Nature/Nurture

The debate continues in earnest, the two schools of thought butt heads at time sometimes when trans people get on the topic of why we’re trans. It sounds like the battle of Katydids: Katie Did!… Katie Didn’t but instead it sound like: Nature! Nurture! Nature! Nurture! So what really is the cause?

Well it is funny that our first lead into of it is nature is Nature.

A sex difference in the human brain and its relation to transsexuality

Jiang-Ning Zhou, Michel A. Hofman, Louis J. G. Gooren & Dick F. Swaab 

Nature volume 378, pages68–70 (1995)

Abstract

TRANSSEXUALS have the strong feeling, often from childhood onwards, of having been born the wrong sex. The possible psycho-genie or biological aetiology of transsexuality has been the subject of debate for many years. Here we show that the volume of the central subdivision of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BSTc), a brain area that is essential for sexual behaviour is larger in men than in women. A female-sized BSTc was found in male-to-female transsexuals. The size of the BSTc was not influenced by sex hormones in adulthood and was independent of sexual orientation. Our study is the first to show a female brain structure in genetically male transsexuals and supports the hypothesis that gender identity develops as a result of an interaction between the developing brain and sex hormones.

Wow! That is pretty good! And in a PubMed research paper…

Brain research, gender and sexual orientation

D F Swaab 1, L J Gooren, M A Hofman

Affiliations Expand

PMID: 7560933 DOI: 10.1300/J082v28n03_07

Abstract

Recent brain research has revealed structural differences in the hypothalamus in relation to biological sex and sexual orientation. Differences in size and cell number of various nuclei in the hypothalamus for homosexual versus heterosexual men have recently been reported in two studies. We have found that a cluster of cells in the preoptic area of the human hypothalamus contains about twice as many cells in young adult men as in women. We have called this cluster the sexually dimorphic nucleus (SDN). The magnitude of the difference is the SDN depends on age. In other human research, two other hypothalamic nuclei (interstitial nuclei of the anterior hypothalamus [INAH] 2 and 3) and part of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST) have been reported to be sexually dimorphic in the human. Sexual differentiation to the human brain takes place much later than originally claimed. At birth the SDN contains only some 20% of the cells found at 2 to 4 years of age. The cell number rapidly increases in boys and girls at the same rate until 2 to 4 years of age. After that age period, a decrease in cell number takes place in girls, but not in boys. This causes the sexual differentiation of the SDN. This postnatal period of hypothalamic differentiation indicates that, in addition to genetic factors, a multitude of environmental and psychosocial factors may have profound influence on the sexual differentiation of the brain. No difference in SDN cell number was observed between homosexual and heterosexual men. This finding refutes Dörner's hypothesis that homosexual males have a "female" hypothalamus. However, in a sample of brains of homosexual men we did find that an area of the hypothalamus called the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) contains twice as many cells as the SCN of a heterosexual group. A recent report by LeVay claims that another nucleus, INAH-3, is more than twice as large in heterosexual as in homosexual men, whereas Allen and Gorski found that the anterior commissure was larger in homosexual men than in heterosexual men or women. Preliminary research on male-to-female transsexuals is also discussed. The functional implications of these findings in determining adult sexual orientation are as yet far from clear.

There sure does seem to be something going on in there!

What about those who say it is nurture, but anything on that is harder to fine… however, there’s showing it isn’t. The only study that I could find was a study with twins, also from PubMed.

Genetic and Environmental Contributions To Gender Diversity: A Systematic Review of the Twin Literature

Will Conabere 1 2, Louise Bourchier 3, Sue Malta 3 4, Anja Ravine 1 2, Ken C Pang 5 6 7

