On Jan 31st 2024, Alberta’s United Conservative Party (UCP) Premier Danielle Smith posted a 7 minute long video on X announcing changes to gender policies in healthcare, school, and sports. This was followed up later in the week with a 33 minute press conference
"After all, if the government can interfere with the healthcare that a gender-distressed minor receives, what’s to prevent the government from dictating laws around abortion care too?"
Forced teaming. Sort of like saying that if you don't like medical intervention for trans-identified people you are also someone who hates gay people.
My understanding is the following:
Abortion is a medical procedure that is safer than pregnancy and childbirth, the alternative. Outcomes are understood.
Medical intervention for gender dysphoria is not shown to be safer than the althernatives--psychotherapy, maturing, no medical intervention. And it's not shown to improve gender dysphoria either, long term. Outcomes are not understood.
If MDs want to provide this intervention, they should inform the public what happened to all the people they've given it to already. Thousands and thousands. And if they went on hormones, they'll still be on them now...so...the pharmacies would know. Someone would know. At least if they are still taking them. How they are doing, someone would have to do some work to find out. But hey, maybe if you are going to do these things to people, they're worth following up to find out how they do, right? Actually, it appears the MDs just declare success and spend their cash...
Thank you so much for being a sane voice in this rather insane moment! I am no friend of Danielle Smith's political positions on most things. However, I commend her courage to put forward a policy that is truly protective of the health and wellbeing of young people and children in Alberta. This is surely not reducible to some political opportunism, and even if it were, it represents a win for our children and opens the door for more conversation and opportunities to present the real facts about GAF and the harm it causes. I can be as cynical as the best, but as a lesbian activist of over 50 years, a feminist psychotherapist for 35 and a lifelong socialist (too many labels lol), I am willing to take the small wins when they come along. I believe this new policy holds promise and provides a little breathing space for the moment. If you know of any folks here in Nova Scotia who think and feel similarly, I would love to find a way of connecting and supporting each other. Thank you for all your good work.
I cannot express enough how much hope new organizations like the LGBT Courage Coalition, the LGB Alliance, The Gender Dysphoria Alliance, FAIR, and Genspect, are giving me. I fully became aware of how destructive and dangerous gender ideology was about four years ago. I've watched videos in which women are threatened and harassed for speaking out (Mr. Menno put together this disturbing compilation https://youtu.be/6lpi1Z3dJA8?si=N3RBYjoSRiysUku5). I've watched so many, too many, heartbreaking interviews with young people who are de-transitioning. Girls who were sexually abused, boys were just gay....
The tide is turning because of you, and brilliant people like Eva Kurilova, Linda Blade, Aaron Kimberly, Kellie Pirie (just to name but a few). And, of course, the brave whistleblowers who expose what the gender clinics are doing to our youth. Thank you from the bottom of my soul!
"After all, if the government can interfere with the healthcare that a gender-distressed minor receives, what’s to prevent the government from dictating laws around abortion care too?"
Forced teaming. Sort of like saying that if you don't like medical intervention for trans-identified people you are also someone who hates gay people.
My understanding is the following:
Abortion is a medical procedure that is safer than pregnancy and childbirth, the alternative. Outcomes are understood.
Medical intervention for gender dysphoria is not shown to be safer than the althernatives--psychotherapy, maturing, no medical intervention. And it's not shown to improve gender dysphoria either, long term. Outcomes are not understood.
If MDs want to provide this intervention, they should inform the public what happened to all the people they've given it to already. Thousands and thousands. And if they went on hormones, they'll still be on them now...so...the pharmacies would know. Someone would know. At least if they are still taking them. How they are doing, someone would have to do some work to find out. But hey, maybe if you are going to do these things to people, they're worth following up to find out how they do, right? Actually, it appears the MDs just declare success and spend their cash...
Thank you so much for being a sane voice in this rather insane moment! I am no friend of Danielle Smith's political positions on most things. However, I commend her courage to put forward a policy that is truly protective of the health and wellbeing of young people and children in Alberta. This is surely not reducible to some political opportunism, and even if it were, it represents a win for our children and opens the door for more conversation and opportunities to present the real facts about GAF and the harm it causes. I can be as cynical as the best, but as a lesbian activist of over 50 years, a feminist psychotherapist for 35 and a lifelong socialist (too many labels lol), I am willing to take the small wins when they come along. I believe this new policy holds promise and provides a little breathing space for the moment. If you know of any folks here in Nova Scotia who think and feel similarly, I would love to find a way of connecting and supporting each other. Thank you for all your good work.
Thank you -- as a psychotherapist, you may be interested in joining Therapy First (https://www.therapyfirst.org/).
I cannot express enough how much hope new organizations like the LGBT Courage Coalition, the LGB Alliance, The Gender Dysphoria Alliance, FAIR, and Genspect, are giving me. I fully became aware of how destructive and dangerous gender ideology was about four years ago. I've watched videos in which women are threatened and harassed for speaking out (Mr. Menno put together this disturbing compilation https://youtu.be/6lpi1Z3dJA8?si=N3RBYjoSRiysUku5). I've watched so many, too many, heartbreaking interviews with young people who are de-transitioning. Girls who were sexually abused, boys were just gay....
The tide is turning because of you, and brilliant people like Eva Kurilova, Linda Blade, Aaron Kimberly, Kellie Pirie (just to name but a few). And, of course, the brave whistleblowers who expose what the gender clinics are doing to our youth. Thank you from the bottom of my soul!