Thread by @taygoldenstein

Sen. @DonnaCampbellTX, R-New Braunfels, now laying out #SB14, which would ban gender-affirming care for minors. Says it's all about "child protection."

"Sometimes we must work hard against something in order to fight for something," she says. #txlege

@DonnaCampbellTX Sen. Jose @Menendez4Texas, D-San Antonio, asks why Campbell, who is a physician herself, wants to get in between patients and doctors.

She says this is a situation where the system can't regulate itself + the gov't needs to step in.

@DonnaCampbellTX @Menendez4Texas Campbell says there is a "social contagion" when it comes to transgender children.

This is a frequent argument used by conservatives, but important to note there is no definitive research proving social media has influence over gender identity.

@DonnaCampbellTX @Menendez4Texas Menendez talking about how the overwhelming majority of transgender people remain transgender throughout their lives.

Campbell says she wouldn't want to conflate that "just bc they haven't detransitioned means they are happy that they did transition." nytimes.com/2022/05/04/hea…

@DonnaCampbellTX @Menendez4Texas Sen. Morgan @lamantia4texas, D-South Padre Island, clarifying that this bill won't affect children being treated for precocious (premature) puberty.

Campbell assures her it will not + says she should let her know if she sees anything showing otherwise.

@DonnaCampbellTX @Menendez4Texas @lamantia4texas LaMantia asks Campbell why major med assoc'ns oppose this bill.

"I think they are careless ... They need to ... really examine where their views are coming from. You can still care + believe that the child needs to have that concern addressed, but there are other ways to do it."

@DonnaCampbellTX @Menendez4Texas @lamantia4texas Noting here that Sens. Bettencourt and Perry showed their support for the bill.

@DonnaCampbellTX @Menendez4Texas @lamantia4texas First invited witness is Prisha Mosley, who regretted her transition + detransitioned.

"I was a 15 y/o girl when the trans community found me." Says she already had other mental illnesses and was told changing her gender would cure her. "It wasn't true."
reuters.com/investigates/s…

@DonnaCampbellTX @Menendez4Texas @lamantia4texas Mosley, 25, of Michigan, discusses harm, such as being unable to raise voice or use tampons. She was recently interviewed by Reuters (see last tweet).

"While the damage done to my body can never be fully reversed, I can be an advocate for those girls in the same position I was."

@DonnaCampbellTX @Menendez4Texas @lamantia4texas Mosley says her dr refuses to prescribe female hormones. She's taking herbs instead.

Campbell is nearly in tears: "Who's taking care of the people who decide to go backwards ... Nobody ... Now that she's made this decision to detransition, nobody is there. How is that ethical?"

@DonnaCampbellTX @Menendez4Texas @lamantia4texas Mosley says she learned that her gender dysphoria disappeared when she was able to work through her trauma.

She keeps referring to the "trans community" as a singular force, i.e. that's who apparently told her to get a certain type of therapist to approve hormones.

@DonnaCampbellTX @Menendez4Texas @lamantia4texas Menendez says to detransitioner: "I don't want anyone to go through what you've gone through," but he says he thinks taking away gender-affirming care would leave children who know they are trans at a young age to possibly be in her same situation.

@DonnaCampbellTX @Menendez4Texas @lamantia4texas Next invited witness is pediatrician John Long of College Station.

"It is my opinion much of this gender dysphoria is projected on our youth" through culture, media, peers. Says gender-affirming care violates the four major principles of bioethics.

@DonnaCampbellTX @Menendez4Texas @lamantia4texas Long says he's had one patient with gender dysphoria in his entire career (raises questions about why he's an expert witness here), and that patient was treated with counseling only.

@DonnaCampbellTX @Menendez4Texas @lamantia4texas Next invited witness is pediatrician, Dr. Bethany Rife of Tomball. She is raising concerns about the negative effects of delaying puberty.

In some cases denying sexual future: "They will never develop a normal size penis. They will never develop a normal-sized vaginal opening."

@DonnaCampbellTX @Menendez4Texas @lamantia4texas Sen. LaMantia asks more about why she believes puberty blockers are irreversible in some cases.

