It seems insane that whilst these children can't vote, drive, drink, smoke because they are deemed as things that require responsibility or harm their health yet they are making decisions that will change the outcome of their lives completely without so much as a few sessions of counselling???
Well said ,Lucy. This is child abuse and these activists need to be held to account . These poor kids having their lives destroyed to " affirm" and " validate " the erroneous concept that humans can "change sex",and all for the benefit of creepy men. Thanks ,Lucy x
That's a very good point about not having grandchildren if parents trans their kid/s. I think that most people who have kids, eventually hope for grandchildren. All they'll end up with most of the time is farked up kids forever. There are exceptions, of course, like that Frankie and Rawa couple, but then you have to watch them mess up your grandchild - yuk.
Link to literature review re: ethics of prepubescent FP treatments did not work for me. Did you see the prepublication release (4/1/24 NIH funded study) comparing the testicular tissue of boys who were on puberty blockers versus boys who were not? The Mayo Clinic urologist/co-author who supplied the testicular tissue was coincidentally a member of WPATH Standard of Care 8 committee, which approved the new "Eunuch" gender identity. BTW, eunuch is a sexual fetish name for men with a castration paraphilia who have had their testicles surgically excised.
I have seen the study you refer to and it is just one more bit of evidence that belies the "fully reversible" crap the trans lobby pushes. Sometimes when you make alterations you can't "fix" them later. Like telling girl if they regret having their healthy breasts amputated, they can just "go and get new ones".
Before I started writing Lucy, I had no idea about just how perverted and widespread some male sexual fetishes could be.
When I was twelve, I would have given anything to NOT be a girl. I would have happily swapped places with a boy, a plant, a cheese sandwich. I wish society were willing to look at how we make girls see themselves, instead of encouraging them to be something different.
Yes. Seeing themselves as valued and important for who they are as girls, and who they might become as women, rather than telling them that if they feel uncomfortable, they can just "not be" who they really are.
Do you really say your 'trans kid' is never going to give you grandchildren is a reason to not help your trans kid?
First of all, transgender people cán get children. I would almost say: duhuh. You claim to be a midwife, you should know. Although transgender people probably don't want you to be their midwife.
Second, which parent has the idea to be entitled to grandchildren??? What an utterly selfish thing to say!
A child with gender dysphoria certainly needs love and support. But in reality no one is 'born in the wrong body'. And the safest course of action for kids with gender dysphoria is watchful waiting, and letting puberty take its course. This is the only course of action that has any evidence to support it.
What do you mean by "transgender people can get children"? Trans identified females may be able to get pregnant (as long as they never had their puberty blocked), but there must be extra risk of complications from vastly higher testosterone levels and lower oestrogen than normal female levels. I don't know if there has been rigorous research on pregnancies in 'trans men', or women who once received 'gender affirming care' but have since ceased it.
Hey Lucy, La Leche League has always maintained that parents know their own children best. Parents of transgender kids have a more difficult job than many others, having to balance the pros and cons of gender-affirming care while also protecting their children from vitriol from the general public. They need to be able to make their decisions based on support and information from actual experts in the field, not to be demonised on social media when they, like all of us, are just trying to do the best for their kids.
Carolyn if you have read more than one post, you will know that not only do I not believe that we are all born with gendered souls that may or may not match our physical reality, I also do not believe there is such a being as a "transgender kid". I believe that as part of normal human development all children utilize their brilliant imaginations, trying out differing personas to see how they feel in them; I vividly remember my youngest sister living as a horse for a time, but a prime parental obligation is to safeguard children from harm, which includes not lying to them about something as important as their embodied sex.
The cure for gender dysphoria is normal puberty, not making ruinous alterations to still developing bodies and minds that (as I wrote here) takes away choices from future adults. Informed consent is impossible to obtain from children as they have neither the brain maturity nor the life experience to know the full implications of what they are consenting to.
If children are distressed by pubertal changes (or even at the prospect of these), how does cementing in their confused thinking support them into maturity? Why can't girls who like to get dirty building things and boys who like glittery nail polish be supported to believe that they are just fine as they are? Isn't the entire concept of the "trans child" built on gendered stereotypes?
And while we absolutely agree about how most parents "are just trying to do the best for their kids", unfortunately some parents are unable to resist the allure of having a "special" child. Jazz Jennings family can be easily supported out of her $5 million net worth and even accepting that this is not a common outcome, social media is replete with examples of parents who encouraged their children to accept a trans identity as they feel this enhances their own social standing.
And on the other side are parents who also want to do their best, so reluctantly accede to the demands of others who engage in indoctrination campaigns as if teachers, therapists and social workers know and love these children more than their parents do.
