Thread by @MavenOfMayhem

THREAD in response to the San Francisco Examiner’s opinion piece, entitled: “When it comes to trans youth, we’re in danger of losing our way” by Erica Anderson

I have concerns with this one and I’ll lay them out here. 1/24

Intro: I’m nonbinary, raising a kid who came out as trans in 2014 (they're 19 now) and I’m married to a trans woman. I authored a book on affirming trans people and act as an advisor/educator on these issues, particularly in relation to trans kids and families. 2/

These are my thoughts, and I’ll back them up with facts as much as possible.

Because what I noticed, more than anything, is that this article is short on facts and big on speculation. (That being said, it was clearly positioned as an opinion piece.) 3/

1.1 This smacks of an ROGD article without specifically mentioning ROGD.

ROGD stands for Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria. The theory is that cisgender youth are being influenced by their peers into believing they’re trans. They then rush into identifying this way. 4/

1.2 ROGD has been widely discredited as a theory, in part because only parents were interviewed about their child’s “rapid onset” of gender dysphoria (not the kids). And the parents who were interviewed strongly biased against trans identities. caaps.co/rogd-statement 5/

2.1 This piece is written by a trans person. While this can lend credibility, it should also be noted that trans people (including me) are not immune to internalized or systemic transphobia. Even those of us who work in advocacy spaces. 6/

2.2 I'm not inside the author's head and am making no claims here at all. However, I'm saying we were raised in a cisgender-centered society, and as such have to fight against the same messaging as everyone else. That's something to always be aware of. 7/

3.1 The main premise of this piece is the idea that, fueled by the pandemic and addiction to screens, young people with psychological issues are being influenced by the internet into believing they’re trans, creating a surge of maybe-not-actually-trans kids. 8/

3.2 There are a few problems with this idea. A) There’s no evidence to show these kids aren't trans. All it indicates is more of them are coming out now. But this is also true of trans adults during the pandemic, myself included. Are we being “influenced” too? Or just kids? 9/

3.3 B) The article brings up “contagion” in the context of a social contagion twice, which is alarming.

We’ve seen this historically used when more gay people started coming out and also with interracial couples & families. "Dangerous ideas are catching on!" type thing. 10/

3.4 C) The article acts as though only trans kids are going through big changes during the pandemic, whereas many people in various demographics are finding themselves: back to school, career changes, divorce, etc. This is a period of growth and discovery for EVERYONE. 11/

3.5 D) The author highlights online “peer influences” as a potential cause of this "contagion".

But transphobic parents also blame GSAs and school friends for their children coming out. Is this not the same thing, just the online version? 12/

4.1 In true ROGD fashion, the author emphasizes the parents’ view of things over the children. The parents are shocked, grieving, and didn’t see it coming. But this isn’t new either. Parents are often shocked when kids first come out. It happens all the time. 13/

4.2 On top of being one of those parents myself, I’ve worked with and interfaced with thousands of others. Most of us were very surprised. Many of us had no idea our kids were trans or nonbinary. There were no signs until we were told. This isn't new. 14/

4.3 Years later, the vast majority of us still have kids who identify as trans/nonbinary. This isn’t BECAUSE we affirmed them. The evidence is clear that affirming children does not influence them whatsoever. Affirmation meets kids where they're at. 15/ cfp.ca/content/64/5/3…

5.2 What’s also well established now is that youth who are strongly supported by family have lower rates of depression and suicide, as shown here. 17/

transpulsecanada.ca/results/report…

5.3 In a recent study, it’s demonstrated that affirming medical care in young people reduces the rate of suicide by 40%. 18/

time.com/6128131/gender…

6.1 Finally, a note on affirming medical care in general. In most places around the world, the wait lists are long, the gatekeeping is strict. Assessments are done at each stage and at nearly every visit. This is a lengthy process. 19/

6.2 As such, any young person identifying as trans and seeking medical affirming care (not all do), usually has to wait a good while to receive it. The ramp up itself, from blockers to hormones to any potential surgery down the road is SLOW. Much slower than people realize. 20/

6.3 Nobody is coming out to their parents as trans one day and going on hormones the next. PLEASE remember this. This is a misconception and one that causes a great deal of harm to trans youth, their families, and medical providers. /21

This appears to be an article sounding an alarm over something that isn’t that alarming. All we know is more youth are identifying as trans. We don’t know they’re NOT trans. There’s no data to reflect that at this time. The pandemic may just be their opportunity to come out. 22/

And that’s what makes speculative pieces like this one so dangerous. They strikes fear into the reader and could very well prevent trans youth from receiving the affirming support they need from their parents.

Without evidence, it’s just fear, and that can cause harm. 23/

Look, I’m getting tired of having to write these all the time, saying the same things and using the same evidence.

I sincerely hope we get past this someday. Let’s move away from fear and into education and acceptance. Thank you. 24/24