When I heard Noah talk about going into therapy with anxiety, finding a therapist who happened to specialize in “anxiety and gender dysphoria,” and then through work with this therapist, retroactively attributing all anxiety and other problems to unrealized, sublimated gender dysphoria, which then became all consuming, my first gut reaction was “that therapist belongs in jail.”
I guess I hadn't thought about this from this angle before, that this is (at least partly) a "trust the experts" problem; everyone assumes the "party line" is based on solid, irrefutable evidence - but the true believers won't look for themselves; the idea you'd even want to / have to "check" is taken as a sign you're a bad person and/or an enemy.
I recall feeling this way, at times, during the pandemic lockdowns. As a "good", middle-of-the-road liberal, I largely followed the instructions from Fauci, et al, even when my doubts and questions kept creeping in - no one had to explicitly tell me I was "wrong" to doubt any of that stuff - I felt it deeply. I am one of the lucky "laptop class," so I did my desk job at a desk at home during the whole ordeal - so I guess I could defend myself by saying I had little to lose (except a part of my social life) by staying home and nodding along. But when it got tiring or distressing, I could repeat to myself that I was doing the right thing, even when it felt wrong. I like to think about myself as someone who is thoughtful, observant, and willing to challenge the norm. Sad to see how terrible I can be at that, as long as the "party line" hits close enough to home. It's amazing how much power empty moralizing can have over us humans. "Good people do this. Are you a good person too?"
I know this wasn't the focus of the article but I also fixated on the breathless falsetto and whiney theatre-kind energy of Natalie Wynn. The way men choke and strain their voices into the uppermost register they can muster in an attempt to sound female is not only offensive but deeply creepy and unnerving. Deserves a post of its own.
That penultimate paragraph of the full article was the most powerful - the kid who realises the doctor never saw them as an individual but only as another number to be "processed". If only more kids would get it.
I remember that episode, and how Noah said her father has a couple trans friends…and even he didn’t want her to medically transition. I felt like that spoke volumes.
Maybe consider putting Abigail Shriers latest book up for consideration in your reading club? She has great insights into the industrialisation of psychological services for kids and the way modern day parents are frequently undermined in having confidence they know their children.
There needs to be legislation to regulate if not ban “gender affirming” medical treatment for minors.
Usually when a licensed health care provider is disciplined by the licensing authorities in one state, it is grounds for licensing authorities in other states where the professional is licensed to open disciplinary investigations of their own.
Unfortunately, states where progressives control the legislature and governor’s officer such as Oregon, where I live, have enacted laws that shield affirming heath care providers who are licensed in Oregon from the consequences of disciplinary action by licensing bodies in states where affirmative interventions are illegal.
This does a disservice to vulnerable young people in progressive states.
Noah's "faith" in medical authorities is an echo of the "faith" progressives have in the New York Times and other media outlets to accurately inform them of exactly where the "right side of history" is located. In both cases advocates have gamed to system adroitly to take rigorous inquiry off the table. "The science is settled" is the one size fits all narrative that is only now cracking under the Cass report. However, the damage has been done. The GOP's response quite cannily anticipates the knee jerkism that creates severe tire damage for those who might have followed common sense to its logical conclusion. If they're agin it, then we gotta be fir it seems to rule here.
Very good article. Your insights are always excellent.
I'd like to clarify something from recent comments I made on your writing, in which I got into an argument with another commenter who didn't understand that the proper way to fight against bad transgender ideas is to focus on the bad behavior of trans people, not on their feelings (in other words, avoid ad hominem attacks). We really can't judge other people's feelings.
That doesn't apply to children, however. When I wrote those things I was thinking more of older "transitioners" (always in quotes because transitioning isn't really possible) like Debbie Hayton who transitioned in middle-age and was absolutely certain that it was what she wanted, and Diana Goetsch, the poet who also transitioned in middle-age -- both of whom are heterosexual and have autogynephilia.
Trans activists -- and now, horrifyingly, educators and the medical establishment -- are doing their best to influence children, and children simply don't have the ability to protect themselves. That being the case, analyzing the psychological results of this influence (as Eliza does) is perfectly valid. Children are simply a class unto themselves and must be protected at all costs.
The courts too seem to be trying to cement this bad trend, but to a certain extent, they can be excused. We probably all agree that abortion should be a decision between a mother and her doctor, and many courts are applying that logic to trans children, saying "don't second-guess the medical establishment". But in this case, we know the courts (and the medical establishment) are wrong.
As a person who believes in reincarnation, though, I comfort myself knowing that the mistakes made in one life are simply a learning experience, and don't get carried over to other lives; and that we all leave this Earth plane eventually.
When I heard Noah talk about going into therapy with anxiety, finding a therapist who happened to specialize in “anxiety and gender dysphoria,” and then through work with this therapist, retroactively attributing all anxiety and other problems to unrealized, sublimated gender dysphoria, which then became all consuming, my first gut reaction was “that therapist belongs in jail.”
All “ therapists” who push children into the trans cult need to have their licenses revoked!
