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The rapid proliferation of gender ideology over the past decade—especially the surge of adolescent-onset gender dysphoria—stands as one of the clearest examples of social contagion in modern Western societies. A clinical framework once reserved for a very small number of adults with persistent, childhood-onset dysphoria was transformed into a cultural mandate through the convergence of three forces: institutional capture, algorithm-driven identity formation, and activist-driven medical practice.
Between 2015 and the early 2020s, referrals for gender services exploded—driven overwhelmingly by teenage girls with no prior history of dysphoria. Peer-group clustering, sudden identity shifts following intense online exposure, and the complete inversion of historic sex ratios all point to a socially transmitted phenomenon rather than a newly discovered biological one. Yet under the “affirmation” model, minors were placed on puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and permanent surgeries despite limited evidence, poorly understood risks, and a professional culture that increasingly discouraged clinical skepticism.
The hardest obstacle to unwind, however, will not be the institutions that enabled this shift. Policies can change, clinics can be restructured, and professional bodies can revise guidelines—as they already have across parts of Europe. The most immovable barrier will be parents. Many acted from compassion, social pressure, or a sincere desire to be “supportive,” but they now face an excruciating truth: they approved irreversible medical interventions on psychologically vulnerable teenagers during a developmental window historically marked by transient distress, identity confusion, and social sensitivity.
Double mastectomies on minors, lifetime fertility loss, and surgeries with complication rates exceeding anything considered acceptable elsewhere in medicine are not abstract debates. They are lived consequences. For parents, acknowledging error would require confronting a moral reality few can bear: that they were active participants in harming their own child. The human mind is built to avoid that revelation at all costs.
As a result, the detransition wave—real, growing, and increasingly documented—will face its fiercest resistance not from clinics or activists, but from within families. Parents will cling to the “lifesaving care” narrative long after the institutions that encouraged it have quietly retreated. They will reinterpret events to preserve psychic stability, even if doing so deepens the suffering of the child who must now live with the consequences.
Reversing the damage will require more than policy reform or legal accountability. It will require a public reckoning with the psychological mechanisms of self-deception, moral injury, and sunk-cost loyalty that allowed an entire society to medicate and operate on distressed adolescents in the name of affirmation. That reckoning—private, painful, and unavoidable—is the hardest part still to come.
References
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The Cass Review – Independent Review of Gender Identity Services for Children and Young People (Interim Report) — NHS-commissioned review (Feb 2022) by Dr. Hilary Cass. Sex Matters
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The Cass Review: Final Report (April 2024) — Hilary Cass’s full independent review. BASW+1
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NHS England: Public Consultation Analysis & Summary – Interim Clinical Policy on Puberty-Suppressing Hormones (Jan 2024) — analysis of feedback on proposed policy changes. NHS England
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Commission on Human Medicines (UK) Report – Proposed Restriction on GnRH Agonists for Under-18s — recommendation to restrict puberty blockers. GOV.UK
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Equality & Health Inequalities Impact Assessment (EHIA), NHS England — assessment of health-inequality risks from the policy change on puberty blockers. GOV.UK+1
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Karolinska Institutet Systematic Review on Hormonal Treatment in Youths (<18) — finds that GnRHa treatment should be considered experimental due to lack of long-term data. Karolinska Institutet News
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Karolinska Hospital Policy Statement (April 2021) — stops prescribing puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones to minors under 16 except in research settings. Feminist Legal Clinic
Emanuel Brünisholz, a Swiss repairman, has made headlines for refusing to pay a fine imposed for a social-media comment stating what he says are biological truths: that there are only two sexes as determined by skeletal evidence. Because he wouldn’t pay the fine, he opted instead to serve 10 days in jail. He was convicted under Switzerland’s anti-discrimination laws (Art. 261bis), which have been expanded to include “sexual identities” beyond race, religion, etc. His statement was judged to belittle the LGBTQI community and violate human dignity, though Brünisholz insists he was speaking objective biological fact. (Reduxx)
This case is deeply troubling, because it illustrates a slippery slope: when a judge or prosecutor can criminalize speech that claims a biological fact, simply because some group interprets it as hateful. That is not far off from what proposed Canadian legislation threatens. The Combatting Hate Act, introduced in September 2025, would make it a criminal offence to “wilfully promote hatred” against identifiable groups (including on grounds of gender identity) by any public display or speech. It also aims to streamline prosecutions for “hate propaganda,” remove some procedural checks, and broaden the definition of hate. Critics warn that this will give activist minority claims outsized power over what counts as acceptable speech. (Government of Canada)
If Brünisholz’s case was an outlier, then Canada’s proposals make clear this is a trajectory, not a one-off. Under the proposed laws, someone could theoretically be prosecuted (and even imprisoned) for speaking truths about biological sex if a court determines that such statements violate the new definitions of hatred or hate speech. That means what is scientifically or biologically reality could become illegal speech, depending on who is offended and how strong the activist pressure is. In a Western democracy that claims to defend freedom of expression, this is simply unacceptable.