Affiliations Expand

PMID: 40938572 PMCID: PMC12494644 DOI: 10.1007/s10519-025-10231-3

Abstract

Amidst growing visibility of gender diversity, the aetiology of gender identity has become a subject of increasing public interest. Prompted by the growing public debate, we review here the extant twin literature regarding the origins of gender diversity. Literature was reviewed systematically, searching Medline, Embase and PubMed databases. Studies were deemed eligible if they: (i) conducted a twin study, (ii) investigated gender identity or gendered behaviour, and (iii) provided an estimate of the magnitude of genetic or environmental contribution. After screening 290 non-duplicate titles and abstracts, 16 articles were included in the final review. Most eligible studies provided evidence of both genetic and environmental contributions to gender identity and gendered behaviour. For gendered behaviour, genetic contributions ranged from 0.10 to 0.77, non-shared environmental contributions ranged from 0.15 to 0.75, and shared environmental contributions ranged from 0.00 to 0.49. For gender identity, genetic contributions ranged from 0.00 to 0.84, non-shared environmental contributions ranged from 0.15 to 0.96 and shared environmental contributions ranged from 0.00 to 0.70. Given the variability in results and methodology between studies, the true magnitude of these contributions remains unclear. No consistent differences in contributions were identified between assigned males and assigned females. While there is also recent evidence that prenatal hormone exposure may contribute to gender identity, the overall evidence from the literature is inconsistent. Twin studies indicate both genetic and environmental contributions to gender diversity. These results are important to inform ongoing public debate in this area and highlight the complex interplay of both genetics and environment.

Okay what is the bottom line?

That no one knows what really causes gender dysphoria. But no one knows why people are left-handed. You can see the difference in the way the brain is different for left-handed people but no one knows why? But people are left-handed.

The same holds true for trans people. No one knows exactly why we’re trans, and there may be more than one way that someone becomes trans. But we can see differences in the brains of trans people, including differences that have been observed in people who had not undergone hormone treatment.

However, does it really matter what causes it, or whether there is more than one way that makes us trans?

It doesn’t matter. What matters is that it is real and how you treat us.

Detransitioners

Every time I hear about research on us, I think, “Figures don't lie, but liars can figure!” Research is in the details. There was a famous study (not in a good way) that conservatives like to wave around.

The study looked at what conservatives call “Rapid-Onset Gender Dysphoria” (ROGD), and the study’s author’s hypothesis suggested that social media and peer influence could cause a sudden development of gender dysphoria in adolescents.

So how would you go about organizing the study? You would probably contact youth support groups for your research subjects. Wrong. The study’s author went to conservative parent support groups... and the parents said, right out of the blue, “My child said they were of the opposite gender!” As the media pointed out at the time, the study never contacted a single trans child. But still it is a poster child for conservatives.

So now we have a new study.

New study challenges claim that trans teens later regret gender-affirming care

A new study, published this month in the Journal of Adolescent Health, shares data that suggests trans teens who receive gender-affirming care aren’t very likely to regret doing so down the line.

Pink News

Aug 05, 2026

by Siân Thompson

The study uses data gathered from 445 young people diagnosed with gender dysphoria under the care of four clinics in Canada between 2012 and 2017.

The clinics were Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Diversity Clinic, IWK Trans Health Clinic at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, BC Children’s Hospital Gender Clinic, and Alberta Children’s Hospital Metta Clinic.

Of the sample group, 331 participants were assigned female at birth, and 114 were assigned male at birth. 353 underwent gender-affirming hormone therapy. Four of them later stopped hormones, and just one ceased hormone treatment and returned to identifying as their sex assigned at birth.

What they actually talked to trans children... what a novel idea!

In the Journal of Adolescent Health article: Why Do Adolescents and Young Adults Discontinue Gender-Affirming Medical Treatments? There Is No Simple Answer

They find that:

Gender-affirming care has been surrounded by controversies. In many places, access to GAMT [Gender-Affirming Medical Treatment], especially for AYAs [Adolescents and Young Adults], has been restricted or banned, sometimes with alleged concerns that AYAs would not stay on GAMT and that many are exposed to irreversible effects without proper consent. Although some AYAs have negative experiences with GAMT, the growing evidence is pointing to several facts: (1) continuation rates are high, including among those who started before turning 18; (2) regret is uncommon; (3) many discontinue GAMT due to barriers to access ; and (4) support plays a critical role in access and continuity of GAMT. Furthermore, it is irrefutable that a negative climate toward TGD [Transgender or Gender Diverse] AYAs and GAMT affects access to care. Thus, it is necessary to support access to high-quality gender-affirming care services, and it is important that healthcare providers assist those who want to interrupt GAMT. Specifically, a pervasive sentiment among those who discontinue GAMT is that they report feeling invalidated and are not supported or counseled when they reveal their desire to stop GAMT, despite particularly high need due to emotional demands and ambivalence that characterize these decisions. For some, discontinuation may be permanent, but for others, it may be temporary; healthcare professionals who provide GAMT should be prepared to welcome discussions when AYAs discontinue GAMT to understand the factors leading to this decision and provide adequate support for all. In other words, what AYAs may in fact need is gender-affirmation, regardless of gender identity, and regardless of continuation or discontinuation of GAMT. Finally, there is an urgent need for high-quality research, and in particular longitudinal studies, to understand the needs of AYAs who are discontinuing GAMT and provide informative directions to healthcare providers.

