The federal courts have spoken. Tennessee’s law protecting children from transgender treatment is constitutional, the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in late September. As the primary author of Tennessee’s law, I’m pleased to have the judicial endorsement. But this isn’t just about the law. It’s a fundamental matter of truth.
My colleagues and I championed this reform out of a deep conviction that Tennessee should enshrine truth in law. Modern society tells us that everyone can have their own truth, and that your truth and my truth can not only differ, but directly contradict each other. That’s not how truth works. There are scientific and moral truths that are timeless and eternal. The earth is round. Stealing is wrong. Biology is real.
Literally everyone understood this last truth until a few years ago. Since then, a small but powerful group of activists has been spreading the opposite message in the media, in schools and even in health care. Medical organisations have endorsed dangerous transgender treatments for children, even while admitting that the evidence for them is slim to non-existent.
And as the medical charity Do No Harm has shown, the most liberal countries in Europe are increasingly blocking these treatments on scientific grounds. What does it say when hyper-liberal Europe has more respect for the truth than America?
The good thing about the truth is that it’s hard to hide. We know from research that children who believe they’re transgender struggle with mental illness at staggering rates. We also know that the overwhelming majority of these children – nearly 90% – end up identifying as their biological sex as adults. Finally, we know that children’s brains are still developing, which means they need guidance and guardrails to make the best decisions.
Given all these truths, why on earth would we have children as young as 8 years old (if not younger) trying to change their gender? Why on earth would we subject teenagers and even pre-teens to medical procedures that are usually irreversible and lead to other medical problems for the rest of their lives?
You don’t have to think hard to realise how insane it is to let children go down this road. It’s not much different from dealing with a daughter struggling with anorexia, something I’ve seen in a close family friend. Imagine if her parents had encouraged her disorder by telling her she’s overweight. Imagine if they went one step further and allowed her to have gastric bypass surgery.
Those parents would be endangering her health and even her life. Society would revolt if we allowed that to happen. So why should we give in to activist demands to allow a young boy or girl to do something similar with their sex?
The threat to mental and physical health could hardly be clearer. And we know for a fact that many children who’ve tried to change their gender end up committing suicide. Once you’ve crossed the bridge of invasive and irreversible transgender treatments, there’s no going back. Even if you regret your decision, you’re stuck. That’s what happens when truth gives way to lies. It ruins your life.
Tennessee’s law protects children and families from this unscientific agenda. The activists who oppose our law accuse us of enforcing religious dogma. But this isn’t about religion, it’s about reality. Atheists, agnostics and a wide range of people from all walks of life recognise the truth about gender.
Besides, is it “religious dogma” to oppose gastric bypass for an anorexic 16-year-old girl? Of course not. It’s common sense. It’s medical necessity. It’s ultimately a basic respect for truth. The same goes for ending transgender treatments for children.
Tennessee will continue to defend this truth, now enshrined in law. We’ve already been vindicated in the courts. Now it’s time to consistently and clearly defend the truth in the public square, so that no more children are hurt by lies.