We must not accept that the mere possibility of offending a protected group is enough for criminal sanction. We must resist laws that hand over the power to judges or prosecutors (or activist complainants) to decide what biological truths are “hate.” Because once speech can be criminalized based on activist interpretation, the foundations of open, free inquiry, reason, and reality are at risk.
Key Comparisons: Swiss Case vs. Proposed Canadian Laws
| Feature | Swiss Case (Brünisholz) | Proposed Canadian Laws (Combatting Hate Act / related bills) |
|---|---|---|
| Nature of statement | Emphasis on binary sex; “only man and woman” skeleton argument | Biological sex, gender identity claims could be targeted under new definitions of hate |
| Punishment | Fine convertible to 10 days jail if unpaid | Proposed penalties include imprisonment, removal of procedural protections |
| Law basis | Anti-discrimination / hate speech law expanded to “sexual identities” in Switzerland | Criminal Code, Criminal Code’s hate propaganda provisions, amendments to CHRA, etc. |
| Risk of censorship | High — statement considered “belittling” a protected class despite appeal to biological evidence | Also high — definitions are broad; courts could side with activist interpretations over scientific or factual speech |
| Freedom of speech concern | Biologically rooted fact may be criminalized if deemed insulting or hateful | Same concern: scientific / truth claims could be suppressed if they conflict with activist definitions of what counts as acceptable speech |
Why This Matters
- Biological Truths Are Not “Opinions” Alone: Things like male vs. female biological sex are backed by sciences like genetics, anatomy, forensic anthropology. If those become “hate speech” when expressed, then reality is subject to legal veto by ideological enforcement.
- The Power to Define “Hate” is the Power to Silence: Under Canadian law, if definitions of hatred or hatred-motivated speech expand (especially by removing required consent, or giving prosecutors more discretion), then more speech becomes liable—not because it causes harm, but because someone claims it does.
- Free Speech is Not Optional: Western democracy is built in part on being able to speak even unpopular or uncomfortable truths. If truth becomes legally risky, we’re no longer free—even if the penalties aren’t always applied.
- Precedent Matters: Once speech is criminalized for some, even “harmless” speech tomorrow could become the target. Laws tend to expand in scope over time. The Brünisholz case shows how “harmless to some, hateful to others” becomes a legal equation.
What to Watch & What to Do
- Monitor what the final definitions are in Canadian bills: how they define hatred, “wilfully promoting hatred,” “identifiable groups,” and what defenses are permitted (e.g., truth, scientific basis).
- Watch penalties: whether fines only, or possibility of imprisonment; whether Criminal Code or human rights tribunal; how strong the burden of proof is.
- Pay attention to how administrative procedures work: whether prosecutors need prior approvals, whether individuals or groups can privately instigate charges/complaints, whether there’s ability to appeal.
- Support and defend free speech, especially for dissenting or scientific views. Speak out when persons are penalized for expressing what others call “politically incorrect truths.”