There are many reasons why children leave the program, but conservative studies lump them all under the “detransitioned” umbrella.

I have known many trans people who detransitioned, and not one of them did it because they were not trans. They did it because of family pressure and economic pressure. One person did it because they couldn’t find a job, so their parents said, “If you want to live in our house, you have to detransition.” Another did it because of religious pressure. And I know two who detransitioned and then retransitioned.

Conservatives want to paint a picture of how horrible we are, but the truth just doesn’t fit their narrative.

Figures Don’t Lie But...

Desisters

If you listen to Republicans or conservative you would think that it is around 80 or 90 percent of the trans children detransition. That lie goes back to studies in Netherlands and our friend Ken Zucker [That is sarcasm], in those studies they counted anyone who dropped out of the study (Because they moved or they just didn’t want to take part in it anymore.) as de-transitioning. The studies reported desistance rates as high as 60–90%!

It is those studies that get quoted in legislatures, not these.

Common claim that most transgender youth renounce that identity is not supported by statistics, VCU research finds

The argument that studies show transgender youth desist from that identity on average has been used to support anti-gender-affirming care legislation nationwide.

Virginia Commonwealth University

By Madeline Reinsel

April 27, 2026

The frequently cited claim that 60% to 90% of transgender and gender-diverse children and young adults ultimately identify as cisgender – or their gender assigned at birth – is not supported by statistical analyses of published scientific research, according to a new study from Virginia Commonwealth University. The study, which analyzed 11 studies compiled in a commonly referenced 2016 blog post as well as five more recent publications, instead found that almost any stance on gender-affirming care for minors could be supported by different statistical analyses of the same data.

“We should rely on accuracy with our science, and we should rely on accurate science to guide legislation,” said Catherine Wall, Ph.D., an assistant professor of psychology in the College of Humanities and Sciences and the study’s lead author. Wall and her coauthors published their study in the journal APA PsycNet.

The quantitative meta-analysis found that “desistance” – or renouncement – of transgender identity by youth could be estimated to be as low as zero percent to as high as 100%, depending on how the studies’ data were interpreted. Meanwhile, rates of persistence of transgender identity could also range from zero percent to 100%, depending on how the studies – many of which were conducted pre-1990 on small sample sizes – were analyzed.

But many politicians don't care about the facts; they have an agenda to push.

When the first major longitudinal results from the Trans Youth Project came out in 2022, NBC News reported that transgender children are actually highly unlikely to "detransition" or return to identifying with their birth sex five years after a social transition.

The findings, published Wednesday in the journal Pediatrics, come from a larger project called the Trans Youth Project. Researchers at Princeton University began in 2013 to track 317 kids between ages 3 and 12 who socially transitioned — the first and largest sample of its kind, according to Kristina Olsen, the study’s lead author and a professor of psychology at Princeton.

The results showed that five years after their initial social transition, 94 percent of the study participants were living as either trans girls or trans boys. The remaining youth had "retransitioned," as the study called it, and no longer identified as binary transgender. Of that group, 2.5 percent came to identify with their birth sex. 

The findings come as Republican lawmakers in more than two dozen states have tried, over the last two years, to restrict access to gender-affirming care for transgender minors.

That last paragraph says it all: these lawmakers aren't acting in the best interest of children. They are willing to ignore scientific facts to push an agenda at the detriment of trans youth. They even go so far as to drag the same handful of individuals from state to state to testify, pretending a tiny minority represents the whole reality.

