2/15/18 – Richmond, VA – Virginia House of Delegates 2018.
Photo credit: Amanda Maglione
Why should you care about the trans issue? Why not just let people do what they want? Here’s a good reason: The State is taking kids away from parents.
It’s already happening. Parents are being stripped of their parental rights because they will not use their child’s preferred name/pronouns or consent to “gender affirmation care.” Think about it. If the only way to help trans people is to affirm their identities, then those who do not affirm them are responsible for harming them. In the same way the State will not allow you to physically harm your child, they will not allow you to emotionally and medically harm your child by denying them “life-saving” gender care.
You may have recently heard that Virginia Democrat congresswoman, Elizabeth Guzman, plans to reintroduce a bill she first proposed in 2020 that would amend the state’s definition of child abuse to include a parent who “threatens to create or inflict, or allows to be created or inflicted upon such child a physical or mental injury on the basis of the child’s gender identity or sexual orientation.”
Many are incorrectly reporting that the bill criminalizes parents who refuse to affirm their child’s gender identity. Many news outlets have reported that such parents could be jailed and lose their parental rights. Guzman herself denies this. Indeed, when you read the text of the bill, it mentions nothing about the penalties for such parents. However, if other forms of child abuse can result in a parent being jailed or losing custody of their child, then the same would apply here.
The million dollar question is what constitutes a “mental injury”? The bill does not spell it out. It is so broad and fuzzy that it would justify all sorts of parental behaviors as child abuse. A boy whose parents refuse to call him by his female name, refuse to use his preferred pronouns, refuse to give him puberty blockers or home treatment, etc., could claim that his parents are causing a mental injury to him. “Transphobic” attitudes are routinely connected to harming trans people. For example, those who oppose “gender affirmation” are routinely held responsible for trans suicides. It is entirely plausible that a parent who does not affirm their child’s gender identity claims or medical transition will be accused of endangering their child’s mental health, not to mention their life. So while specific punishments are not spelled out in the bill, and while the bill does not specifically say that refusing to use preferred pronouns or consent to medical transition constitutes mental injury, the courts could easily interpret such fuzzy language in that way. And that’s the intent. That’s the purpose.
While this bill will not pass, it reveals the direction that the Democrats are moving in. If we don’t stand up to this nonsense now, parents who do not affirm the delusions of their transgender child will be prosecuted and will lose their parental rights in the near future. It’s just a matter of time unless we stand up and fight against it now. We can’t be silent. We must fight for our children and our parental rights.
Thinking to Believe 
October 18, 2022 at 12:56 pm
the only “good” that can come out of this is ……….. hopefully it wakes up the few sane people still on the “left.”
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October 19, 2022 at 3:06 am
“So while specific punishments are not spelled out in the bill, and while the bill does not specifically say that refusing to use preferred pronouns or consent to medical transition constitutes mental injury, the courts could easily interpret such fuzzy language in that way. And that’s the intent. That’s the purpose.”
What makes you think that that is the intent and purpose—especially when the bill’s sponsor specifically denies this? The entire point is to protect children from child abuse based on gender identity, because abuse of LGBTQ youth by (primarily) religious people is a serious problem. It’s led to their increased levels of depression and higher suicide rates. So this is about helping people and saving lives. Christians often claim they are persecuted…so why do they turn around and persecute others?
Now it’s fair to argue that the bill could be better worded, certainly…but I don’t think there is any justification in claiming Guzman’s heart isn’t in the right place and that she has some nefarious intent here.
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October 21, 2022 at 4:42 pm
What makes me think that this is the intent is that I know how the Left works. They are already saying that parents who don’t affirm their children in their gender identity are abusing/harming them. And we are already seeing people in Canada and the U.S. losing their parental rights for failing to affirm their kids gender identity.
But the intent really doesn’t matter (including Guzman’s). What matters is the wording of the text. The court’s aren’t going to summon Elizabeth Guzman to ask her what her intent was when they have to decide cases. They are going to rely on the text of the bill. If the wording could be read in such a way as to justify X, then X can be justified even if that’s not what the drafters of the bill intended. Think of Title X. The drafters never meant “gender identity” by their use of “sex,” but that didn’t stop the Supreme Court from reading it that way. The same is true here. Since the bill does not limit the kinds of things that qualify as “abuse,” it will be up to the courts to determine that. And given the fact that you have medical authorities claiming that a failure to affirm your child’s gender identity is abusive, the courts will have plenty of material to draw from to define abuse in this way. And if it’s abuse, the parents will be liable to punishment and lose their parental rights.
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October 22, 2022 at 4:57 am
That’s exactly why I said it’s fair to argue that the bill could be better worded. I’m not defending the bill, just the intent, since you specifically stated that the intent was to allow the court to interpret the language in such a way as to cause parents to lose their kids.
“What makes me think that this is the intent is that I know how the Left works.”
