As many European countries and US states have restricted or banned the use of puberty blockers, hormones, and surgery to treat gender dysphoria in children, our American medical and psychological institutions lag behind.

In Sweden, researchers from the influential Karolinska Institute concluded “that hormonal treatment of gender dysphoria in this age group [under 18] should be regarded as experimental treatment rather than standard procedure.” The researchers expressed surprise at the lack of relevant studies in the field.

In France, the Académie nationale de médecine concluded in 2022 that the recent phenomenon of children experiencing gender dysphoria, particularly strong in North America, France, and Northern Europe, presents risks and challenges that us in the US cannot speak freely about. They note, regarding gender dysphoria in children and the extant therapies:

“A great medical caution must be taken in children and adolescents, given the vulnerability, particularly psychological, of this population and the many undesirable effects, and even serious complications, that some of the available therapies can cause. In this respect, it is important to recall the recent decision (May 2021) of the Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm to ban the use of hormone blockers … Moreover, the risk of over-diagnosis is real, as shown by the increasing number of transgender young adults wishing to ‘detransition.’ It is therefore advisable to extend as much as possible the psychological support phase.”

Furthermore, they make the case that often, the cause of gender dysphoria is due to excessive social media consumption, “underlining the addictive character of excessive consultation of social networks which is both harmful to the psychological development of young people and responsible, for a very important part, of the growing sense of gender incongruence.”

In the UK in 2024, the Cass Study, commissioned by their National Heath Service, made even stronger conclusions. That report stated that evidence supporting the use of puberty blockers and hormonal therapy to treat gender dysphoria is scant, and their long-term effects largely unknown. Furthermore, the study notes that “for the majority of young people, a medical pathway may not be the best way to manage their gender-related distress.” The UK has banned or restricted many of these procedures for children.

In the US, President Trump this year issued an executive order titled, “Protecting Children From Chemical And Surgical Mutilation.” Some US states currently ban or restrict such procedures, but not all.

Some of our institutions, however, seem to lag behind. The American Academy of Pediatrics has said, as recently as last year, that when a child declares their gender, the Academy “operate[s] under the assumption that what they’re telling us is their truth, and that the child’s sense of reality and feeling of who they are is the navigational beacon to orient treatment around.” It is irresponsible at best, of course, the rely on a child’s sense of psychological reality as evidence to support surgery on their bodies. Similarly, the American Psychological Association takes the position that “recent legislative attempts to obstruct access to psychological and medical interventions for such individuals puts them at risk of depression, anxiety and other negative mental health outcomes.” There are risks involved in providing access to such care as well.

Children cannot tell the difference between fantasy and reality and are easily persuaded of untruths — that is the psychological condition of children as their brains and mind are still developing. It is not only unfair but dangerous to the child to assume they can self-diagnose complex conditions that require an adult understanding of sexuality and psychology/ Moreover, other medical conditions that require powerful medications and even surgery to treat do not rely on the child for diagnosis, but on the doctor and adults involved. Why is gender dysphoria different?

We all want to protect children, and it is not “transphobic” or immoral to demand evidence and ask questions when it comes to the safety of the most vulnerable and innocent. Quite the opposite, it is our duty to do so as adults.

– President, SFYR

Thank you Liah for your immeasurable help in researching.

Sources:

https://www.academie-medecine.fr/la-medecine-face-a-la-transidentite-de-genre-chez-les-enfants-et-les-adolescents/?lang=en

https://news.ki.se/systematic-review-on-outcomes-of-hormonal-treatment-in-youths-with-gender-dysphoria

https://segm.org/England-UK-Puberty-Blockers-Cross-Sex-Hormones-Policy-March-2024

https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/20250310143933/https://cass.independent-review.uk/home/publications/final-report/

https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/protecting-children-from-chemical-and-surgical-mutilation/

The symbol of Robin Hood, a fallen noble who steals from the rich and gives to the poor, has traditionally been associated with socialism and the political left. The socialists love to portray their style of governance as heroism, as aiding the downtrodden by redistributing wealth. The reality, however, in California and the country, is quite the opposite: the Democrat modus operandi is to extract as much wealth as possible from the working citizen, in the guise of heroic equity, and then distribute the spoils to fund their ineffective, corrupt policies (i.e., their friends in government and nonprofit sectors)

