A Times opinion poll found that the majority of Democrats think women's sports should be restricted according to sex, not gender identity, and that minors shouldn't have access to transition drugs.
Is there any chance you'd consider writing something about the democrats' insane "genital inspection" fearmongering during debate on the House bill? It really boggles the mind how they all got up and repeated the same lie over and over again. Do you think they are lying, or are they just so in thrall to the activist groups that they just believe everything they say?
All I know is that there was no enforcement mechanism written into the bill, so Democrats theorized that this would lead to genital inspections. Others said the matter could be resolved with a cheek swab.
This bill is an amendment to Title IX. Neither the orginal Title IX bill nor the voluminous Title IX implementation regulations that followed have ever had - or needed to have - language spelling out how to tell whether a student is male or female for the purpose of sports classification.
All schools in the USA require that students get physical exams by a licensed HCP in order to be cleared to participate in school sports. The insurers require this. All the paperwork that has to be filled out when students go to HCPs for sports physicals ask sex specific questions such as about hernias and missing or undescened testicles in boys, and menarche, menstrual periods, length of periods, length of cycles for girls. All the health documents submitted to the schools in order to get cleared for sports have checkboxes or fill-ins where the student's sex has to be stated.
On top of this, all schools in the USA require that parents/guardians submit a certified copy of a birth or baptismal certificat showing sex and DOB when they first register their kids for school. The BC becomes part of the student's "permanent record" that follows them through all their schooling to and through college/grad school. If there's ever a need to change the BC (as might happen with some DSDs like XY 5-ARD not discovered until puberty), there's supposed to be a strict procedure. But that might be out the window today with so many people deciding their kids are "trans"and altering their kids' BCs.
Finally, in order for kids to attend school in the USA, all states except one that I know of (Vermont) require that the kids get a full medical physical prior to attending K or first grade, and additional medical checkups least a couple of times when they reach the older grades. Some states require a doctor's vist for a physical exam before the start of 7th grade and again before the start of 10th grade. Other states require that kids get physicals every year. When my kids were in school in the 1990-2000s, they had to get school physicals ever year. That was the case when I was growing up many decades ago too.
I'd say a little of both. The "genital inspections" line is right from the TRA playbook.
The whole thing is absurd, because 99 times out of 100, the people applying to enter women's sports are going to be obviously women, so no test will be needed other than eyeballs. For those few who can't be identified visually, a cheek swab will suffice. For those VERY few who aren't XX because of Turner syndrome or whatever, they'll no doubt used to explaining their situation so they will be fine.
"A review paper published by Dr. Michael Joyner of the Mayo Clinic in December found that even prior to puberty, boys do have at least a slight advantage over girls athletically, and that this difference widens dramatically after male puberty’s onset. "
Prior to puberty of adolescence boys have a marked advantage in most sports and sports-related activities where speed, strength, explosiveness, fast reaction times, sturdiness, eye-hand coordination and aim matter.
This is documented by youth records in numerous sports (base/softball, track & field, soccer, swimming, tennis, etc) as well as the results of extensive physical fitness testing of kids doing sports-related activities (running, jumping, kicking, throwing, climbing ropes, one-arm hangs, pull-ups, etc).
Prior to puberty of adolescence, girls only match or exceed boys in sports and sports-related activities on land where flexibility, balance, and fine motor skills with the toes/feet and fingers/hands matter most.
Water activities are different to land ones, though. Before puberty of adolescence, girls sometimes do better or the same as boys in some swimming races (depending on the stroke and distance) in pools and fresh water (as opposed to salt water). There are two reasons for this: 1) even before female puberty of adolescence, girls have more body fat than boys and they also have an extra layer of fat directly under the skin all over their bodies which gives them extra buoyancy, which helps compesate for their lower muscular stength and explosiveness; 2) even before male puberty of adolescence, boys have denser, heavier bones and a slightly different center of gravity than girls - which gives them a disadvantage in buoyancy in pool and fresh water. In salt water boys do better than in pools, lakes, rivers.
Re this statement: "By the time natal girls are 15, most of them are likely either finished with puberty or in a later stage. So prescribing puberty blockers to them is not likely to serve much of a purpose."
Not true.
