Letters to the Editor 3/01/2023

Love, affirm, and accept our youth

To the Editor:

As a member of the LGBTQ+ community and longtime Sisters resident, I read with dismay the February 22 letter to the editor in opposition to the support of transgender children.

They point to the language of a previous letter as being “manipulative,” while referring to transgender people and identity as being a “devastating cultural development.” Pot, meet Kettle.

This is not some “newfangled thing” that the kids are doing. Trans people, like all the other groups in the LGBTQ+ community, have always existed and will always exist. We just didn’t have words for them in our modern language until now.

Now, I do applaud them for noting that there is a distinct difference between sexuality: gay, bi, lesbian, pan, etc., and gender: male, female, intersex, nonbinary, gender fluid, etc., but gay people don’t “choose to live as a homosexual.” The only “choice” I recall making was the choice to accept myself for who I am and not commit suicide. As for the gross comparison between female genital mutilation in Africa and top surgery for trans-men, that is a false equivalency. Trans-men give consent for top surgery, whereas female genital mutilations are usually performed regardless of consent.

While we’re on the topic of consent, yes a 15-year-old can consent to puberty blockers and hormone therapy, but it’s not like they can just up and decide one day to ask their doctor to prescribe them with no questions asked.

In order to qualify for hormone therapy, a person must first have persistent, well-documented gender dysphoria and a psychosocial assessment by a qualified mental health professional.

The requirements are even more arduous for gender-affirming surgeries.

In short, these kinds of gender-affirming health care cannot be undergone on a whim.

“Transgender ideology” doesn’t exist, transgender people do.

If a child is experiencing anxiety, depression, or suicidal thoughts due to gender dysphoria then they are not truly healthy, and denying them gender affirming care is akin to neglect and abuse.

Gender-affirming care in trans youth reduces their suicide rates from 30 percent to 50 percent and saves lives.

Guys, gals, and nonbinary pals, I do not say this lightly: Do not aim for tolerance, aim for acceptance. We can love, affirm, and accept our youth without kowtowing to antiquated and obsolete ideas of gender and sexuality.

Bobby Joe Christensen

Vote them out

To the Editor:

Just when you thought the Biden Administration couldn’t possibly do more damage to America or our sovereignty, they appear to be in negotiations to give the WHO authority over U.S. pandemic policies.

In the February 18 issue of Epoch Times, Kevin Stocklin reports that “Biden Administration is preparing to sign up the United States to a ‘legally binding’ accord with the World Health Organization that would give this Geneva-based UN subsidiary the authority to dictate America’s policies during a pandemic.”

What could possibly go wrong? How did WHO perform during last COVID pandemic? I can’t think of one accomplishment that brought praise from around the globe or within America concerning the WHO. Besides, didn’t we have the CDC and Dr. Fauci? Can you imagine some far-off bureaucrats dictating lockdowns, vaccine mandates, global supply chains, and monitoring and surveillance of populations? Of course they’d need a “Council of Misinformation” to guide tech giants in silencing free speech. Smells of population control; just like attempted on us during 2020/2021 with lockdowns, masks, and experimental drug injection mandates. Decline, you lose your job.

Had enough woke, pronouns, inflation, CRT, attacks on free speech, everything’s racist, open borders, deaths by fentanyl, indoctrination of our children, explosion of national debt, weaponizing justice system, escalating crime, and weakening of our military? It’s beyond time to vote them out, and replace with those that actually love America and will uphold their oath of office to “we the people.”

Jeff Mackey