San Francisco and California have bloated government coffers ; State and non-profits command immense budgets and largesse. San Francisco alone has a higher budget than 17 states. We have the highest state income tax, and the fifth highest tax-burden in the country. Despite this, nearly an astounding third of Californians are at or near poverty levels. I can go on:

California ranks 43rd in economic well-being, 35th in education, 10th in health, and 37th in family and community, 42nd in public safety, 25th in health care access, and 34th in economic rankings.

https://www.ppic.org/publication/poverty-in-california/

https://edsource.org/2024/california-ranks-bottom-third-in-overall-child-well-being-per-new-report/713965 https://www.cpapracticeadvisor.com/2024/12/01/how-the-50-states-rank-by-tax-burden/103495/

Back to Robin Hood. Let us not forget that his nemesis, the Sheriff of Nottingham, was a tax-collector. The peasant’s revolt (14th century, following a plague pandemic no less), led by Robin, was to protest the burdensome tax-collection of the Sheriff, taxes that enriched the governors at the expense of the working yeomen. The elites imposed taxation and frivolous rules to only then limit access to resources (safety, healthcare, education, etc.). In an ironic twist, the left has embraced the unscrupulous tax-collector, who steals from the poor to provide for the rich. Robin Hood would today rebel against the Democrat tax-collectors, not support them.

As the rankings above demonstrate, treasures are lost: California spends over 30 billion a year funding benefits to illegal aliens, despite a budget deficit of 73 billion, while many Californians eschew healthcare simply to survive.

“According to an April 2024 report by the California Health Care Foundation, more than half of Californians report skipping care in the past year due to cost, while nearly half of those individuals say forgoing care has worsened their existing condition.”

https://budget.house.gov/press-release/dont-california-my-america-the-cost-of-california-policymaking

The modern left operates under the assumption that extracting as much wealth as possible from the citizenry, and redistributing that treasure to fund ideological causes, while hiring the right race or gender, will in fact lead to a healthy and functioning state. This form of governance, however, as empirically demonstrated, cannot keep you safe, will not educate your children, and cannot protect you from natural disasters. It is the opposite of sound governance. We demand better.

The symbol of Robin Hood must be co-opted by the right. The citizen yeoman must be prioritized. — President, SFYR

Urooj Rahman, a lawyer sworn to uphold the law, launched a molotov cocktail at a police cruiser in 2020. She texted “I hope they burn everything down … all police stations and probably the courts too.” She received 15 months, despite what could be described as domestic terrorism. Democrats and the Biden DOJ plead for leniency and intervened on her behalf. Similarly, almost half of the cases involving the Portland riots of 2020, including attacks on a Federal Courthouse (it was set on fire) and the police, have been dropped. Is setting a Federal courthouse on fire and attacking police an act of domestic terrorism? If not, as the Biden DOJ appears to believe, why is “parading on restricted grounds” domestic terrorism?

The media presented Jan 6. with hyperbolic exaggeration (claiming falsely, to this day, that police officers were killed). Their motive has been to send a message to Trump and his movement, rather than mete out even-handed justice. There are stories we hear of protestors being detained without trial for years; of being jailed under excessive sentences for the crime of “parading” — of being inside a building they were not supposed to be in, despite some claiming they were invited in; of grandmothers being hunted down by the FBI for attending a political rally. The Biden Administration has insisted that this is the number one threat the FBI should focus on, marshaling all of its immense resources to capture every protestor or rioter involved in this insurrection, despite no such insurrection charges being officially levied. We see, in New Orleans and Las Vegas, how Americans are mowed down by real violent extremists, and yet the FBI is helpless in preventing these attacks beforehand. Are their priorities wrong?

In such a biased and toxic millieu, it is impossible for the Jan 6 detainees to receive a fair trial, and the legal process has been tainted with the most undemocratic, un-American thing of all- unequal treatment before the law. Protesting is not a crime. Attacking the police is a crime, and must be punished.

During the Kavanaugh confirmation hearings, the “official proceedings” were also interrupted by protestors, who paraded into the courthouse, yet these protestors were not accused of insurrection. We look forward to the Trump Administration reviewing the cases and correcting the hysteria where appropriate with many pardons. During the Salem Witch trials, those too close to the trials and too emotionally invested, had to be removed from the decision-making, and those outside Salem had to step in to bring order and correct obvious wrongs.

– SFYR President