Thread by @nickwallis

Closing plenary being given by Admiral Brian Christine, assistant secretary of health.

[note I'm only summarising/characterising this speech. Only words in direct quotes]

Parents are being lied to by the medical profession

WPATH, the endocrine society, and the American Society of Pediatrics "I say they are wolves in sheep's clothing"

Gender-affirming care is not science, it is not healthcare this is radical politics… and this is wrong.

"We will not stop until this barbaric practice is eradicated like the plague that it is.... this is a major failure of the medical establishment."

As I am here before you this afternoon... I will continue to "evangelise" that "the science does not support mutilating procedures and castrating chemicals"

There is still much work to be done to protect our children and hold our medical professions to account.

There's a lot differences between me and my predecessor Rachel/Richard Levine. I stand before you as a man in a man's uniform.

Boys are boys, girls are girls and no amount of chemicals or destructive surgeries can change that.

Under President Trump's leadership we are attempting to right the wrongs of the previous administration. We are fighting hard for you - we will give you the oppo - men, women and children - the oppo to live healthy lives. We will lead our vulnerable children onto safe dry land.

[ends - I've recorded that speech and will probably focus on that for a blog post later on ]genderblog.net

Because Mia Hughes has been delayed by a snowstorm in Ontario, she is late for her 11am speaking slot and is instead doing a post-closing plenary talk.

And she's off. [remember this is a mere summary]
MH - Previously people who wanted to have their healthy body parts removed would be treated as having a serious disorder. Today it is celebrated.

Because this madness is cultural detransition has two dimensions - personal and cultural. It was absorbed from the surrounding culture, media, schools, doctors, activists and the internet. Recovery needs to be on both levels. Hormones change bodies, surgery cannot be undone...

... but ideological and psychological transition is body. Learning to let go - recognising living in the opposite sex can never deliver the happiness it promised, or letting go of being born in the wrong body, or realising it is too stressful just pretending forever.

When that belief finally loosens its grip, there is immense relief. The exhaustion of trying to bend reality leaves. Letting go of the belief is not easy because it requires admitting to yourself you made a mistake in front of your friends and family. And all whilst...

... it continues to be celebrated all around you.
When transactivism and the idea trans was an innate trait first appeared - the cultural conditions were just right. Gay rights was coming to a close and was clear who had the high moral ground.

This time round people wanted to be on the right side of history. The fear of being called transphobic trumped logic and reason. Now things have changed. We have a need to establish the counter-argument. Doing so not out of fear but courage.

In the same way that 1000s of young people encountered people on line announcing they were trans, they are now meeting detransitions who are telling their stories. You [the people in this room] are the role models young people needed but society failed to provide.

The responsibility for fuelling cultural recovery is not on detransitioners. It falls on all of us. We need society-wide detransition. We must stop pretending a new type of human being has been discovered. That amputating healthy body parts is medicine for anyone of any age.

We must stop celebrating the idea that becoming a lifelong medical patient is a right.

Everyone today who knows the truth about this medical scandal must do and say something. Hormones are being phased out for minors, but they are still there for adults, as if something magical happens to them when they turn 18.

Our culture refuses to let go of the belief. We need to get out the megaphones, that gender medicine is built on a lie. People need guiding towards a less destructive path.

When people finally understand that trans was never an innate ID but a psychiatric disorder, people will try to minimise. They will say they always had doubts, or never really believed it anyway. But we should not forget and those who caused the harm should be held to account.

We should never forget what the human capacity for collective madness can unleash.

[Mia ends]

Conference ends with a souvenir snap.

Thanks everyone who engaged with my live tweeting of a conference, which was admittedly a very strange thing to do. Hope it was useful to someone somewhere.

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