"Keep in mind I'm not an endocrinologist,' Rife says.

(Again, unclear why no endocrinologist has been invited to testify.)

@DonnaCampbellTX @Menendez4Texas @lamantia4texas LaMantia asks why end result of puberty blockers different in precocious puberty vs dysphoria?

The dosages are different + it's given at younger age, she says. She adds:

"I honestly disagree with the American Association of Pediatrics on several things."

@DonnaCampbellTX @Menendez4Texas @lamantia4texas Next invited witness is Dr. John Carlo (@jtcarlo) on behalf of the @texmed.

If it passes, TMA would want to be the enforcing body and to grandfather-in drs/patients who are already on hormone therapy. Also concerned abt possibility of doctors' license revocation.

@DonnaCampbellTX @Menendez4Texas @lamantia4texas @jtcarlo @texmed Pushed to explain why it seems like he opposes the bill even though TMA does not take a position on it, Carlo says "gender detransitioning is very, very rare," close to 1 percent.

Says most doctors have not seen it happen, and that's also what the literature shows.

@DonnaCampbellTX @Menendez4Texas @lamantia4texas @jtcarlo @texmed Menendez apologizes for putting Carlo in a bad position by prodding him, but says he asks bc TMA wrote amicus brief in past supporting need for banning gender-affirming care.

https://twitter.com/lmcgaughy/status/1636456267366408204?s=20

texmed.org/Template.aspx?…

@DonnaCampbellTX @Menendez4Texas @lamantia4texas @jtcarlo @texmed Dr. Carlo says there isn't certainty about the effects of puberty blockers in the long-term. He mentioned earlier that there's always a degree of uncertainty in medicine.

But "the best evidence what we have to date is what we're using to take care of our patients."

@DonnaCampbellTX @Menendez4Texas @lamantia4texas @jtcarlo @texmed Sen. Charles Perry, R-Lubbock, says it seems like gender-affirming care does "more harm than good."

"1% detransitioning doesn't give me any perspective because most people that get into this don't see an out bc there is no financial help, you can't reverse it."

@DonnaCampbellTX @Menendez4Texas @lamantia4texas @jtcarlo @texmed Carlo says he doesn't want lawmakers to lose sight that: "There are people with gender dysphoria that have had significant benefit as a result of these therapies. They may not come in here today to talk. You may not hear their voices. We'll have other ppl talking for them." (1/?)

@DonnaCampbellTX @Menendez4Texas @lamantia4texas @jtcarlo @texmed Carlo (con't): "If you talk to doctors in this state who have been taking care of patients and have bene doing this, they have great results. They have made people's lives better." (2/?)

@DonnaCampbellTX @Menendez4Texas @lamantia4texas @jtcarlo @texmed Carlo: "1% (detransitioning) is still unacceptable, I agree, and we should be doing more to make sure we understand this phenomenon, but right now, with the science we have, I just don't want to forget the fact that we do a great job for people who have no other option." (3/3)

@DonnaCampbellTX @Menendez4Texas @lamantia4texas @jtcarlo @texmed Next invited witness is Dr. Megan Mooney, licensed psychologist who is one of the plaintiffs in a case against Texas over its policy defining gender-affirming care as possible child abuse. She's also past president of the Texas Psychological Assocn. houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas…

@DonnaCampbellTX @Menendez4Texas @lamantia4texas @jtcarlo @texmed Upon questioning by Menendez, Mooney says the treament that detransitioner witness Prisha Mosley described receiving was "certainly not in keeping with any standards of care" that she's aware of.

@DonnaCampbellTX @Menendez4Texas @lamantia4texas @jtcarlo @texmed Menendez: Has it been your experience that the parents are pushing or will push their child into care bc they're being coerced under threat of suicide?

Mooney says no. Parents are thoughtful/don't rush decisions. If anything, it's the children who tend to want to move quickly.

@DonnaCampbellTX @Menendez4Texas @lamantia4texas @jtcarlo @texmed Mooney says she's never had a patient come to her and say they are no longer transgender.

