You might have heard that my beloved son thinks of himself as transgender.
What does this mean?
He has, for one reason or another, decided that he is not a young man.
Of course, when you think about that for even a moment, it is the most ridiculous thing ever – isn’t it?
It was obvious that he was a boy the moment he was born (it might even have been noticed on the ultrasound weeks beforehand). It is impossible for humans to change sex. There is no evidence transgenderism is innate. So this is all about a social identity. We all tried to be different to fit in with our tribe when we were young, we all rebelled a bit.
However, this trend to adopt an identity based on what we call gender ideology, is way more dangerous than dyeing one’s hair or getting a piercing or two. And it is a trend, a craze, spread on the internet and validated by those not adequately versed in the facts.
Our lovely boy has now decided he wishes to be known by a different name and requested others use his new pronouns.
Please do not comply with either of these requests.
You might think that there is no harm in it, or that it is his choice, but the evidence is clear that neither are true.
Playing along with a new transgender identity is what has become known as ‘social affirmation’. This has been recognised as ‘not a neutral act’ by the Interim Report of The Cass Review – a UK Government enquiry led by Dr Hilary Cass (a former President of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health).
If a young person is questioning their identity, then how that manifests itself changes over time, it is a phase. If such an identity is ‘affirmed’ then that is a powerful psychological intervention that can foreclose further exploration.
You risk cementing that identity in my son’s mind, making it harder for him to leave it behind in the natural course of things.
The nature of the craze, often called a social contagion, is very much like a cult or a religion. It is spread through peer groups, often online, and it deeply conditions young minds. Once captured, it is very hard for a young person to escape. My son will stand the best chance if that capture is not complete and he has a clear route to escape to a healthier future.
Young men who think of themselves as transgender and who do not desist from that ideation in time are at risk of harmful medical interventions including being given female hormones that can lead to breast growth, sterility, and loss of sexual function. There is no medical evidence such interventions are in the patient’s best interests.
My son’s wellbeing and his future life and happiness are paramount to us, and we do not want him pushed down such a devastating pathway.
Please do everything you can to keep him grounded in reality. Keep referring to him as you have always done. Nothing has changed, he has just fallen in with a bad crowd.
We should all like to see him leave his transgender ideation behind, sooner rather than later.
We need you to be on team ‘sooner’.
Thank you.