Think of the Children

[Editorial]

In the opening moments of Casablanca, a man is shot in the street because he lacks the right “papers.” We watch it as a relic of 1942—a cinematic warning of what happens when a state loses its humanity. But today, as Black Hawk helicopters hover over apartment complexes in Chicago and federal agents rappel onto roofs to conduct “administrative” arrests, we are no longer watching a movie. We are creating a new “normal” for the eyes of our children.

When we say, “Think of the children,” we usually mean their physical safety. But the greater danger is the fundamental distortion of their moral development.. 

PROPAGANDA AS PEDAGOGY: THE REEDUCATION OF MORALITY THROUGH NAZI SCHOOLING AND YOUTH PROGRAMS

Research Gate

Shawn Craig, University of Michigan
February 2025

Abstract

This article explores how Nazi Germany systematically used schooling and youth organizations as tools of ideological indoctrination, transforming education into a mechanism for moral reeducation aligned with the tenets of National Socialism. Drawing on theories of propaganda, political pedagogy, and moral development, the article examines how the regime leveraged curricula, ritual, and youth mobilization to instill racial ideology, obedience to authority, and the redefinition of virtue. Through an analysis of educational materials, institutional design, and the psychological tactics embedded in Hitler Youth programs, the paper reveals the extent to which pedagogy became a vehicle for totalitarian control over moral perception and identity formation.

[...]

Conclusion 

Nazi Germany’s reeducation of morality through schools and  youth  organizations demonstrates the  potent  convergence  of  propaganda  and  pedagogy  in  totalitarian  regimes.  By  embedding ideology into the everyday experiences of children and adolescents, the regime did not merely teach what to believe but shaped how to feel, how to belong, and ultimately, how to judge right from wrong. The moral world it constructed was not merely imposed but internalized, revealing the chilling efficacy of educational systems weaponized for authoritarian ends.

Stop and think for a moment about what Florida and Texas have done with “Don’t Say Gay” laws in schools and the banning of LGBTQ books and topics.

In addition to the bigotry being taught, there is also the lack of empathy that these policies are creating.

Sixty years later: post-traumatic stress symptoms and current psychopathology in former German children of World War II

International Psychogeriatrics

2007 Oct;19(5):955-61.

Philipp Kuwert 1, Carsten Spitzer, Anna Träder, Harald J Freyberger, Michael Ermann

Abstract

Background: The aim of the study was to determine the amount of trauma impact, post-traumatic stress symptoms and current psychopathological distress in a sample of former German children of World War II.

[...]

Conclusions: In line with other studies, our data document a high degree of trauma exposure during warchildhood. In comparison with other studies on PTSD in warchildren, there is a persisting high prevalence of war-associated PTSD symptoms in this sample. Despite some methodological limitations, our data underline the urgent need for further studies on the ageing group of former children of World War II.

In cities like Chicago, Los Angeles, Portland, and Minneapolis, militarized policing and raids have transformed neighborhoods into occupied zones, echoing the environments of chronic fear and instability these children endured.

Empathy as a risk factor for internalizing symptoms during war: A 10-year prospective study from toddlerhood to adolescence

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 September 2025

Dana Katsoty, Lior Abramson, and Ariel Knafo-Noam

Introduction

Empathy, the ability to understand and share the feelings of others, is vital for social relationships and prosociality and is generally associated with positive psychological outcomes (Swenson et al., Reference Swenson, Ehsanian, Tran, Petersen, Kennedy, Roche, Oppezzo, Noordsy and Fredericson2024; Van der Graaff et al., Reference Van der Graaff, Meeus, de Wied, van Boxtel, van Lier, Koot and Branje2016). However, its role may become more complex in the context of mass trauma, such as war exposure, where heightened emotional resonance with the suffering of others may increase vulnerability to personal distress. This issue is particularly relevant for children and adolescents, whose emotion regulation capacities are still developing, making them more susceptible to the psychological impacts of traumatic events (McLaughlin & Lambert, Reference McLaughlin and Lambert2017). Using a longitudinal design, we studied the role of empathy as a prospective risk factor for psychological distress during mass trauma, focusing on the October 7th atrocities and the subsequent Israel-Hamas war.

[...]