It is becoming blindingly obvious that the "actual experts in the field" are those who accept the reality of mammalian biology as it is and that our feelings, wants, desires and even our beliefs have physical limits around functionality.
Yes, Lucy, I am well aware that you do not "believe" in transgender kids. Many (most?) experts with qualifications and experience in child psychology and counselling disagree with you. Could you share the qualifications you have that lead you to your conclusions?
You raise another very important point here, Carolyn. I wish it weren't a gold mine for mental health professionals to promote the idea that kids need therapy when they live in the "wrong" body. Psychotherapy is not trendy anymore, as it once was, and therapists have been looking for new markets. This is a fact. They need clients.
However, it has also become impossible for those therapists who do care about maintaining an evidence-based practice to disagree with the notion of a gender that does not match one's sex. Therapists who have doubts or do not believe in it are afraid to express their opinions for fear of being 'cancelled.' Therefore, lacking hard evidence to support their claims, current "experts" appear to be merely making things up!
Perhaps we could start by asking those "experts" where their expertise comes from. We know now that their opinion is not based on research. On what, then?
For fifty years, La Leche League maintained that MOTHERS know their babies best. And because MOTHERS are still so disempowered in our societies— their instincts dismissed regularly— LLL was fundamental in championing those of us who are designed by nature to put their babies first. This mission was abandoned— mothers were abandoned, leaders were abandoned, babies were abandoned- by the most recent LLL BoD.
Carolyn, is it possible that you have access to some secret and unpublished research articles that support concepts of gender identity, which remain controversial for the rest of us due to what we understand as a lack of research? The US and UK governments have acknowledged that there is no substantial evidence supporting gender-affirming protocols that are physically harmful to children. As I write this, I hope and pray that you have been able to keep your own children safe from harm?
Lucy aims to support discernment among mothers, fathers, and children. Discernment is empowering. Evidence-based research enables us all to make decisions we can live with. Don't you agree?
I absolutely do agree that parents should use discernment and evidence-based research to help them in their decisions about their children. How does vilifying them help with this?
As the post under discussion was written about the deleterious and life changing negative effects of preventing children too young to give their informed consent to any procedures or treatments that will remove those choices that most of us can reasonably expect to be able to make as adults (such as having our own biological children), this is the only point I am prepared to respond to here. Between the systemic reviews of several European countries, the Cass report from the UK and this recently released document from the USA, I think that that is sufficient evidence to back up my claim about the known harms of puberty blockers. To save you some time, just go straight to page 115. https://opa.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/2025-05/gender-dysphoria-report.pdf
How do you know that parents of transgender kids have a more difficult job than many other parents who may be dealing with their child's cancer, autism or ADHD for example? It is also impossible to balance the pros and cons regarding gender-affirming care because the pros are as rare as unicorns. Decisions regarding treatment for gender dysphoria should be based on the latest science and what is best for the children. All the latest evidence suggests gender-affirming care is not based on science and is not in the best interests of children and thus it is the worst way of dealing with gender dysphoria; the affirmation inevitably leads to permanent alterations of the body which any rational parent would not wish for their child.
Of course there are other groups of parents whose job is very difficult because they are dealing with serious conditions in their children. Lucy was talking about parents of transgender kids. And yes, decisions regarding treatment for gender dysphoria should be based on the latest science and what is best for the children. Perhaps we should be seeking information from scientists and psychologists instead of culture wars on social media?
You wrote that "[p]arents of transgender kids have a more difficult job than many others . . ."; we asked, providing examples, how you know this. In the context of parenting difficulties, Lucy said nothing about "parents of transgender kids." Lucy was saying that children who are given puberty blockers are inevitably given cross sex hormones which lead to infertility. She then analogised this situation with children who have cancer who may be offered fertility preservation techniques. For a child whose gender dysphoria has been affirmed and then treated with puberty blockers, fertility preservation techniques will be ineffective.
Regarding treatment for gender dysphoria in children following affirmation there is miniscule, credible evidence that puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and surgery are effective for this condition, indeed they create many more long term problems, one of which is fertility impairment. This lack of evidence for affirmation and these treatments is reflected in the changing guidelines in countries like the UK, Finland Norway, Sweden and France and in at least twenty-five US States. These jurisdictions are seeking the best path forward and the end result will probably be to provide mental health services to those with gender dysphoria or to do nothing at all.
It seems insane that whilst these children can't vote, drive, drink, smoke because they are deemed as things that require responsibility or harm their health yet they are making decisions that will change the outcome of their lives completely without so much as a few sessions of counselling???