I really don’t think you know how the left works…because you’re making a claim that is absolutely not the position of the left. I’m leftist myself, and I certainly don’t espouse such nefarious intent, nor do I know ANY people on the left who do so. Attributing such intent to the left would be about as reasonable as if I were to say that the intent of the right is to kill all Jews and deport all non-whites. Yes, there are some on the right who have explicitly stated that as their goal (https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/group/national-socialist-movement), but is it at all reasonable to paint “the right” with such nefarious intent? Because that is essentially what you’re doing here in regards to the left (and I deliberately chose a right-wing position that has far, FAR greater representation on the right than the child-taking position has on the left).
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October 31, 2022 at 2:09 pm
Two things. First, we probably don’t have the same definition of the “the Left.” I don’t use “Left” as a synonym for “Democrats” or “Liberals.” The Left refers to those who hold to aspects of Marxist ideology, which includes the devaluing of free speech and market economies, and extreme positions on moral issues (transgenderism, legalization of drugs, etc.). I doubt that you are a leftist on this definition. My guess is that you are more of a traditional liberal.
Second, regarding intent, there is a reason why this is being added to the concept of parental abuse. These people think that it is child abuse not to affirm a child’s gender identity. And we are already seeing this play out here in the U.S. and in Canada where people are losing their parental rights and being jailed for refusing to play along with their child’s gender dysphoria. So regardless of what Guzman’s intent is or is not, that is why this fuzzy language is being added. It is to criminalize parents who don’t play along with gender ideology. What other reason would there be to add it to child abuse law? If child abuse is simply about parents who physically abuse their children, for example, then it doesn’t matter WHY the parents are doing it. All that would matter is how they treat their child, and the law already accounts for that. The language about gender identity is superfluous, unless it gives a legal basis for considering non-affirmation of a child’s gender as child abuse.
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November 2, 2022 at 10:16 am
“we probably don’t have the same definition of the “the Left.” I don’t use “Left” as a synonym for “Democrats” or “Liberals.” The Left refers to those who hold to aspects of Marxist ideology, which includes the devaluing of free speech and market economies, and extreme positions on moral issues (transgenderism, legalization of drugs, etc.). I doubt that you are a leftist on this definition. My guess is that you are more of a traditional liberal.”
Ah yes, it’s important to define terms. I use “left” to refer to anyone left of center. If you’re only reserving the word for the extreme left (like neo-Nazis and white supremacists are the extreme right), then that changes things considerably. The extremes on both sides are only a relatively small minority, but wield outsized influence—like gender affirmation and social democracy on the left, and replacing American democracy with authoritarian Christian nationalism on the right. (Although in my experience, favoring Marxism, devaluing free speech and market economies are largely caricatures adopted by almost no one.)
“And we are already seeing this play out here in the U.S. and in Canada where people are losing their parental rights and being jailed for refusing to play along with their child’s gender dysphoria.”
As I understand it, that one case you’re referring to was not a case of a parent being jailed for not “playing along” with his child’s issues, but for violating multiple times a court order to not publicly reveal sensitive information, such as who the health-care providers were, information about the child’s mental health and medical status, and the mother’s identity. (https://nationalpost.com/news/b-c-father-arrested-held-in-jail-for-repeatedly-violating-court-orders-over-childs-gender-transition-therapy). So it’s not what you implied.
“If child abuse is simply about parents who physically abuse their children, for example, then it doesn’t matter WHY the parents are doing it.”
I agree with you there, although what constitutes abuse does need to be defined.
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November 3, 2022 at 1:46 pm
Derek,
I agree that the extremes wield an outsized influence. That’s always been the case. Nazism was a fringe movement. The Bolsheviks was a fringe movement. The difference between the Left and the Right (as names to refer to the extreme ends of liberalism vs. conservatism) is that the Right doesn’t have much of any influence in the political sphere. They may align themselves with Republicans, but Republicans by-and-large reject them. That can’t be said for the Democrats. There are Leftists in Congress, and the Left is steering the Democratic Party away from liberalism and toward Leftism. Biden was elected because he wasn’t the crazy Bernie Sanders, and then Biden does the bidding of the Left and implements many of Bernie’s policies anyway. Democrats fear the power of the Left. Republicans don’t fear the power of the Right. We ignore them.
As for “Christian Nationalism,” I see this as the Left’s current boogey-man. How about you tell me your understanding of what this means and I’ll respond further.
As for the Canadian case, yes, that’s the same case. I could not find the court’s order as to the entire rationale for his arrest, but I do know that his public discussion of the case was at least one of the reasons for his arrest – I just don’t know if it was the only reason. What I can tell you is that even if that was the only reason he was arrested, he could have been arrested if he called his daughter his daughter or used feminine pronouns as well. Here is what the court prohibited him from doing:
“[1] AB, a 14 year old transgender boy, applies for a protection order to restrain his father, CD, from publishing, speaking or giving interviews about this case or about AB’s personal and medical information. a) CD shall be restrained from: i. attempting to persuade AB to abandon treatment for gender dysphoria; ii. addressing AB by his birth name; and iii. referring to AB as a girl or with female pronouns whether to AB directly or to third parties; “b) CD shall not directly, or indirectly through an agent or third party, publish or share information or documentation relating to AB’s sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, mental or physical health, medical status or therapies.”
So even if it happened to be his public speech about the case that got him arrested, he could have been arrested for refusing to use gender speak as well. And that’s the most important point. They are criminalizing speech and forcing parents to affirm things that they do not believe on pain of being jailed.
