Youth Blog

The event titled "Development Corrupted: Gender Ideology at Odds with Empowerment for Women and Girls," organized by the Heritage Foundation, featured speakers who critiqued the concept of gender ideology and its impact on women and girls. The speakers raised concerns about the distortion of biological realities and the potential harms of gender-affirming care practices. 

Dr. Jay W. Richards from the Heritage Foundation delved into the historical evolution of the terms "sex" and "gender," highlighting how gender ideology has redefined these terms and shifted the focus from biological differences to subjective gender identity. He emphasized that this ideological framework denies the biological basis of sex and replaces it with concepts like gender identity, which are divorced from physical realities. Dr. Richards also discussed educational materials, such as the ‘Gender Bread Person’ and the ‘Gender Unicorn’, used to promote these ideas, illustrating the widespread influence of gender ideology in various institutions. 

Dr. Miriam Grossman, author of "Do No Harm," shared profound concerns regarding the impact of gender-affirming care, particularly on adolescent girls. Dr. Grossman emphasized the fundamental understanding that biological sex is determined at conception, challenging the prevalent notion propagated by certain groups that it is assigned at birth. 

Dr. Grossman walked the audience through a troubling scenario where minors, struggling with their identity, are guided towards drastic measures. According to Dr. Grossman, gender-affirming care often recommends the use of binders for girls experiencing distress with their developing bodies, suggesting that their discomfort stems from being born into the ‘wrong’ body. She articulated, "Gender affirming care suggests that if a girl is seriously uncomfortable with her developing body, she should be provided with a binder. A binder is an elastic undergarment that will flatten her breasts, making her appear more masculine. Now, you and I know that many girls feel self-conscious with breast development and menstruation. We need to normalize those feelings and provide reassurance. But gender affirming care suggests to such girls that they may be boys. That they're uncomfortable with their bodies because indeed, they were born into the wrong body." Dr. Grossman highlighted the physical and psychological repercussions of such measures, citing studies showing adverse effects of binding, ranging from severe pain to limitations in daily activities. She shared the story of a young woman who explained that two or three years of binding her breasts made them look strange and misshapen. She realized that even if she wanted to return to living as a girl, they would never look the same. And so, she decided at age 15 there was no point in keeping her breasts and had them removed, a choice she soon regretted. To me, letting a child do this to their body is child abuse. Any doctor that performs a double mastectomy on healthy breast should lose their medical license. 

Continuing her discourse, Dr. Grossman delved into the next phase of gender-affirming care for minors, which involves the administration of puberty blockers. Contrary to claims of safety and reversibility, she pointed out that these agents have faced restrictions in several countries due to concerns about long-term harm. She emphasized, "The next step in gender affirming care is blocking puberty. Parents are told that puberty blocking agents are safe and reversible. Gender affirming doctors and therapists claim it's like pressing a pause button when you're listening to music or watching a video. Puberty is not a disease. Puberty blockers act on the brain to prevent the release of estrogen in girls and testosterone in boys. These hormones are necessary for puberty to occur. Aside from prenatal growth, puberty is the most consequential stage of human development, impacting every system of the body, especially the brain." ... "Puberty is a natural, organic process, not a disorder. We cannot assume, as gender affirming care says, that it can be turned on and off synthetically without paying a price. In fact, for most children who are distressed about their sex from an early age, puberty brings relief because the hormone surges propelled the development of the brain, and they come to terms with the reality of their sex. Consider also that puberty blockers potentially trap a child in a permanent gender identity crisis. Remember, a majority, and in some studies, most kids grow out of their gender confusion. So-called medical affirmation may cause persistence of the identity confusion when otherwise it may have resolved on its own." Highlighting the pivotal role of puberty in human development, especially in shaping neurological pathways, Dr. Grossman underscored the inherent risks of interfering with this natural process. She cautioned against the assumption that puberty can be artificially manipulated without consequences, warning that such interventions may perpetuate rather than alleviate gender identity confusion in many cases. 

Furthermore, she raised alarm over the subsequent step of administering cross-sex hormones, which not only leads to infertility but also deprives children of the ability to make informed decisions about their reproductive health. Dr. Grossman concluded, "Almost every child will continue on to cross sex hormones. And when that happens, the result is infertility. Because, to reproduce, sperm and eggs require testosterone and estrogen. The testosterone and estrogen surges of natural puberty. The blockers, followed by cross sex hormones, prevent eggs and sperm from reaching full maturation and that means that biological reproduction is impossible." She emphasized the grave consequences of these interventions, asserting that children are not adequately informed about the potential dangers of such life-altering procedures. We are sterilizing children. Children cannot consent to these life-changing decisions. They are not being told about the dangers of this process.  

My reflection on the event: 

Overall, the event shed light on the clash between gender ideology and the empowerment of women and girls, raising critical questions about the implications of these ideologies for policies, practices, and societal norms. So, where do we go from here? How do we protect children? People often say that we cannot use religion as a reason to be against gender ideology, but I think they are wrong. We need to bring religion into the debate. If I am not mistaken, transgender individuals believe that they were born into the wrong body, that their soul is different than their biological sex, leading to profound feelings of being trapped. Acknowledging the existence of a soul implies a belief in something beyond the physical realm. To acknowledge that we have a soul is to acknowledge that there is a God. God is perfect, He does not make mistakes. No one is born into the wrong body. As Dr. Grossman explained, there is evidence that shows the dangers of gender affirming care. This is why I do not, and will not have pronouns on my social media, in my email signature, or elsewhere. I will not refer to someone as They/Them. People often think that little things like using someone’s preferred pronouns or preferred name is an act of love, but if we normalize doing this instead of standing up for truth, that no one is born into the wrong body, we are becoming a part of the problem. 

As Christians, guided by the teachings of Jesus Christ, we're called to embody love and compassion for all people. Jesus taught of two great commandments. Matthew 22:37-39 reads “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” What does it mean to love thy neighbour? There is a quote from Russell Nelson “Real love for the sinner may compel courageous confrontation—not acquiescence! Real love does not support self-destructing behavior.” Nelson's quote emphasizes that genuine love may sometimes necessitate difficult conversations or interventions rather than passive acceptance. It's a call to engage with compassion, understanding, and sometimes even confrontation, when necessary, all driven by a sincere desire for the well-being of others. This is what we need to be doing for people experiencing gender dysphoria. We need to lovingly tell them that the gender they were born as is the gender God intended for them to be and that going down the path of gender affirming care will not bring them joy.  

Dr. Grossman concluded by saying "Every Girl deserves the chance to develop along a natural trajectory and become a woman. Every girl has the right, if she wishes, to experience the wonders of having children and nursing them. Gender affirming care steals these opportunities from girls who are in the midst of mental illness and social hysteria that celebrates the notion of being born in the wrong body." I believe in science, and a perfect creator. To me, letting a little girl have a double mastectomy on perfectly healthy breast is not loving. Letting children take puberty blockers and cross sex hormones is not loving.