@DonnaCampbellTX @Menendez4Texas @lamantia4texas @jtcarlo @texmed Perry: "Leading's not the right word ... Do you ever talk about the other side of the conversation?"

Mooney says it depends on the patient. Some continue with gender-affirming care, others don't.

"This a process driven by the parent and the child, not by me."

@DonnaCampbellTX @Menendez4Texas @lamantia4texas @jtcarlo @texmed Perry responding to Mooney saying no patient has ever come back and said they are not longer trans:

"It's shocking to me every kid that walks in door with that (gender dysphoria) is pretty much in that (treatment) in perpetuity, as far as you know."

@DonnaCampbellTX @Menendez4Texas @lamantia4texas @jtcarlo @texmed Menendez: "You don't try to talk them into anything, bc I think that's the picture ppl try to say, there's a cottage industry of people trying to force them into being transgender?

"No, certainly not," Mooney said. Says she's following standards by WPATH and APA.

@DonnaCampbellTX @Menendez4Texas @lamantia4texas @jtcarlo @texmed Campbell: "Every kid that comes in and says I'm a transgender kid, do you believe them?"

Mooney says yes.

@DonnaCampbellTX @Menendez4Texas @lamantia4texas @jtcarlo @texmed Campbell asks Mooney to explain what @wpath is.

Campbell says she believes it's an "activist group."

@DonnaCampbellTX @Menendez4Texas @lamantia4texas @jtcarlo @texmed @wpath Was working on this same tweet, so I'm going to refer y'all to Lauren's good info here:

https://twitter.com/lmcgaughy/status/1636466673090699271?s=20

@DonnaCampbellTX @Menendez4Texas @lamantia4texas @jtcarlo @texmed @wpath Next invited witness is primary care Dr. Louis Appel.

"Completely taking those options off the table + making them illegal, I feel simply ... doesn't allow for individualized assessment."

Says he doesn't treat dysphoria, but unfortunately drs who do didn't feel safe testifying.

@DonnaCampbellTX @Menendez4Texas @lamantia4texas @jtcarlo @texmed @wpath Next invited witness is Irene Ericksen.

She keeps using the term "gender confused." The name of the medical diagnosis is "gender dysphoria."

She is making a lot of unsubstantiated and/or misleading statements that I won't repeat here.
institute-research.com/about/

@DonnaCampbellTX @Menendez4Texas @lamantia4texas @jtcarlo @texmed @wpath Campbell: "I know we've got reviews, but as far as true science, is it out there?"

Ericksen: "There are very few studies that have control or comparison groups."

Anyone know she means? Does she expect doctors to deny certain children treatment for the purpose of a study?

@DonnaCampbellTX @Menendez4Texas @lamantia4texas @jtcarlo @texmed @wpath Ericksen repeats common conservative argument that most trans kids actually gay or lesbian.

Can't say for sure bc she didn't cite studies, but this view typically based on decades-old research, before language even existed for gender dysphoria.

https://twitter.com/taygoldenstein/status/1545792547091628033?s=20

@DonnaCampbellTX @Menendez4Texas @lamantia4texas @jtcarlo @texmed @wpath Corinna Cohn, detransitioner from IN: "If you go online + type in questions like 'am I transgender?' you will see no limit to no. of online quizzes, forums, chat groups, all of these types of implements or assistance ... to help somebody rationalize their transgender identity."

@DonnaCampbellTX @Menendez4Texas @lamantia4texas @jtcarlo @texmed @wpath Three hours in to discussion, we are starting public testimony now on #SB14, which would ban gender-affirming care for minors.

State Affairs Committee Chair Sen. Bryan Hughes says there are over 100 witnesses who wish to testify. They will be limited to 2 minutes each.

@DonnaCampbellTX @Menendez4Texas @lamantia4texas @jtcarlo @texmed @wpath Matt Sharp, senior counsel with Alliance Defending Freedom, is first, speaking in support of the bill.

Says there are limits to parents' oversight of their children's care. They can't OK assisted suicide (illegal in TX), for example.

@DonnaCampbellTX @Menendez4Texas @lamantia4texas @jtcarlo @texmed @wpath Anti-LGBT activist Tracy Shannon starts her testimony with: "My pronouns are 'biological sex is real.'"