Thanks, Eliza for mentioning our conversation with Rose. GWL recently changed distributors, so if you want to listen to the Rose conversation, here is the updated link: https://www.widerlenspod.com/p/109-what-if-we-are-all-wrong-a-mothers-e3d
I guess I hadn't thought about this from this angle before, that this is (at least partly) a "trust the experts" problem; everyone assumes the "party line" is based on solid, irrefutable evidence - but the true believers won't look for themselves; the idea you'd even want to / have to "check" is taken as a sign you're a bad person and/or an enemy.
I recall feeling this way, at times, during the pandemic lockdowns. As a "good", middle-of-the-road liberal, I largely followed the instructions from Fauci, et al, even when my doubts and questions kept creeping in - no one had to explicitly tell me I was "wrong" to doubt any of that stuff - I felt it deeply. I am one of the lucky "laptop class," so I did my desk job at a desk at home during the whole ordeal - so I guess I could defend myself by saying I had little to lose (except a part of my social life) by staying home and nodding along. But when it got tiring or distressing, I could repeat to myself that I was doing the right thing, even when it felt wrong. I like to think about myself as someone who is thoughtful, observant, and willing to challenge the norm. Sad to see how terrible I can be at that, as long as the "party line" hits close enough to home. It's amazing how much power empty moralizing can have over us humans. "Good people do this. Are you a good person too?"
I know this wasn't the focus of the article but I also fixated on the breathless falsetto and whiney theatre-kind energy of Natalie Wynn. The way men choke and strain their voices into the uppermost register they can muster in an attempt to sound female is not only offensive but deeply creepy and unnerving. Deserves a post of its own.
Yes, that pinched voice they use (and they pay vocal coaches to teach it to them!) is so immediately recognizable and annoying
That penultimate paragraph of the full article was the most powerful - the kid who realises the doctor never saw them as an individual but only as another number to be "processed". If only more kids would get it.
And that the doctor was serving a cause, not the patient...
And it’s so darned profitable!! That’s the crux of the matter! Never mind the Hippocratic oath! $$$$$$$
I remember that episode, and how Noah said her father has a couple trans friends…and even he didn’t want her to medically transition. I felt like that spoke volumes.
Thanks for this (old/new) post, Eliza.
Note: the link to the interview with Rose seems to need updating? Here’s the link to the interview on YouTube: https://youtu.be/pEZkjRzJnFU?si=oCl9szqzdoUX7q4W
That is certainly going to be my new go-to description of Natalie Wynn, phew, nailed it.
Maybe consider putting Abigail Shriers latest book up for consideration in your reading club? She has great insights into the industrialisation of psychological services for kids and the way modern day parents are frequently undermined in having confidence they know their children.
Bad Therapy; Why the Kids Aren't Growing Up
There needs to be legislation to regulate if not ban “gender affirming” medical treatment for minors.
Usually when a licensed health care provider is disciplined by the licensing authorities in one state, it is grounds for licensing authorities in other states where the professional is licensed to open disciplinary investigations of their own.
Unfortunately, states where progressives control the legislature and governor’s officer such as Oregon, where I live, have enacted laws that shield affirming heath care providers who are licensed in Oregon from the consequences of disciplinary action by licensing bodies in states where affirmative interventions are illegal.
This does a disservice to vulnerable young people in progressive states.
Noah's "faith" in medical authorities is an echo of the "faith" progressives have in the New York Times and other media outlets to accurately inform them of exactly where the "right side of history" is located. In both cases advocates have gamed to system adroitly to take rigorous inquiry off the table. "The science is settled" is the one size fits all narrative that is only now cracking under the Cass report. However, the damage has been done. The GOP's response quite cannily anticipates the knee jerkism that creates severe tire damage for those who might have followed common sense to its logical conclusion. If they're agin it, then we gotta be fir it seems to rule here.
Very good article. Your insights are always excellent.
I'd like to clarify something from recent comments I made on your writing, in which I got into an argument with another commenter who didn't understand that the proper way to fight against bad transgender ideas is to focus on the bad behavior of trans people, not on their feelings (in other words, avoid ad hominem attacks). We really can't judge other people's feelings.
That doesn't apply to children, however. When I wrote those things I was thinking more of older "transitioners" (always in quotes because transitioning isn't really possible) like Debbie Hayton who transitioned in middle-age and was absolutely certain that it was what she wanted, and Diana Goetsch, the poet who also transitioned in middle-age -- both of whom are heterosexual and have autogynephilia.
Trans activists -- and now, horrifyingly, educators and the medical establishment -- are doing their best to influence children, and children simply don't have the ability to protect themselves. That being the case, analyzing the psychological results of this influence (as Eliza does) is perfectly valid. Children are simply a class unto themselves and must be protected at all costs.
The courts too seem to be trying to cement this bad trend, but to a certain extent, they can be excused. We probably all agree that abortion should be a decision between a mother and her doctor, and many courts are applying that logic to trans children, saying "don't second-guess the medical establishment". But in this case, we know the courts (and the medical establishment) are wrong.
As a person who believes in reincarnation, though, I comfort myself knowing that the mistakes made in one life are simply a learning experience, and don't get carried over to other lives; and that we all leave this Earth plane eventually.