Conclusions

Empathy is typically regarded as a resilience factor; however, our findings indicate that in the context of continuous mass trauma – characterized by extensive exposure to the suffering of others – it may function as a risk factor for internalizing symptoms in early adolescents. Specifically, empathic distress in toddlerhood was identified as a predictor of internalizing symptoms during war exposure occurring over a decade later. Similarly, pre-war emotional empathy in adolescence was associated with internalizing symptoms during war, even when controlling for pre-war internalizing symptoms. Importantly, both empathic distress in toddlerhood and emotional empathy in adolescence were predictive of internalizing symptoms exclusively during war exposure and not during regular times, consistent with a diathesis-stress model. During mass trauma, empathy may contribute to increased internalizing symptoms through prolonged exposure to the suffering of others.

I’ll ask the question again: what are we doing to our children today? What is Trump & Company teaching the children?

[/Editorial]

Enough Of The Heavy Stuff!

Enough of politics!

Sheep do it, penguins do it, monkeys do it, swans do it... Do what? Well you know...

Gay Sheep Make Their High Fashion Debut in NYC

I Wool Survive featured pieces made with wool from the world’s “first flock of gay sheep.”

Hyperallergic

Isa Farfan

November 20, 2025

Gay wool from gay sheep? What do you mean, wool can be gay? Let me explain.

In a publicity holy grail, the queer hookup app Grindr debuted a knitwear collection by celebrity designer Michael Schmidt in New York City last week. The textiles were created with wool culled from the world's "first flock of gay sheep" in Germany. On Thursday, November 13, Rainbow Wool teamed up with the dating app and the fashion designer to debut a 36-piece collection at Manhattan's Altman Building in a show titled I Wool Survive.

Wool for the designs originated on a farm in Löhne, Germany, overseen by Michael Stücke. Stücke, an openly gay man, rescues "gay rams," male sexually-oriented sheep, that his company Rainbow Wool claims are often slaughtered because they don't procreate. Scientists estimate that as many as 8% of rams are sexually oriented toward other males, a statistic prominently displayed on Rainbow Wool's website.

[An aside: the Republicans think being LGBTQ+ is a choice... I wonder when the farm animals decided to be gay? -- Sorry, I just had to insert some politics into this.]

Schmidt, who has designed for high-profile clients including Madonna and Taylor Swift, said that while his gay wool collection was light-hearted, it addresses he serious topics of mistreatment of homosexual animals and prejudice against LGBTQ+ communities around the world.

Stücke said in a press release that the fashion collection "proves that being gay is part of nature itself."

Here is a link to the company.

---

Same-sex sexual behavior observed in dozens of primate species, suggesting evolutionary origin

A new study posits that same-sex sexual behavior developed to help primates in complex social groups ease tension, reduce conflict and build bonds.

NBC News

By Evan Bush

January 12, 2026

Humans are far from the only primates engaging in same-sex sexual activity.

A new study found instances in which 59 nonhuman primate species, including bonobos, chimpanzees and macaques, have taken part in same-sex behaviors.

Researchers observed repeated occurrences of the behavior in 23 species. The study, published Monday in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution, is the most comprehensive review of same-sex behavior in primates to date (though humans are not included). The findings challenge some common assumptions about the purpose of sex in the animal world, suggesting it plays a broader social role.

The authors posit that same-sex behavior developed evolutionarily to help primates in complex social groups ease tension, reduce conflict and build bonds. A combination of genetics and external stress — from the environment or from social systems — appears to drive this behavior, they conclude.

“What we found shows that same-sex is not like something bizarre, aberrant or rare. It’s everywhere, it’s very useful, it’s very important,” said Vincent Savolainen, director of the Georgina Mace Centre for the Living Planet at Imperial College London and an author of the study.

And they do it in the rain!

---

What is very interesting is that across all the species around 10% are gay! And science had a theory it is, in G. E. Hutchinson, in 1959 proposed that homosexuality is a balanced polymorphism.

"Scientists call this 'Balanced Polymorphism.' It’s the same biological trick nature uses to keep us resistant to diseases. It turns out that 'gay genes' aren't just about who we love; they are linked to traits that make our families more fertile and our communities less aggressive. Nature keeps us around at that steady 10% because we are the 'social glue' that keeps the rest of the species from falling apart."

We have a clear purpose in the natural order: we provide essential help in childcare, we protect the family unit, and we ensure the survival of the next generation."

You All Know The Bull...

