The Medical University of South Carolina initially said it wouldn’t be affected by a law banning use of state funds for treatment “furthering the gender transition” of children under 16. Months later, it cut off that care to all trans minors.

The Medical University of South Carolina initially said it wouldn’t be affected by a law banning use of state funds for treatment “furthering the gender transition” of children under 16. Months later, it cut off that care to all trans minors.

One Saturday morning in September 2022, Terrence Steyer, the dean of the College of Medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina, placed an urgent call to a student. Just a year prior, the medical student, Thomas Agostini, had won first place at a university-sponsored event for his graduate research on transgender pediatric patients. He also had been featured in a video on MUSC’s website highlighting resources that support the LGBTQ+ community.

Now, Agostini and his once-lauded study had set off a political firestorm. Conservative activists seized on one line in particular in the study’s summary — a parenthetical noting the youngest transgender patient to visit MUSC’s pediatric endocrinology clinic was 4 years old — and inaccurately claimed that children that young were prescribed hormones as part of a gender transition. Elon Musk amplified the false claim, tweeting, “Is it really true that four-year-olds are receiving hormone treatment?” That led federal and state lawmakers to frantically ask top MUSC leaders whether the public hospital was in fact helping young children medically transition. The hospital was not; its pediatric transgender patients did not receive hormone therapy before puberty, nor does it offer surgical options to minors.

  • @agent_flounderEnglish
    12•1 year ago

    I didn’t assume you were a right wing nut which is why I asked about these other topics.

    Gender dysphoria is no less real. People experience it. I’m sorry to hear you disbelieve them. It’s the same kind of energy as a white person telling a black person they’re imagining racism. Or a person telling a depressed person they should just cheer up or that depression doesn’t exist.

    Not talking about gender dysphoria doesn’t make it go away, though. Trans people existed before it was a common topic (like when I was growing up in the 70s). Just like gay people existed before it was talked about much.

    Talking about a gender dysphoria does not somehow alter a kid’s sense of self even if they are a kid. You may argue “so many kids are coming out as trans”.

    Prevalent bigotry, hatred, and even offhand dismissal (like you’re doing) tends to pressure people deny their identities (eventually they will have to face it, like my college friend, who came out as trans decades later) or tends to pressure them into staying in the closet. But when society becomes more accepting you find more people comfortable with being open about who they are.

    We saw this happen with homosexuality between the 70s and now. We see the same thing with gender identity/expression. We find more kids are comfortable coming out as gay. Likewise more kids feel safe coming forward with gender dysphoria. Despite people trying to tell them they’re not actually experiencing what they’re experiencing. (You’re not depressed just a little sad; cheer up!)

    And by the way, delaying puberty isn’t done willy nilly, it’s reserved for the most extreme cases of gender dysphoria and where entering puberty causes substantial additional distress following established guidelines.

    If you don’t want to shout down scientists then tell me why it is ok for politicians to shut down actual medical treatment governed by medical ethics and protocols?

    If scientific consensus comes up with better treatments, let’s use them. If they find issues with current treatments, act accordingly.

    But keep politicians out of it and leave it to physicians and medical research and parents.