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Executive Director’s Desk (continued)
entirely masculine or feminine does not make them a trans child and the majority of young children outgrow any kind of gender confusion they have on their own.
• Adolescent girls who are caught in a social contagion due, in large part, to social media. She believed that most teen girls, suspected of experiencing gender dysphoria, have a desper- ate need for popularity and to be accepted. Their problems are related to other issues involving anxiety, self-harm, de- pression, and low self-esteem. These problems need to be ad- dressed first and foremost prior to automatically assuming they need to be treated for gender dysphoria.
• Activists who use the first two groups to advance their goal of social upheaval. She believes that many activists don’t rep- resent the trans community at all. Rather, they exploit confu- sion by promoting dangerous bills and have turned this sen- sitive issue into a political one.
While some may insist that these feelings display transphobic bigotry, Ms. Shrier makes it clear that she completely supports the LBGTQ community and has developed relationships with several transgender adults through her research. I also have friends and
family members in the LBGTQ community and have come to un- derstand their dilemmas much better over the years. What I don’t understand is why this issue is being pushed so aggressively in elementary schools in some states. Perhaps we must distinguish between the rights of transgender Americans and an ideological movement that can warp our children. Children are vulnerable and have enough pressure in everyday life without adding addi- tional uncertainties and burdens. And their teen years can be the hardest as they try to fit in and figure out who they are.
Last month Governor DeSantis signed a controversial law that restricts education about gender identity and sexual orientation in public schools. From what I understand this law affects kin- dergarten through third grade only. I certainly don’t agree with everything our Governor stands for, but I can’t say I disagree with the reasoning that five through eight-year-old children are too young to be educated about these topics. As with many of life’s issues, age appropriateness should always be considered with the topic at hand. I can understand why many view this as a social phenomenon where political ideology is being injected into the health and psychological wellbeing of our children.
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