References
- “Swiss Man Opts For Jail Time Instead Of Fine After Being Charged Over ‘Transphobic’ Social Media Post”, Reduxx, Sept 26, 2025 — Brünisholz case. (Reduxx)
- “Combatting Hate Act: Proposed Legislation to Protect Communities Against Hate”, Government of Canada, Sept 19, 2025 — summary of proposed amendments, hate definitions, penalties. (Government of Canada)
- “Canada Introduces Legislation to Combat Hate Crimes, Intimidation, and Obstruction”, Department of Justice Canada news release, Sept 19, 2025 — details on new offences including intimidation, obstruction, containing identity grounds. (Government of Canada)
[Editor’s Note: A previous version of this essay included citations that did not support the specific claims attached to them. I reviewed the sources, corrected reference details, and revised the text to align with what the evidence can bear.]
Gender ideology, with its audacious claim that biological sex bows to subjective whim, is a wrecking ball smashing through truth, family, and society. It peddles a fiction: that large numbers of individuals are born in the “wrong” bodies, requiring major medical interventions to “fix” what evolution perfected over millennia. When parents of dependent children are egged on to “transition,” the fallout can be severe, not just personal, but societal. This isn’t a debate. It is a destabilizing moral and political project demanding fierce, unflinching resistance
Shattering Children’s Worlds
Children, fragile and tethered to parental stability, are shaken when a parent’s identity shift reorders their world. Hormones, surgeries, or social reinventions don’t just alter a parent. They can fracture a child’s sense of security. Clinical psychologist Dr. Erica Anderson, herself transgender, has warned that we are running something like a “social experiment,” with uncertain long-term outcomes for young people caught up in this cultural moment (Jarvie, 2022).
On the narrower question of children raised by a transgender parent, the available research is limited and mixed. Some studies report generally good child adjustment in their samples while also emphasizing how little broad, long-term evidence exists (Imrie et al., 2020). None of this supports breezy certainty, institutional mandates, or the pretense that complex family changes are automatically cost-free. Prioritizing an adult’s self-actualization over a child’s emotional bedrock isn’t progress. It is a risk we keep rebranding as compassion.
Demolishing Family Bonds
Families, the crucible of human connection, can disintegrate under this ideology’s corrosive weight. A parent’s transition can place marriages under severe strain, forcing spouses and children into abrupt renegotiations of roles, expectations, and loyalties. The empirical literature on romantic relationship satisfaction and stability in transgender contexts is still developing, but systematic review work suggests relationship outcomes are heterogeneous and shaped by multiple stressors, not a simple morality play where affirmation guarantees flourishing (Marshall et al., 2020). The ideology’s fetish for individual affirmation over collective duty can rip apart interdependence, leaving children caught in loyalty conflicts and spouses facing unrecognizable partners. This isn’t liberation. It is a familial debacle, a slow-motion implosion of the bonds that sustain us.
Corroding Institutions
Society’s institutions, schools, hospitals, public health bodies, buckle as gender ideology colonizes them. The Cass Review (2024), a major UK review of pediatric gender services, concluded that parts of the evidence base for medical pathways are weak and that clinical practice had developed without the level of rigor, consistency, and safeguarding expected in other areas of pediatric healthcare (Cass Review, 2024). When medicine and education forsake skepticism and evidence for dogma and compliance rituals, public trust corrodes. This isn’t inclusion. It is an institutional betrayal of the empirical foundations that anchor civilization.
Defying Biological Reality
Biologically, gender ideology is utter bollocks. Human sexual dimorphism is a core feature of our species. Claims of mass “body mismatches” are not supported by the basic reality of sex. Even intersex conditions are rare, and prevalence estimates vary sharply depending on definitions. Sax (2002), using a strict definition, argues for a very low prevalence, far below the inflated figures often implied in popular debate (Sax, 2002). If pervasive dysphoria were a simple, innate biological fate on the scale now suggested, humanity would have joined Neanderthals and Denisovans in the evolutionary dustbin. Yet, we’re told the most advanced species can’t navigate puberty without turning healthy bodies into medical projects. Absurd. This ideology spits on evolutionary resilience, peddling a delusion that demands invasive fixes for psychological distress. The stakes are civilizational: either we reclaim material reality, or we watch society unravel, child by child, family by family, institution by institution.