One of the main objectives that girls who adopt trans identities have when they seek out "youth gender medicine" is stopping their periods and cycles. GnRHa drugs do that very effectively.
Most of these girls are incredibly distressed and bothered by their menstrual periods, menstrual pain, heavy bleeding, menstrual irregularity and unpredictability. They also have enormous difficulties dealing with the range of physical, emotional and mental health consequences caused by the the huge fluctuations in hormones they experience during their cycles. I think a lot of these girls would qualify for a Dx of PMDD, endometriosis or PCOS. At the very least they should get a workup for those conditions.
Of course, there are other, cheaper ways to stop periods and the female hormone cycle such as oral contraceptives and long-acting shots and implants. But girls with "gender dysphoria" don't want to take "the pill" or even long-acting contraceptive medications like implants because those are "birth control" and they consider "birth control" drugs to be things that girls/women take.
I am a psychologist, and worked with outpatients with "gender" concerns for about 20 years (late Nineties through about 2018). About 90% of the people who came to see me were males between 25-65. Most had gone through a stage of AGP behavior, and some were seeking help with that problem. Very few of these people identified as "transgender." Most of those who did identify as such complained of a persistent, intense, obsessive preoccupation with wanting to be a woman, usually a particular kind of woman, Dolly Parton-esque or variations on that look.
All of these men were occupied in jobs that ranged from very male dominated (military, high tech) to neutral. None of them were employed in female dominated occupations, or ones that focus on feminine concerns. They described the onset of gender dysphoria as adolescence or later.
Since I stopped my subspecialty in "gender issues" I no longer see the above described patients, but now female adolescent and young adult patients often claim to be "nonbinary," "trans," "lesbian," "bi," or some other new fangled sexual identity. For most, there is no prior history of anything but normal identification as female, accompanied by feminine behavior, often markedly so. Young women who used to identify as butch lesbians occasionally show up, but nowadays they are usually sent down the medicalization funnel before they get to me. Gender dysphoria of the kind I used to see is rarely presented now, except by wannabes who are faking it.
Is there any chance you'd consider writing something about the democrats' insane "genital inspection" fearmongering during debate on the House bill? It really boggles the mind how they all got up and repeated the same lie over and over again. Do you think they are lying, or are they just so in thrall to the activist groups that they just believe everything they say?
All I know is that there was no enforcement mechanism written into the bill, so Democrats theorized that this would lead to genital inspections. Others said the matter could be resolved with a cheek swab.
This bill is an amendment to Title IX. Neither the orginal Title IX bill nor the voluminous Title IX implementation regulations that followed have ever had - or needed to have - language spelling out how to tell whether a student is male or female for the purpose of sports classification.
All schools in the USA require that students get physical exams by a licensed HCP in order to be cleared to participate in school sports. The insurers require this. All the paperwork that has to be filled out when students go to HCPs for sports physicals ask sex specific questions such as about hernias and missing or undescened testicles in boys, and menarche, menstrual periods, length of periods, length of cycles for girls. All the health documents submitted to the schools in order to get cleared for sports have checkboxes or fill-ins where the student's sex has to be stated.
On top of this, all schools in the USA require that parents/guardians submit a certified copy of a birth or baptismal certificat showing sex and DOB when they first register their kids for school. The BC becomes part of the student's "permanent record" that follows them through all their schooling to and through college/grad school. If there's ever a need to change the BC (as might happen with some DSDs like XY 5-ARD not discovered until puberty), there's supposed to be a strict procedure. But that might be out the window today with so many people deciding their kids are "trans"and altering their kids' BCs.
Finally, in order for kids to attend school in the USA, all states except one that I know of (Vermont) require that the kids get a full medical physical prior to attending K or first grade, and additional medical checkups least a couple of times when they reach the older grades. Some states require a doctor's vist for a physical exam before the start of 7th grade and again before the start of 10th grade. Other states require that kids get physicals every year. When my kids were in school in the 1990-2000s, they had to get school physicals ever year. That was the case when I was growing up many decades ago too.
Thank you for your post, this is the first time I have seen such a clear reply to the "genital inspection" BS.
That seems like something where there is a fact of the matter that could be established.
It’s so ridiculous, fear mongering. How about a sports physical signed by a doctor.
