almost no data on their safety, yet now studies are finding – surprise! – they cause all kinds of harms, including to bone density:https://t.co/fOSdoH97yJ
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) November 14, 2022
One of the most dishonest debate-closing tactics has been to imply those who write a lot about trans issues (that does not include me) are creepily obsessed with what adults do to their bodies.
It's just a lie: most of the debate is about what society is doing to *young kids.*
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) November 14, 2022
That liberals have been able to basically force people to swallow new, very radical gender realities with no data is a testament to their hegemony in media, politics, Hollywood, etc.
But it's immoral to ban debate over science, especially for kids' health. Read the NYT article.
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) November 14, 2022
If the trans movement has remained focus on where the gay movement always was focused – the right of *adults* to live their lives with full autonomy and to be respected in their identity – there would have been little controversy. The "live and let live" ethos prevails in the US.
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) November 14, 2022
The problem is there's a vast, sprawling and well-funded gay and lesbian activist bureaucracy that won after Obergefell. But these bureaucracies can't win, since that means they disappear. So they always push to the place where there's resistance: ie medical treatment for kids.
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) November 14, 2022
Society constantly debates what kids can and can't do. We leave some things to parents but not everything (you can't let your kids drink alcohol, see X rated films, or drive, etc.). The idea that society can't debate if these treatments are safe and moral for kids is grotesque.
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) November 14, 2022
And, as always, so much of this is based on ratifying long-discarded, toxic gender stereotypes. Look at this paragraph. We finally accepted the idea that it's OK for boys to play with dolls and girls to have short hair and play sports. Now: boys like that are told they're girls: pic.twitter.com/zrsXVfiwtB
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) November 14, 2022
Trans adults deserve the absolute right to decide how they will live, and to be treated with respect and live with dignity and full equal rights. But somehow, we've accepted only bigots question if these brand new medical treatments are safe for kids:https://t.co/fOSdoH8zJb
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) November 14, 2022
And, for those raising the issue of "conversion therapy": using (often pressured) sex-reassignment treatments and surgeries is how homosexuality is erased in Iran. "Oh, that boy likes dolls and other boys? Just make him a girl: problem solved":https://t.co/YJDEvAa2F5
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) November 14, 2022
You might recall prominent Dem trans activist @cmclymer — who had a long history as a male feminist of harassing and abusing women, which is now gone to history — praised Iran for being so progressive on trans treatments when it's actually used as a means of erasing gay people: pic.twitter.com/gWXGIPhc50
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) November 14, 2022
I have no tolerance for people who treat trans identity abusively or tell adults they can't live their lives how they want.
But all of these issues — most particularly the ones affecting kids — are very new and complex. You have every right to question and debate them. pic.twitter.com/QAbFXXTQxP
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) November 14, 2022
Amen.
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