References
- Cass Review. (2024). Independent Review of Gender Identity Services for Children and Young People: Final Report.
https://cass.independent-review.uk/home/publications/final-report/ - Imrie, S., et al. (2020). Children with Trans Parents: Parent–Child Relationship Quality and Psychological Well-being. (Open access)
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8372299/ - Jarvie, J. (2022, April 12). A transgender psychologist has helped hundreds of teens transition. But rising numbers have her concerned. Los Angeles Times.
https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2022-04-12/a-transgender-psychologist-reckons-with-how-to-support-a-new-generation-of-trans-teens - Marshall, E., et al. (2020). The quality and satisfaction of romantic relationships in transgender people: A systematic review. (Open access)
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8726697/ - Sax, L. (2002). How common is intersex? A response to Anne Fausto-Sterling. The Journal of Sex Research, 39(3), 174–178. (PubMed record)
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12476264/
https://x.com/wokal_distance/status/1943452227634630725
On July 10, Wokal Distance shared a powerful thread on X about the moral and intellectual fallout of gender ideology. Here’s the full text, reformatted for clarity:
I don’t think the left realizes the degree to which giving puberty blockers and sex-change procedures to kids who wanted to change genders was a test of moral and intellectual integrity. That test utterly destroyed the moral and intellectual credibility of everyone who failed it.
Those who went along with gender ideology didn’t just end up on the wrong side of public opinion. They demonstrated for the whole world that they had no intellectual integrity, moral fortitude, or ability to stand up for the truth or think for themselves.
They showed they have no intellectual or moral anchors of any kind. They’ll pretend to believe anything and go along with any ideology to preserve their social standing and the esteem of their colleagues.
The result? The institutions, industries, and individuals who embraced gender ideology proved they were intellectually and morally hollow. In the process, they destroyed their credibility and legitimacy as experts in the eyes of the public.
This isn’t just a PR crisis. It’s not about the focus of institutions or how people present themselves. The real issue is whether our elite class has the professional capability and moral fiber to competently do their jobs.
Gender ideology was a test of moral compass, intellectual integrity, and professional competence. If you have even one of those three qualities, you reject gender ideology. The only way to go along with it is to lack all three completely.
Those who supported gender ideology showed no moral compass, no intellectual integrity, no ability to think for themselves, and no professional competence in understanding critical issues. They’ve proven themselves utterly illegitimate as elites or experts.
They’ve shown they’re constitutionally incapable of doing the jobs they were assigned. For that reason, they’ve lost all social legitimacy and trustworthiness.
Progressives think this is a messaging problem or a PR crisis—it’s not. This is about the fundamental legitimacy of the entire institutional apparatus from which the left draws its professionals, staffers, employees, ideas, policies, and overall direction.
The left can’t fix this by shifting focus or direction. They must admit they failed the gender ideology test, explain why and how they failed, and put people in charge who would pass that test. Until they do, they’ll continue to be seen as illegitimate.
And they have no idea why, because they refuse to take the ‘L’ and figure out how their entire movement and all their institutions got hijacked by the most extreme wing of the most niche leftist movement in American politics.
About fucking time the facade of youth gender medicine’s supposed infallibility is crumbling. For years, the trans rights movement has peddled the emotionally manipulative lie that denying children puberty blockers or cross-sex hormones is tantamount to signing their death warrants—a claim rooted in social blackmail rather than evidence. The Atlantic article exposes this narrative, epitomized by phrases like “Would you rather have a dead son than a live daughter?” as collapsing under scrutiny. During Supreme Court arguments in the Skrmetti case, ACLU lawyer Chase Strangio admitted there’s no evidence linking medical transition to reduced adolescent suicide rates, a concession that exposes the hollowness of the movement’s loudest rallying cry. Systematic reviews further debunk the myth, showing no increase in suicides when blockers were restricted in England. The left’s bubble, sustained by zombie facts and a refusal to engage with critics, has been punctured by undeniable truths—truths skeptics have long pointed out, only to be shouted down.
I told you so: the so-called evidence base for youth gender medicine is a house of cards built on citation laundering and ideological zeal. American clinics, deviating from the cautious Dutch protocol, often prescribe blockers on first visits, bypassing thorough assessments. WPATH, the supposed gold standard, has been caught suppressing inconvenient research, with internal doubts about weak evidence buried to protect political goals. Rachel Levine’s push to remove age minimums for surgeries was a calculated move to dodge conservative attacks, not a science-driven decision. Meanwhile, practitioners like Johanna Olson-Kennedy, who casually dismissed adolescent regret with “you can go and get [breasts],” reveal a cavalier attitude toward irreversible procedures. The left’s sanctimonious insistence on “settled science” is nothing but a confabulation, propped up by medical associations’ politically influenced consensus rather than rigorous data.
