Discover more from Digging In with Debra J. Saunders
Axios has a piece today on the Bud Light controversy over Dylan Mulvaney.
(I wrote this column, “Bud Light: Know Thyself” on the controversy last week.)
According to Axios, the takeaways from the Mulvaney brouhaha are:
The inflamed politics around transgender rights.
The lack of perspective or grace from vocal transgender opponents.
The speed of viral vitriol.
The speed of efforts to capitalize off viral vitriol.
The unpreparedness of companies to respond to social-media uprisings.
Wrong. “The lack of perspective and grace” has a special place among a marketing crew that does not understand its base. Count me among the many Americans who are done with being lectured about how we are supposed to celebrate transitioning.
(I wrote this column, “Bud Light: Know Thyself” on the controversy last week.)
I support the rights of adults to seek “gender-affirming” care — even if I think transitioning is the opposite of “gender affirming.” But I also have concerns as to whether it is healthy, given the high number of individuals who choose to un-transition.
Last year, the New York Times reported on serious concerns.
But there is emerging evidence of potential harm from using blockers, according to reviews of scientific papers and interviews with more than 50 doctors and academic experts around the world.
Treatments can affect bone density and cause irreversible infertility. That’s not vitriol. It’s reality.
I have to think that years from now, the transition machine will be sued into the dark ages. But it will be too late for teens who were gulled into procedures that stunted their growth and parents who went along because they didn’t know better.
Debra J. Saunders is a senior fellow at the Discovery Institute’s Chapman Center for Citizen Leadership.
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Big Media Dropped the Can on Bud Light
Debra: You are ahead of your time. And The Times, for that matter. I still fear that young people are far too susceptible to trends to be competent to make such life-changing decisions. Heck, our powers that be (in their very finite wisdom) don’t even authorize the young to consume alcohol or smoke pot (where legalized) until age 21. I’m not sure what the right age for gender determination is, but (a) I suspect it is higher than that the average middle school or high school student, (b) I suspect that one size — age — doesn’t fit all, and (c) I don’t think parents should be shoved aside in these very important matters.
Totally agree with you. If you want to go that route, do it as an adult with LOTS of counseling. Gov. Newsom signed into law protecting CHILDREN by transitioning WITHOUT THEIR PARENTS APPROVAL!! I have met a few people who transitioned AS ADULTS and they were law students. One of them I met when they were a "he" who had been a "she" before and then has transitioned back into a "she". I spoke with her over 6 years ago and she was planning to go into the clinical psychology field. That said, she said there were elements of both genders that she liked. I also think there may be something with this gender stuff - my high school "crush" went to college with Bruce Jenner and they knew each other and there was something about Bruce back then and that was 50+ years ago.