Her group is considered a hate group by @splcenter.

"We must stop these harmful, unnecessary practices," she says of gender-affirming care. texasobserver.org/tracy-shannon-…

@DonnaCampbellTX @Menendez4Texas @lamantia4texas @jtcarlo @texmed @wpath @splcenter Evelyn Smith (sp?), social work student, rejects arg kids believe transitioning will solve their problems:

"This is not the case. Those students who I work w/ who are transitioning/nonbinary go thru constant bullying + harassment every single day for simply being who they are."

@DonnaCampbellTX @Menendez4Texas @lamantia4texas @jtcarlo @texmed @wpath @splcenter Michelle Evans (@ThinkerMichelle) speaking in support of the bill:

"Suicide is complex. It's not about names and pronouns."

@DonnaCampbellTX @Menendez4Texas @lamantia4texas @jtcarlo @texmed @wpath @splcenter @ThinkerMichelle Jonathan Covey, director of policy for Texas Values, a conservative advocacy group, says social media sends kids into a transgender "pipeline."

Repeats stat that 80-90% of trans kids detransition. Most studies show detransition is extremely rare. nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-he…

@DonnaCampbellTX @Menendez4Texas @lamantia4texas @jtcarlo @texmed @wpath @splcenter @ThinkerMichelle Joe McIlhaney, founder of abstinence-only conservative group Medical Institute for Sexual Health, says children can't make decision to transition for themselves because their brain isn't fully developed until 25.

"It means somebody else is making those decisions for them."

@DonnaCampbellTX @Menendez4Texas @lamantia4texas @jtcarlo @texmed @wpath @splcenter @ThinkerMichelle Sen. @mayes_middleton: "Do you think the reason is adults are leading them to it bc their brains are not developed?"

i.e. "the primary reason they're seeking out transition is bc of outside influence from a doctor, perhaps a psychologist or therapist?"

McIlhaney says yes.

@DonnaCampbellTX @Menendez4Texas @lamantia4texas @jtcarlo @texmed @wpath @splcenter @ThinkerMichelle @mayes_middleton Ellie Clip (sp?), of Concerned Parents of Texas, a former school teacher, in support of the bill:

"Why would we deceive our children with the notion they can change their gender chemically and surgically with a process that will turn them into lifelong patients?"

@DonnaCampbellTX @Menendez4Texas @lamantia4texas @jtcarlo @texmed @wpath @splcenter @ThinkerMichelle @mayes_middleton Dr. Ben Wilson, of Waco, says contrary to what TMA rep said today, he believes it's "very reasonable" for a doctor to lose their license for something that he says is a "clear violation of the Hippocratic oath."

@DonnaCampbellTX @Menendez4Texas @lamantia4texas @jtcarlo @texmed @wpath @splcenter @ThinkerMichelle @mayes_middleton Cindy Asmussen, of the Texas Ethics and Religious Liberty Committee, speaking in support of the bill:

"As adults, we need to be affirming a child's god-given, biological sex as a meaningful part of their life." Adds that children aren't developed enough to make these decisions.

@DonnaCampbellTX @Menendez4Texas @lamantia4texas @jtcarlo @texmed @wpath @splcenter @ThinkerMichelle @mayes_middleton Dr. Jessica Zwiener, an endocrinologist, against the bill: "I would like to continue practicing medicine... Taking care of trans kids has been the most fulfilling part of medicine I've ever done." (1/?)

@DonnaCampbellTX @Menendez4Texas @lamantia4texas @jtcarlo @texmed @wpath @splcenter @ThinkerMichelle @mayes_middleton Zwiener: "Watching kids go from quiet, withdrawn, not really having any plans for the future, not really liking themselves, just kind of existing until they die. Most tell me they don't expect to live very long. They start hormones and they just sort of blossom." (2/?)

