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.

  • CherenkovBlue@iusearchlinux.fyi
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    1 year ago

    If I were a child now, I would potentially be pushed to be trans or NB. I was a tomboy child with a solid interest in math and science. I had a fraught childhood with a medical surgery pushed on me (it could have waited). If I were presented with this idea, maybe I would have thought it fits me, especially because at least certain segments of the trans theory/argument seems to hinge on enforcing gender roles. Turns out, I’m just a woman in STEM.

    • agent_flounder@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      It’s a flat out lie that kids are pushed to be trans.

      Most kids with gender dysphoria are lucky if their parents even support them at all. If anything the parents push kids away from it, as is the case with my kid’s friend. In the worst cases parents even reject the kid altogether. They think they’re doing the best thing for their kid but in fact it is exactly the opposite.

      Trans kids often face bigotry and persecution and violence. And you think most parents, knowing this, would want that for their kid unless it was obviously what the kid wants??

      Also keep in mind that just because you were a tomboy but not trans doesn’t mean gender dysphoria doesn’t exist.

    • LinkOpensChest.wav@lemmy.one
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      1 year ago

      Literal right-wing propaganda. “ThEy PuSh KiDs To Be TrAnS.” You’re a disgusting person.

      Edit: This user is also a mod on a lemmy.world community! Wtf. Remove this fucker.

      • Syrc@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Edit: This user is also a mod on a lemmy.world community! Wtf. Remove this fucker.

        It has like 11 monthly members and isn’t related to anything harmful, I don’t think it’s that much of an issue for admins to step in.

    • joshuanozzi@lemmy.ml
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      1 year ago

      I think it “turns out” you’re just an anti-trans liar making things up to support your bigotry. Just stop.

    • webadict@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Imagine being this stupid. Well, I suppose you don’t have to.

      Consider talking to a trans person and how they found their identity, or learning more about the ways gender identity is expressed or how gender influences society, or maybe just touch grass every once in a while instead of being a shitty person pretending to know something you clearly don’t.