The legal system, for all its flaws, has finally dragged these lies into the light—about fucking time. Court cases like Skrmetti and Alabama’s litigation exposed WPATH’s internal admissions of shaky evidence and their efforts to muzzle researchers whose findings didn’t align with the narrative. The Cass report, dismissed by American advocates as “subjective,” challenged WPATH’s authority with systematic reviews recommending caution. Yet, the left clings to its bubble, accusing outlets like The New York Times of “manufacturing” debate. Skeptics, long vilified as bigots, have been vindicated: the evidence is inconclusive, the risks are real, and the emotional blackmail is unconscionable. Supporting trans rights doesn’t require endorsing experimental treatments for kids, and it’s high time liberals faced this reality instead of doubling down on discredited dogma.
Bibliography
- Lewis, Helen. “The Liberal Misinformation Bubble About Youth Gender Medicine.” The Atlantic, June 29, 2025. https://archive.is/1PP0D.
Gender Affirming Care (GAC)—a suite of medical, surgical, and psychosocial interventions for transgender and gender-diverse individuals—commands fervent support despite a precarious evidence base. Major medical associations, wielding the authority of over 1.3 million doctors, proclaim its necessity, yet systematic reviews from health authorities in Finland, Sweden, and England expose a stark reality: the long-term efficacy and safety of GAC, particularly for minors, lack robust substantiation. This dissonance—between passionate advocacy and scientific uncertainty—begs scrutiny. What drives individuals to champion GAC when the evidence falters? Five primary reasons emerge: empathy for marginalized groups, belief in autonomy, trust in institutions, fear of social backlash, and perceived life-saving benefits. Each, though rooted in human impulses, corrodes critical inquiry, elevating ideology over empiricism. This essay dissects these drivers, weaving examples and citations into a tapestry of analysis, before concluding that the evidence fails to justify the claims propelling GAC’s ascent.
Empathy and Support for Marginalized Groups
Transgender individuals endure a gauntlet of social stigma—discrimination, microaggressions, and a 61% higher likelihood of suicidal ideation among youth with gender dysphoria. This suffering ignites empathy, compelling many to view GAC as a moral necessity, a lifeline for those drowning in despair. The emotional weight of personal narratives overshadows the absence of long-term data, transforming support into a crusade against perceived injustice. Consider Kelly Fleming, a Texas resident using they/them pronouns, who battled decades of depression, shaving in darkness to avoid their reflection. After a gender dysphoria diagnosis and low-dose estradiol, their anguish gave way to joy in their physical self. Such stories, visceral and compelling, sway supporters to prioritize lived experiences over empirical gaps, even as systematic reviews question GAC’s long-term mental health benefits (Scientific American, 2022). Empathy, while noble, risks blinding advocates to the need for rigorous validation.
Belief in Autonomy and Self-Identification
The ethos of self-identification—where one’s internal gender defines reality—fuels GAC’s appeal. This ideology, ascendant in progressive circles, holds that individuals must control their bodies, even if medical outcomes remain uncertain. Denying GAC, supporters argue, violates personal agency, a sin deemed antithetical to modern ethics. Katherine Imborek, MD, co-director of UI Health Care’s LGBTQ Clinic, likens GAC to insulin for diabetes: a non-negotiable intervention (AAMC, 2022). This analogy, wielded with clinical gravitas, frames GAC as an ethical imperative, sidelining concerns about irreversible effects like infertility or adolescent decision-making capacity. Supporters cling to autonomy as sacrosanct, undeterred by critiques—like those in Current Sexual Health Reports—that highlight the paucity of evidence for long-term benefits (Block, 2023). The conviction that choice trumps uncertainty drives this support, even when science lags.