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November 6, 2022 at 5:26 am
“The difference between the Left and the Right (as names to refer to the extreme ends of liberalism vs. conservatism) is that the Right doesn’t have much of any influence in the political sphere. They may align themselves with Republicans, but Republicans by-and-large reject them.”
You can’t really believe that. What do you think the January 6 insurrection was? It was an attempt by the Right to overthrow our government. Worse, a full THIRD of Republicans SUPPORT their behavior (google “New poll finds 33 percent of GOP support actions of Jan. 6 rioters” for the poll results). Apart from if the insurrectionists had actually succeeded, what could possibly be more potentially influential than attempting to overthrow our government?
Furthermore, many of the traditional Republicans are being driven out of office, primaried by election-denying Trump-supporters. I would say that is overwhelming influence on the Republican Party.
“That can’t be said for the Democrats. There are Leftists in Congress, and the Left is steering the Democratic Party away from liberalism and toward Leftism.”
But that isn’t a reasonable comparison. First, today’s Democratic Party is actually center or even center-right (google “Holley Is the Democratic Party a Center-Right Party?” for more information). Even Bernie Sanders is only a little left of center, and is only a moderate in comparison to the most successful European democracies.
Second, the most extreme things that the most extreme of Democrats want is universal healthcare, free education, free childcare, fair treatment of minorities, human rights, decriminalizing pot, and some even want a basic monthly income for everyone, all paid for by taxing the highest tax brackets. You can argue that it’s not affordable or that there may be unintended consequences, sure, those are legitimate concerns…but most people would argue that these are generally worthy goals to work toward.
Compare that to the Republicans, who have moved hard to the extreme right by any standard (so much so that Republican icon Ronald Reagan, were he alive and running today instead, would be labeled a liberal by by today’s Republicans). The most extreme Republicans today want what amounts to Nazi Germany. That may sound like excessive rhetoric, but it’s not. Here is the list of early warning signs for fascism:
1) Powerful and Continuing Nationalism: Constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays.
2) Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights: The people tend to look the other way or even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, long incarcerations of prisoners, etc.
3) Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause: Patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: racial, ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; communists; socialists, terrorists, etc.
4) Supremacy of the Military: The military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military service are glamorized.
5) Rampant Sexism: The government is almost exclusively male-dominated. Traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Opposition to abortion is high, as is homophobia and anti-gay legislation and national policy.
6) Controlled Mass Media: Media is directly or indirectly controlled by government regulation, or sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship is very common.
7) Obsession with National Security: Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses.
8) Religion and Government are Intertwined: Most common religion in the nation is used as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common from government leaders.
9) Corporate Power is Protected: The industrial and business aristocracy often are the ones who put the government leaders into power. A mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite exists.
10) Labor Power is Suppressed: Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to a fascist government, labor unions are either eliminated entirely, or are severely suppressed.
11) Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts: Open hostility to higher education, and academia. Free expression in the arts is openly attacked, and governments often refuse to fund the arts.
12) Obsession with Crime and Punishment: The police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. People are often willing to overlook police abuses and even forego civil liberties in the name of patriotism.
13) Rampant Cronyism and Corruption: Groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions and use governmental authority to protect their friends from accountability. National resources and treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders.
14) Fraudulent Elections: Elections are manipulated by smear campaigns against or even assassination of opposition candidates, use of legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.
Which party do you think this list fits best? Trump alone is guilty of committing or encouraging arguably ALL of them…and he is the defacto leader of the Republican Party! So when comparing the two extremes of the parties…there just is no comparison.
“As for “Christian Nationalism,” I see this as the Left’s current boogey-man. How about you tell me your understanding of what this means and I’ll respond further.”
I use the same definition Christians themselves largely agree upon. From Christianity Today: “Christian nationalism is the belief that the American nation is defined by Christianity, and that the government should take active steps to keep it that way. Popularly, Christian nationalists assert that America is and must remain a “Christian nation”—not merely as an observation about American history, but as a prescriptive program for what America must continue to be in the future.”
There are influential conservatives pushing exactly that agenda. Preachers like Greg Locke and Dutch Sheets, and politicians like Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert want the GOP to tear down the separation of church and state and become Christian Nationalist. According to the latest Pew poll, 81% of evangelical Christians believe the US was founded as and should be a Christian nation, 76% of Republicans think the US was founded as a Christian nation, and 67% of Republicans believe the US should be a Christian nation (google “Views of the U.S. as a Christian nation and opinions about Christian nationalism” to see the poll). Christian Nationalism is against our Constitution, but 2/3 of the Republican Party supports it. So I’d say it’s a lot more than just a “boogey-man.”
“So even if it happened to be his public speech about the case that got him arrested, he could have been arrested for refusing to use gender speak as well. And that’s the most important point. They are criminalizing speech and forcing parents to affirm things that they do not believe on pain of being jailed.”
As I understand it, the father perpetrated a pattern of abuse, resulting in the ruling for him to cease all behavior related to that abuse. That can include limiting free speech. Similarly, despite the right to bear arms, felons can be prohibited from owning guns.
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