@DonnaCampbellTX @Menendez4Texas @lamantia4texas @jtcarlo @texmed @wpath @splcenter @ThinkerMichelle @mayes_middleton Describing her trans patients who go on hormones, Zwiener says: "Their mental health gets better, they can stop antidepressants, start making plans for college or careers. They tell me they're able to imagine what it would like to be old." (3/3)

@DonnaCampbellTX @Menendez4Texas @lamantia4texas @jtcarlo @texmed @wpath @splcenter @ThinkerMichelle @mayes_middleton Christopher Hamilton, executive director of TX Health Action, against bill, says it sends "clear message" to drs that #txlege "does not trust them."

It says the "Legislature knows better than parents the right health care choice for their children."

@DonnaCampbellTX @Menendez4Texas @lamantia4texas @jtcarlo @texmed @wpath @splcenter @ThinkerMichelle @mayes_middleton GOP megadonor and anti-LGBT activist Houstonion Steven Hotze is here.

"The idea that man can claim to be a woman or vice versa is absurd and unscientific. It's a perversion of the godgiven natural order."

@DonnaCampbellTX @Menendez4Texas @lamantia4texas @jtcarlo @texmed @wpath @splcenter @ThinkerMichelle @mayes_middleton Dr. Cody Miller (@codymillerpyke), who is transgender + nonbinary, says she has never heard of a single case in the U.S. of a surgical transition, only hormones and puberty blockers.

So the rhetoric about "mutilation" is "simply fictitious," she says.

@DonnaCampbellTX @Menendez4Texas @lamantia4texas @jtcarlo @texmed @wpath @splcenter @ThinkerMichelle @mayes_middleton @codymillerpyke Jake Wilson (sp?), of Fort Worth, testifying in favor of the bill.

"I think a child needs to have a chance to experience adult life in the way God intended them to be, so they can make an informed decision about if they don't want that."

@DonnaCampbellTX @Menendez4Texas @lamantia4texas @jtcarlo @texmed @wpath @splcenter @ThinkerMichelle @mayes_middleton @codymillerpyke Andrew Brown, associate vice president of policy of the Texas Public Policy Foundation, cited study saying "starting GnRHa (hormone therapy) in itself makes adolescents more likely to continue medical transition."

That's not exactly what it says. Correlation ≠ causation

@DonnaCampbellTX @Menendez4Texas @lamantia4texas @jtcarlo @texmed @wpath @splcenter @ThinkerMichelle @mayes_middleton @codymillerpyke Kevin Whitt, assistant state director of Texas MassResistance, SPLC-designated hate group, claims counselors will lose their license if they don't affirm gender. Says ALL psych boards in U.S. demand this.

Campbell: "I'd like to look that up bc that obviously sounds one-sided."

@DonnaCampbellTX @Menendez4Texas @lamantia4texas @jtcarlo @texmed @wpath @splcenter @ThinkerMichelle @mayes_middleton @codymillerpyke Menendez asks Whitt if it's true he was fired from TX GOP Party for spreading conspiracy theories.

"Quite frankly, I feel this is a character assassination. You're trying to discredit me."

"That's exactly what I'm trying to do."

https://twitter.com/taygoldenstein/status/1636519267414822912?s=20

texastribune.org/2021/02/01/tex…

@DonnaCampbellTX @Menendez4Texas @lamantia4texas @jtcarlo @texmed @wpath @splcenter @ThinkerMichelle @mayes_middleton @codymillerpyke Jacklyn Murphy (sp?), a trans woman, against bill:

"Stories like mine counter the narrative you're trying to build bc you do not want to protect children, you want to control them. But as long as me and my trans siblings are alive, you cannot win."

@DonnaCampbellTX @Menendez4Texas @lamantia4texas @jtcarlo @texmed @wpath @splcenter @ThinkerMichelle @mayes_middleton @codymillerpyke Murphy says she has empathy for detransitioners: "Those who regret transition are not enemies of the trans community as it is being framed today, but require much of the same medical + therapeutic support, as they, too, have bodies that do not match their visions of themselves."

@DonnaCampbellTX @Menendez4Texas @lamantia4texas @jtcarlo @texmed @wpath @splcenter @ThinkerMichelle @mayes_middleton @codymillerpyke Ricardo Martinez, CEO of @EqualityTexas, against bill:

"All Texas families deserve to be respected, allowed to make private health decisions + live their lives without government overreach ... Free states don't ban health care ... Please remember that lives are on the line."

