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Where does one begin reviewing a book that uncovers a shocking and horrifying trend destroying the lives of impressionable children, mostly girls? Abigail Shrier does an applause-worthy job of exposing this "craze" as she calls it, but which, unlike hula hoops or other cultural fads, often results in surgical mutilation and the irreversible harm caused by prolonged hormone treatments. While the average person may be unaware of the crisis, it is nonetheless a threat to all children and to society as a whole. Less than 10 years ago, the notion that young girls ages 11 through 20 could suddenly develop gender dysphoria, or the belief that they are actually boys trapped in girls' bodies, The response of many parents may be to assume that their daughters are going through a passing phase given the volatility of adolescence, but this book unveils the sinister forces stacked against them in the schools—from teachers to therapists, and even to medical doctors. All of these professionals celebrate and facilitate the "transition" of adolescent and even pre-adolescent children to what they regard as the "opposite sex." Often, this process starts behind the backs of parents, and may be well underway by the time the parents find out. Many therapists don't even question the child's assertion that she is really a "boy"; the child's self-identification is enough to warrant medication. In California, for example, minor students who "self-identify" as transgender "can leave school to obtain gender hormone treatments without parental permission." Is herd mentality prompting this destructive craze—a sort of me-too fellowship among adolescent girls? Irreversible Damage shows it is this and more. The journey typically begins with social media, often in white, affluent, and politically progressive homes. The children may spend many hours online, where countless YouTube videos and other platforms like Tumblr, TikTok, and DeviantArt feature transgender adults who encourage kids to question their gender identity and to "transition" if they do not feel happy in their bodies. (And what tween or teen is happy with the way she looks and feels?) Once the child announces her transgenderism on SnapChat or Instagram, she is showered with encouragement, enthusiasm and praise from others who identify as "trans." The next step is to be recognized at school as a member of the opposite sex. The child may begin wearing boys' clothes and adopt a new name and male "pronouns," which teachers obligingly use without parental consent. As they get older and enter college, adolescents who do not "desist" or regain their sense of self as females are likely to undergo surgeries such as double mastectomies and receive higher-dose testosterone injections, all of which are covered by some college health plans. But Shrier discovered in her extensive research that few if any of the young women who transition find happiness or personal fulfillment. They are more likely to end up disfigured, reproductively sterile, cut off from their families, and suffering from intense physical and emotional pain. This book is not for the faint of heart, but it is one every parent should read. It is a study in the harsh reality of a world gone mad in the absence of moral absolutes or restraints, and which shows how the corruption and destruction of youth is institutionally supported and even pushed by our nation's public schools, healthcare systems, and social and mainstream media. The author wisely counsels parents to "get kids off social media," to be aware that the transgender craze is more of a cult than anything else, and especially "to remind their daughters of how wonderful it is to be a woman." Regnery Publishing, 2020, $17.99 |
was practically unheard of in the scientific community. Gender dysphoria typically impacted a small minority of boys, but rarely girls. Shrier describes how during the past decade, "all that has changed, and dramatically," with "a sudden surge of natal female adolescents claiming to have gender dysphoria and self-identifying as ‘transgender.'"