You all know all the bull coming out of the Republicans about our healthcare and the treatment of trans youth. It is there rhetoric that is hurting children, Well my alma mater, UConn School of Social Work, did a study about trans youth and how therapy helps us over come the animosity that is directed toward children;

Tuned In!: 12-month longitudinal outcomes of an affirmative mindfulness intervention for sexual and gender diverse youth and young adults

Science Direct

By Gio Iacono, Leah Holle, Craig Mortley, and Hsiu-Ju Lin

Highlights

• This study evaluates Tuned In!, an LGBTQIA+ affirmative mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) for sexual and gender diverse youth (SGDY).
• Results showed significant, sustained improvements in mental health outcomes over 12 months.
• Findings support scaling the intervention to address SGDY mental health disparities amid increasingly hostile anti-LGBTQIA+ political climate.

Abstract

Purpose

Sexual and gender diverse youth and young adults (SGDY) face mental health disparities due to anti-LGBTQIA+ discrimination and minority stressors. Despite increasing research on youth mental health interventions, culturally responsive approaches for SGDY are scarce. This study addresses this gap by assessing the mental health impact of an SGDY-specific trauma-informed affirmative mindfulness-based intervention (MBI), Tuned In!, which was co-developed with SGDY through community-based participatory methods, and designed to support their mental health needs.

[...]

Results

Significant improvements were observed for all mental health outcomes, except for the BSI-Somatization subscale and the BSI-Hostility subscale. Depression (Beck Depression Inventory) and anxiety (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory) significantly decreased, along with overall psychological distress (Brief Symptom Inventory) and several subscales, including obsession-compulsion, interpersonal sensitivity, paranoid ideation, and psychoticism. Mindfulness, self-compassion, and sexual self-efficacy also showed significant improvements among participants. Findings remained statistically significant after adjusting for demographic variables.

Conclusions

Tuned In! intervention outcomes were consistent over a 12-month period, highlighting its potential to be scaled up as an effective intervention for promoting mental health among SGDY, particularly during this hostile anti-LGBTQIA+ political climate. A clinical trial is recommended to compare the intervention with treatment-as-usual or other youth mental health interventions.

You've seen all the garbage that the Republicans about us, well here is research that proves that their hate hurts us, "...that the hostile anti-LGBTQIA+ political climate are hurting children. The study showed that, Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) have been associated with improvements in mental health outcomes for various youth population..." We never needed this until Trump and Company spread their hate.

Are You Left-handed?

Do you know why you are left-handed? 

Did you know that around ten percent of the people are left-handed?

Did you know that for LGBTQ+ people that the percentage is around twelve percent?

online polls

In the world around ten percent of the people are left-handed but around twelve percent are LGBTQ+

Why is that, no one knows! But it goes deeper than being left-handed it goes to the whole alphabet soup of ADD, ADHD, Dyslexia, and other leaning disorder!

6 Main Scientific Insights on Left-Handedness from 2025

In 2025, research on left-handedness made progress; here are the main insights.

Psychology Today

By Sebastian Ocklenburg, Ph.D.

December 28, 2025

Key points

• In 2025, several studies have advanced knowledge about left-handedness.
• Key insights included the importance of connections in the brain for handedness.
• Moreover, a link between left-handedness and neurodiversity was shown.
• Also, left-handers are more successful than right-handers ins ports like fencing and table tennis.

It is so very interesting that there seems to be linkages between LGBTQ+. left-handiness, and neurodiversity!

1. Brain connectivity may be the key to understanding the left-handed brain

For many decades, scientists have tried to find out which brain areas differ between left-handers and right-handers, with limited success. A large-scale neuroimaging study from 2025 revealed widespread statistically significant associations between handedness and brain connectivity across the whole brain. Left-handedness showed strong links to motor networks in different parts of the brain, as well as a strong association with the limbic network, which is highly relevant for emotions (Tejavibulya and co-workers, 2025). This suggests that differences in brain connectivity are a key factor distinguishing the brains of left-handers and right-handers.

[...]

