Utah recently took action against transgender ideology.
Gov. Spencer Cox
signed a bill
into law that bans some so-called gender-affirming care for minors in the state. The bill prohibits sex reassignment surgeries and restricts the use of puberty blockers and hormones on children.
UTAH BANS SEX CHANGE SURGERY ON MINORS, RESTRICTS PUBERTY BLOCKERS AND HORMONES
This law is a positive development, and other states should follow suit. Red states need to reject this woke gender ideology. They should not try to reason with it because it is irrational. Men are men, and women are women. No amount of hormones or cosmetic surgeries can change this biological reality.
People cannot change their gender, regardless of their age. However, it is even worse when states allow children to make irreversible, life-altering decisions.
Typically, puberty starts between 8 and 13 in girls and 9 and 14 in boys,
according to
the National Health Service. Younger children in that age range may still believe in Santa Claus. Yet radical gender ideologues think these children can decide whether they are a boy or a girl despite, in some cases, being too young to understand what makes someone a boy and what makes someone a girl.
While states such as Utah taking action against transgender ideology is good, states should also find ways to expand and promote
alternative treatments
for those struggling with mental health issues such as gender dysphoria, body dysmorphia, and the other problems associated with those disorders.
Gender dysphoria can cause
depression and anxiety
. Conservatives can improve youth mental health by curtailing
tobacco
and
marijuana
use,
underage drinking
, and
social media use
and fixing the
broken foster care system
.
A rejection of transgender ideology would help, too. Schools
shouldn’t promote ideas
that could make children feel trapped in the wrong body when children,
especially young girls
, already feel awkward and uncomfortable about their bodies. Conservatives could also work to increase
resources for mental health treatment
and those who want to
detransition
at the state and local levels.
Gender dysphoria and body dysmorphia are real problems worth addressing. Conservatives can admit this while acknowledging that transgenderism is not the answer. However, if they offer no alternatives, people may view transgenderism as the only solution.
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Tom Joyce (
@TomJoyceSports
) is a political reporter for the New Boston Post in Massachusetts.