Trust in Medical and Advocacy Institutions
Institutional endorsements lend GAC a veneer of unimpeachable legitimacy. The American Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, and others, representing over 1.3 million physicians, assert GAC’s safety and necessity, often citing short-term studies. Advocacy groups like the Human Rights Campaign amplify this, claiming “decades of research” affirm efficacy (HRC, n.d.). For many, this imprimatur suffices, quelling skepticism. Yet, the irony is biting: systematic reviews, such as those by NICE and Sweden’s health authority, reveal methodological flaws in these studies, with no reliable evidence of long-term mental health gains (Block, 2023). The Human Rights Campaign’s amicus briefs, wielded against state bans, persuade laypeople and policymakers who trust institutions implicitly, unaware of the chasm between claims and reality. This blind faith in authority—however well-intentioned—corrodes the demand for scientific rigor.
Fear of Social Backlash
The cultural crucible of 2025 scorches dissenters. Questioning GAC invites accusations of transphobia, risking social ostracism or professional ruin—a modern scarlet letter. This fear, amplified by cancel culture’s swift retribution, coerces conformity. While specific cases are elusive, the broader dynamics are undeniable: public figures face X platform pile-ons for challenging progressive orthodoxies, a fate that looms over academics, clinicians, or laypeople alike. A hypothetical professor questioning GAC’s evidence base might lose grants, tenure, or reputation, a risk that stifles debate. This chilling effect, though undocumented in specific GAC contexts, mirrors broader trends in polarized discourse, ensuring support persists not from conviction but from dread. The absence of open dialogue—smothered by ideological zeal—betrays the pursuit of truth.
Perceived Life-Saving Benefits
Short-term studies, like a JAMA Network Open analysis, link GAC to reduced depression and suicidality in transgender youth within 12 months, fueling perceptions of its life-saving potential (Tordoff et al., 2022). These findings, though limited, galvanize advocates who see GAC as a bulwark against despair. Yet, the evidence is fragile: European reviews highlight risks—sexual dysfunction, infertility, even a 19-fold higher suicide rate in transitioned adults—while long-term benefits remain unproven (Block, 2023). A Dutch study noted a death from surgical complications, underscoring the stakes (Block, 2023). Despite this, the JAMA study’s mental health improvements dominate advocacy narratives, overshadowing concerns about detransition rates (potentially 10–30%) or ethical dilemmas over adolescent consent. The urgency to save lives, however compelling, outpaces the caution demanded by incomplete data.
Conclusion: A House Built on Sand
The fervor for Gender Affirming Care—woven from empathy, autonomy, institutional trust, fear, and hope—collapses under scrutiny. Systematic reviews from Finland, Sweden, and England, alongside critical analyses like those in Current Sexual Health Reports, reveal a stark truth: the evidence does not support the grandiose claims of GAC’s efficacy or safety. Short-term mental health gains, while promising, are dwarfed by unanswered questions about long-term outcomes—risks of infertility, regret, or mortality loom large. Institutional endorsements, though authoritative, lean on flawed studies; empathy, though human, cannot substitute for data; and fear of backlash stifles the debate essential for progress. The moral urgency to affirm identities, however heartfelt, builds a house on sand when divorced from rigorous science. Until comprehensive, long-term studies validate GAC’s benefits, its advocates—however well-meaning—peddle hope over truth, a debacle that risks harm to those they aim to help.
Bibliography
- Association of American Medical Colleges. (2022). “What is Gender-Affirming Care? Your Questions Answered.” https://www.aamc.org/news/what-gender-affirming-care-your-questions-answered
- Block, J. (2023). “Gender dysphoria in young people is rising—and so is professional disagreement.” Current Sexual Health Reports. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10039166/
- Human Rights Campaign. (n.d.). “Get the Facts on Gender-Affirming Care.” https://www.hrc.org/resources/get-the-facts-on-gender-affirming-care
- Scientific American. (2022). “What the Science on Gender-Affirming Care for Transgender Kids Really Shows.” https://www.scientificamerican.com/video/what-the-science-on-gender-affirming-care-for-transgender-kids-really-shows/
- Tordoff, D. M., et al. (2022). “Mental Health Outcomes in Transgender and Nonbinary Youths Receiving Gender-Affirming Care.” JAMA Network Open. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2789423
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