@DonnaCampbellTX @Menendez4Texas @lamantia4texas @jtcarlo @texmed @wpath @splcenter @ThinkerMichelle @mayes_middleton @codymillerpyke @EqualityTexas That's it for testimony on #SB14. The bill is left pending.

Committee is moving on to #SB959, unrelated to transgender people. There are several other trans-related bills on agenda for tonight that presumably some of same witnesses are here for. They'll have to wait/leave.

OK, moving onto #SB250 + #SB1029. @SenatorBobHall laying out now.

#SB1029 would block state-funded insurance plans from covering gender-affirming care + ban public funds from being used for it.

@SenatorBobHall #SB1029 would also require private health benefit plans to pay for "consequences" of gender-affirming care + make health care providers liable for malpractice claims related to GA care.

@SenatorBobHall Similarly, #SB250 would block doctors + other health care providers from providing gender-affirming care, prohibit professional liability insurance coverage for that care and require the revocation of the licenses of health care providers who provide gender-affirming care.

@SenatorBobHall In laying out his bills, Hall suggests doctors encourage gender-affirming care bc it's lucrative for them.

Says doctors put profit over patients during COVID + now again with "what can be classified as cosmetic surgery." (Most medical professionals do not describe it as such.)

@SenatorBobHall Witness just now, didn't catch name, saying #SB1029 raises a discrimination/inequality legal issue, as the bill covers gender transition care for detransitioners but not trangsender Texans.

@SenatorBobHall Elisa Tamayo, director of government affairs El Paso County, says public funds pay for insurance coverage for their employees.

Raises concern that bill would unintentionally block other types of treatments that could be swept up in the broad category of gender-affirming care.

@SenatorBobHall Menendez again asks Hotze not to call people "pedophiles."

His mic is turned off, but he's going on a rant anyway: "Anybody that sexualizes children is a pedophile."

@SenatorBobHall Menendez: "Dr. Hotze, I have trans friends, I have trans staff members, I have trans members of my community and ... it's very hurtful to them."

Hotze: "That's what they are.

Menendez: "No sir, they are not pedophiles. They are not perverts and pedophiles."

@SenatorBobHall Hotze: "If you're cutting off your penis...

Menendez: "Dr. Hotze, they're living as their true selves."

Hotze: "That's bullshit."

This is where he gets kicked out. Hughes steps in: "Dr. Hotze, we don't use that kind of language. You're excused."

@SenatorBobHall Should say that Hotze's mic was off that whole time, but he was still audible. ^^

I missed a lot of testimony while eating dinner, but a reporter's gotta eat! Testimony is over.

#SB1029 and #SB250 are left pending.

OK we're on the last trans-related bill. It's #SB1052, which would require birth certificates list the sex of a newborn at birth + prohibits the sex from being changed.

The bill author Sen. Charles Perry (@electcharles),R-Lubbock, had to go home for weather reasons.

@electcharles Mary Elizabeth Castle, chair of gov't relations for conservative advocacy group Texas Values, supports bill bc she thinks it will assist with 2021 bill that bars transgender K-12 athletes from playing on the team that aligns with their gender identity. houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas…

@electcharles Sasha Buchert, senior attorney for @LambdaLegal, says the group litigates case after case after case with these kinds of restrictions, telling the court they violate equal protection and privacy laws.

@electcharles @LambdaLegal Jacqueline Murphy, who is a transgender woman, up again to testify against #SB1052.

"This is a drop of ink on a document. There is no justification that stands up to scrutiny. This is a power play aimed at making the lives of trans children as difficult as possible."

@electcharles @LambdaLegal Chloe Goodman, of @EqualityTexas, reading redacted threatening, hateful voicemail that group recvd.

"You might notice some similarities btwn what I just read + what we have heard in testimony for bills like this that are seeking to push trans ppl out of Texas."

@electcharles @LambdaLegal @EqualityTexas #SB1052 left pending, and that is it for the night. G'nght, everyone!

@electcharles *This should say #SB162. Tired minds do not tweet well.