Well said ,Lucy. This is child abuse and these activists need to be held to account . These poor kids having their lives destroyed to " affirm" and " validate " the erroneous concept that humans can "change sex",and all for the benefit of creepy men. Thanks ,Lucy x
That's a very good point about not having grandchildren if parents trans their kid/s. I think that most people who have kids, eventually hope for grandchildren. All they'll end up with most of the time is farked up kids forever. There are exceptions, of course, like that Frankie and Rawa couple, but then you have to watch them mess up your grandchild - yuk.
Once again your research and knowledge has educated me, thank you!
Link to literature review re: ethics of prepubescent FP treatments did not work for me. Did you see the prepublication release (4/1/24 NIH funded study) comparing the testicular tissue of boys who were on puberty blockers versus boys who were not? The Mayo Clinic urologist/co-author who supplied the testicular tissue was coincidentally a member of WPATH Standard of Care 8 committee, which approved the new "Eunuch" gender identity. BTW, eunuch is a sexual fetish name for men with a castration paraphilia who have had their testicles surgically excised.
Sorry that link didn't work for you; here it is: https://jme.bmj.com/content/medethics/48/12/1076.full.pdf?with-ds=yes
I have seen the study you refer to and it is just one more bit of evidence that belies the "fully reversible" crap the trans lobby pushes. Sometimes when you make alterations you can't "fix" them later. Like telling girl if they regret having their healthy breasts amputated, they can just "go and get new ones".
Before I started writing Lucy, I had no idea about just how perverted and widespread some male sexual fetishes could be.
When I was twelve, I would have given anything to NOT be a girl. I would have happily swapped places with a boy, a plant, a cheese sandwich. I wish society were willing to look at how we make girls see themselves, instead of encouraging them to be something different.
Yes. Seeing themselves as valued and important for who they are as girls, and who they might become as women, rather than telling them that if they feel uncomfortable, they can just "not be" who they really are.
What an appalling message to give to any child.
Well done highlighting the whole FP angle of the nightmare, Lucy.
Have cross posted
https://dustymasterson.substack.com/p/a-beautiful-mind-ignore-the-blonde
Dusty
Do you really say your 'trans kid' is never going to give you grandchildren is a reason to not help your trans kid?
First of all, transgender people cán get children. I would almost say: duhuh. You claim to be a midwife, you should know. Although transgender people probably don't want you to be their midwife.
Second, which parent has the idea to be entitled to grandchildren??? What an utterly selfish thing to say!
A child with gender dysphoria certainly needs love and support. But in reality no one is 'born in the wrong body'. And the safest course of action for kids with gender dysphoria is watchful waiting, and letting puberty take its course. This is the only course of action that has any evidence to support it.
What do you mean by "transgender people can get children"? Trans identified females may be able to get pregnant (as long as they never had their puberty blocked), but there must be extra risk of complications from vastly higher testosterone levels and lower oestrogen than normal female levels. I don't know if there has been rigorous research on pregnancies in 'trans men', or women who once received 'gender affirming care' but have since ceased it.
Hey Lucy, La Leche League has always maintained that parents know their own children best. Parents of transgender kids have a more difficult job than many others, having to balance the pros and cons of gender-affirming care while also protecting their children from vitriol from the general public. They need to be able to make their decisions based on support and information from actual experts in the field, not to be demonised on social media when they, like all of us, are just trying to do the best for their kids.
Carolyn if you have read more than one post, you will know that not only do I not believe that we are all born with gendered souls that may or may not match our physical reality, I also do not believe there is such a being as a "transgender kid". I believe that as part of normal human development all children utilize their brilliant imaginations, trying out differing personas to see how they feel in them; I vividly remember my youngest sister living as a horse for a time, but a prime parental obligation is to safeguard children from harm, which includes not lying to them about something as important as their embodied sex.
The cure for gender dysphoria is normal puberty, not making ruinous alterations to still developing bodies and minds that (as I wrote here) takes away choices from future adults. Informed consent is impossible to obtain from children as they have neither the brain maturity nor the life experience to know the full implications of what they are consenting to.
If children are distressed by pubertal changes (or even at the prospect of these), how does cementing in their confused thinking support them into maturity? Why can't girls who like to get dirty building things and boys who like glittery nail polish be supported to believe that they are just fine as they are? Isn't the entire concept of the "trans child" built on gendered stereotypes?
And while we absolutely agree about how most parents "are just trying to do the best for their kids", unfortunately some parents are unable to resist the allure of having a "special" child. Jazz Jennings family can be easily supported out of her $5 million net worth and even accepting that this is not a common outcome, social media is replete with examples of parents who encouraged their children to accept a trans identity as they feel this enhances their own social standing.
