Crosstalk: August 2, 2019

We’re well aware of what’s happening in our society on the transgender matter. Many schools have put in policies to allow students to use the restrooms, locker rooms and showers of the gender to which they identify.  School sports and competitions allow one to participate on the team of the gender of which they identify regardless of their biological sex. Parents are taking their children to drag queen story hours in libraries and other venues as libraries are increasing their holdings on transgender books.  Communities are passing bans on so-called ‘conversion therapy’ of minors. They allow you to affirm and advance their gender dysphoria, you just cannot challenge it. School curriculum is promoting transgender as being normal. There are teachers who have come out before their students as being transgender and on the increase children are questioning whether they’re really male or female.  We also have the medical profession prescribing puberty-blocking drugs, cross-sex hormones and even surgical interventions that are irreversible medical practices.

Joining Jim to speak from the medical perspective was Dr. Michelle Cretella, executive director of the American College of Pediatricians and a pediatrician with a special interest in behavioral pediatrics.  She serves on the Medical Committee of the Alliance for Therapeutic Choice and Scientific Integrity and has served on the Board of Directors of the National Association for Research and Therapy for Homosexuality.  She received her medical degree in 1994 from the University Of Connecticut School of Medicine and completed an internship and residency in pediatrics in 1997 at the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center in Hartford.

Michelle is alarmed concerning the ‘bombardment of transgender messages’ that are being directed at youth today, particularly when you look at social media.  It’s difficult for parents and professionals to protect young people from such messages especially toddlers and teenagers.

Is this an explosion of confusion?  Michelle noted a recent report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggesting that up to 2% of students in high school now identify as non-binary or ‘trans.’  

She also cited a study out of Brown University which drew criticism from the ‘left.’  It demonstrated that gender confusion is socially contagious in the same way that violence, sexual behavior and even suicide are among youth.  She believes peers matter and what such peers are saying, thinking and doing gets imitated.

According to Michelle, the sex you are is determined by the genes on your sex chromosomes at fertilization.  She then brought up critics who will say there are ‘intersex conditions’ that must be considered. She noted the emphasis on ‘conditions.’  Those are genetic (birth) defects and not new sexes. This means there are people who are using an ‘unfortunate tragedy, a congenital birth defect, to promote insanity.’

This set the stage for an information packed program that included input from Crosstalk listeners.