I'd say a little of both. The "genital inspections" line is right from the TRA playbook.
The whole thing is absurd, because 99 times out of 100, the people applying to enter women's sports are going to be obviously women, so no test will be needed other than eyeballs. For those few who can't be identified visually, a cheek swab will suffice. For those VERY few who aren't XX because of Turner syndrome or whatever, they'll no doubt used to explaining their situation so they will be fine.
"A review paper published by Dr. Michael Joyner of the Mayo Clinic in December found that even prior to puberty, boys do have at least a slight advantage over girls athletically, and that this difference widens dramatically after male puberty’s onset. "
Prior to puberty of adolescence boys have a marked advantage in most sports and sports-related activities where speed, strength, explosiveness, fast reaction times, sturdiness, eye-hand coordination and aim matter.
This is documented by youth records in numerous sports (base/softball, track & field, soccer, swimming, tennis, etc) as well as the results of extensive physical fitness testing of kids doing sports-related activities (running, jumping, kicking, throwing, climbing ropes, one-arm hangs, pull-ups, etc).
Prior to puberty of adolescence, girls only match or exceed boys in sports and sports-related activities on land where flexibility, balance, and fine motor skills with the toes/feet and fingers/hands matter most.
Water activities are different to land ones, though. Before puberty of adolescence, girls sometimes do better or the same as boys in some swimming races (depending on the stroke and distance) in pools and fresh water (as opposed to salt water). There are two reasons for this: 1) even before female puberty of adolescence, girls have more body fat than boys and they also have an extra layer of fat directly under the skin all over their bodies which gives them extra buoyancy, which helps compesate for their lower muscular stength and explosiveness; 2) even before male puberty of adolescence, boys have denser, heavier bones and a slightly different center of gravity than girls - which gives them a disadvantage in buoyancy in pool and fresh water. In salt water boys do better than in pools, lakes, rivers.
Very helpful explanation!
Why is this on Substack and not The New York Times? 🙄
The Times DID cover it. I just went into more depth.
Re this statement: "By the time natal girls are 15, most of them are likely either finished with puberty or in a later stage. So prescribing puberty blockers to them is not likely to serve much of a purpose."
Not true.
One of the main objectives that girls who adopt trans identities have when they seek out "youth gender medicine" is stopping their periods and cycles. GnRHa drugs do that very effectively.
Most of these girls are incredibly distressed and bothered by their menstrual periods, menstrual pain, heavy bleeding, menstrual irregularity and unpredictability. They also have enormous difficulties dealing with the range of physical, emotional and mental health consequences caused by the the huge fluctuations in hormones they experience during their cycles. I think a lot of these girls would qualify for a Dx of PMDD, endometriosis or PCOS. At the very least they should get a workup for those conditions.
Of course, there are other, cheaper ways to stop periods and the female hormone cycle such as oral contraceptives and long-acting shots and implants. But girls with "gender dysphoria" don't want to take "the pill" or even long-acting contraceptive medications like implants because those are "birth control" and they consider "birth control" drugs to be things that girls/women take.
I am a psychologist, and worked with outpatients with "gender" concerns for about 20 years (late Nineties through about 2018). About 90% of the people who came to see me were males between 25-65. Most had gone through a stage of AGP behavior, and some were seeking help with that problem. Very few of these people identified as "transgender." Most of those who did identify as such complained of a persistent, intense, obsessive preoccupation with wanting to be a woman, usually a particular kind of woman, Dolly Parton-esque or variations on that look.
All of these men were occupied in jobs that ranged from very male dominated (military, high tech) to neutral. None of them were employed in female dominated occupations, or ones that focus on feminine concerns. They described the onset of gender dysphoria as adolescence or later.
Since I stopped my subspecialty in "gender issues" I no longer see the above described patients, but now female adolescent and young adult patients often claim to be "nonbinary," "trans," "lesbian," "bi," or some other new fangled sexual identity. For most, there is no prior history of anything but normal identification as female, accompanied by feminine behavior, often markedly so. Young women who used to identify as butch lesbians occasionally show up, but nowadays they are usually sent down the medicalization funnel before they get to me. Gender dysphoria of the kind I used to see is rarely presented now, except by wannabes who are faking it.
Very interesting, thanks for all that detail, Sandra.