Authoritarians in Michigan’s legislature plan to use the power of the government to force their ridiculous views regarding gender identity on the rest of the state. They plan to achieve this by expanding the definition of “conversion therapy” to limit parents and therapists to only using the progressive idea “gender-affirming care” on children who are suffering from gender dysphoria.
State lawmakers have approved legislation that bans conversion therapy for LGBTQ+ minors, making it the 22nd state in the US to do so:
Michigan lawmakers gave final approval to legislation banning so-called conversion therapy for minors as Democrats in the state continue to advance a pro-LGBTQ+ agenda in their first months in power.
The legislation would prohibit mental health professionals from engaging youths in the scientifically discredited practice of trying to convert people who are LGBTQ+ to heterosexuality and traditional gender expectations.
The Michigan Senate approved the ban on a 21-15 vote — with one Republican siding with Democrats — late Tuesday after the state House previously approved the legislation. It now awaits final approval by Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who has previously called the therapy a “dangerous practice.”
This development came just before the Michigan House passed a measure that would criminalize the act of using the wrong pronouns when referring to a transgender individual.
The ongoing debate over conversion therapy and its impact on LGBTQ+ minors has taken a chilling new turn, as some propose expanding the definition to include children dealing with gender dysphoria. While the intention may be to protect children, critics argue that this approach not only poses dangers but also infringes upon parental rights. By mandating that only “gender-affirming care” be given and dismissing the potential for desistance, or growing out of the dysphoria, advocates of this measure are using the power of the state to enforce their views, disregarding the complexities surrounding gender identity.
Imposing this ban on supposed “conversion therapy” to encompass gender dysphoria fails to consider the best interests of the child and is a flagrant abuse of parental rights. Parents should be playing the primary role in making decisions about their child’s well-being, and it is essential to respect their autonomy.
Forcing parents to adhere strictly to “gender-affirming care,” including puberty blockers and surgical treatments, without fully evaluating the child’s long-term needs disregards the potential for natural desistance and denies parents the ability to consider alternative approaches. It also ensures that countless children are going to be subjected to these “treatments” that have already been shown to cause irreversible damage to these individuals – especially after they become adults.
It is crucial to acknowledge the complexities surrounding gender dysphoria, particularly in children and adolescents. While some individuals continue to identify as transgender into adulthood, studies indicate that the vast majority of children experiencing gender dysphoria ultimately grow out of it:
The phenomenon of transgender children “growing out of” their transgender identity by the time they are adolescents or adults is called “desistance” by gender researchers.
For decades, follow-up studies of transgender kids have shown that a substantial majority — anywhere from 65 to 94 percent — eventually ceased to identify as transgender.
By disregarding the possibility of desistance and solely focusing on affirming the child’s transgender identity, there is a risk of medicalizing the experience and potentially subjecting children to unnecessary interventions with long-term consequences. This is what “gender-affirming care” does, and it is devastating lives unnecessarily.
Those supporting these types of laws are employing the power of the state to enforce their views and restrict individual autonomy. Let me be blunt. Under these types of laws, if parents want to use a therapist to care for their child who might be suffering from gender dysphoria, and the professional uses what the pro-transing kids lobby calls “conversion therapy,” the government could eventually send men with guns and badges to throw the parents in a cage for supposedly “abusing” their child. They will revoke the license of the therapist and prevent them from practicing their craft—under threat of also being thrown in a cage.
They are literally using the threat of government violence to trans your children. This is how serious they are about violating your right to parent your child as you see fit. These are the types of authoritarians we are up against, and we better continue fighting back or they will eventually get their way.