And on the other side are parents who also want to do their best, so reluctantly accede to the demands of others who engage in indoctrination campaigns as if teachers, therapists and social workers know and love these children more than their parents do.
It is becoming blindingly obvious that the "actual experts in the field" are those who accept the reality of mammalian biology as it is and that our feelings, wants, desires and even our beliefs have physical limits around functionality.
And lying to children doesn't fix anything.
Yes, Lucy, I am well aware that you do not "believe" in transgender kids. Many (most?) experts with qualifications and experience in child psychology and counselling disagree with you. Could you share the qualifications you have that lead you to your conclusions?
You raise another very important point here, Carolyn. I wish it weren't a gold mine for mental health professionals to promote the idea that kids need therapy when they live in the "wrong" body. Psychotherapy is not trendy anymore, as it once was, and therapists have been looking for new markets. This is a fact. They need clients.
However, it has also become impossible for those therapists who do care about maintaining an evidence-based practice to disagree with the notion of a gender that does not match one's sex. Therapists who have doubts or do not believe in it are afraid to express their opinions for fear of being 'cancelled.' Therefore, lacking hard evidence to support their claims, current "experts" appear to be merely making things up!
Perhaps we could start by asking those "experts" where their expertise comes from. We know now that their opinion is not based on research. On what, then?
For fifty years, La Leche League maintained that MOTHERS know their babies best. And because MOTHERS are still so disempowered in our societies— their instincts dismissed regularly— LLL was fundamental in championing those of us who are designed by nature to put their babies first. This mission was abandoned— mothers were abandoned, leaders were abandoned, babies were abandoned- by the most recent LLL BoD.
Carolyn, is it possible that you have access to some secret and unpublished research articles that support concepts of gender identity, which remain controversial for the rest of us due to what we understand as a lack of research? The US and UK governments have acknowledged that there is no substantial evidence supporting gender-affirming protocols that are physically harmful to children. As I write this, I hope and pray that you have been able to keep your own children safe from harm?
Lucy aims to support discernment among mothers, fathers, and children. Discernment is empowering. Evidence-based research enables us all to make decisions we can live with. Don't you agree?
We should all be grateful to LucyLeader.
I absolutely do agree that parents should use discernment and evidence-based research to help them in their decisions about their children. How does vilifying them help with this?
As the post under discussion was written about the deleterious and life changing negative effects of preventing children too young to give their informed consent to any procedures or treatments that will remove those choices that most of us can reasonably expect to be able to make as adults (such as having our own biological children), this is the only point I am prepared to respond to here. Between the systemic reviews of several European countries, the Cass report from the UK and this recently released document from the USA, I think that that is sufficient evidence to back up my claim about the known harms of puberty blockers. To save you some time, just go straight to page 115. https://opa.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/2025-05/gender-dysphoria-report.pdf
How do you know that parents of transgender kids have a more difficult job than many other parents who may be dealing with their child's cancer, autism or ADHD for example? It is also impossible to balance the pros and cons regarding gender-affirming care because the pros are as rare as unicorns. Decisions regarding treatment for gender dysphoria should be based on the latest science and what is best for the children. All the latest evidence suggests gender-affirming care is not based on science and is not in the best interests of children and thus it is the worst way of dealing with gender dysphoria; the affirmation inevitably leads to permanent alterations of the body which any rational parent would not wish for their child.
Of course there are other groups of parents whose job is very difficult because they are dealing with serious conditions in their children. Lucy was talking about parents of transgender kids. And yes, decisions regarding treatment for gender dysphoria should be based on the latest science and what is best for the children. Perhaps we should be seeking information from scientists and psychologists instead of culture wars on social media?
You wrote that "[p]arents of transgender kids have a more difficult job than many others . . ."; we asked, providing examples, how you know this. In the context of parenting difficulties, Lucy said nothing about "parents of transgender kids." Lucy was saying that children who are given puberty blockers are inevitably given cross sex hormones which lead to infertility. She then analogised this situation with children who have cancer who may be offered fertility preservation techniques. For a child whose gender dysphoria has been affirmed and then treated with puberty blockers, fertility preservation techniques will be ineffective.
Regarding treatment for gender dysphoria in children following affirmation there is miniscule, credible evidence that puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and surgery are effective for this condition, indeed they create many more long term problems, one of which is fertility impairment. This lack of evidence for affirmation and these treatments is reflected in the changing guidelines in countries like the UK, Finland Norway, Sweden and France and in at least twenty-five US States. These jurisdictions are seeking the best path forward and the end result will probably be to provide mental health services to those with gender dysphoria or to do nothing at all.