3. New insights into the genetics of left-handedness

A synthesis of recent findings on the genetics of left-handedness published in 2025 suggested that genes involved in early development of the brain are crucial for left-handedness (Ocklenburg and co-workers, 2025). The most striking finding was that across studies, many genes associated with so-called tubulins were shown to be relevant for handedness. Tubulins are a group of proteins that previously did not play a major role in research on left-handedness. They are relevant for different processes in brain development, highlighting the importance of early processes in the brain for left-handedness.

4. Left-handedness is more common in neurodiverse and neurodivergent people than in the general population

A secondary meta-analysis integrating data on left-handedness and its association with various conditions across hundreds of studies found that autism, ADHD, and dyslexia were linked to an increase in left-handedness compared to the general population (Packheiser and co-workers, 2025). This suggests that left-handedness is more common in neurodiverse and neurodivergent people than in neurotypical people.

Did you notice, "...found that autism, ADHD, and dyslexia were linked to an increase in left-handedness compared to the general population..."

And this is where it gets interesting , digging into it even more, the NIH's National Library of Medicine, PubMed reported in,

Elevated rates of autism, other neurodevelopmental and psychiatric diagnoses, and autistic traits in transgender and gender-diverse individuals

Natural Communication

By Varun Warrier 1,✉, David M Greenberg 1,2, Elizabeth Weir 1, Clara Buckingham 1, Paula Smith 1, Meng-Chuan Lai 1,3,4, Carrie Allison 1, Simon Baron-Cohen 1,✉

2020 Aug 7

Abstract

It is unclear whether transgender and gender-diverse individuals have elevated rates of autism diagnosis or traits related to autism compared to cisgender individuals in large non-clinic-based cohorts. To investigate this, we use five independently recruited cross-sectional datasets consisting of 641,860 individuals who completed information on gender, neurodevelopmental and psychiatric diagnoses including autism, and measures of traits related to autism (self-report measures of autistic traits, empathy, systemizing, and sensory sensitivity). Compared to cisgender individuals, transgender and gender-diverse individuals have, on average, higher rates of autism, other neurodevelopmental and psychiatric diagnoses. For both autistic and non-autistic individuals, transgender and gender-diverse individuals score, on average, higher on self-report measures of autistic traits, systemizing, and sensory sensitivity, and, on average, lower on self-report measures of empathy. The results may have clinical implications for improving access to mental health care and tailoring adequate support for transgender and gender-diverse individuals.

So there is something going on in our brain! Body and Mind Healthcare writes in their article "Clinical News: Autism-Gender Diversity Link Confirmed" that...

Gender and autism:

The five datasets together include 641,860 people, mostly adults; 30,892 have autism and 3,777 identify as gender diverse. The majority of the data — from about 514,000 people — came from an online survey conducted as part of a 2017 British television documentary about autism. (Simon Baron-Cohen, professor of developmental psychopathology at the University of Cambridge and the new study’s lead investigator, led the collection of those data.)

[...]

For all five datasets, autism diagnoses are more common among gender-diverse individuals than among their cisgender peers.

[...]

Gender-diverse people also report, on average, more traits associated with autism, such as sensory difficulties, pattern-recognition skills and lower rates of empathy — or accurately understanding and responding to another person’s emotional state. And they are five times as likely to suspect they have undiagnosed autism as cis people are, based on one dataset of 1,803 people whose survey included this question.

Research is ongoing and one of the tools that is being used is AI to look for brain patterns and the findings are interested.

Machine learning of large-scale multimodal brain imaging data reveals neural correlates of hand preference

Neuroimage

 Chormai 1, Yi Pu 2, Haoyu Hu 3, Simon E Fisher 4, Clyde Francks 5, Xiang-Zhen Kong 6

Neuroimage

2022 Nov 15

Abstract

Lateralization is a fundamental characteristic of many behaviors and the organization of the brain, and atypical lateralization has been suggested to be linked to various brain-related disorders such as autism and schizophrenia. Right-handedness is one of the most prominent markers of human behavioural lateralization, yet its neurobiological basis remains to be determined...

The brain is incredibly complex, and the more we learn, the more we realize that we are only scratching the surface of how it works.

One thing to always remember: there are most likely several reasons or causes behind these patterns, and handedness, neurodiversity, and LGBTQ+ identity may be just one piece of the larger puzzle of human variation.

This Is BS!

Junk Science!

Rumors!

All BS

What am I talking about?

RKF Jr.! Need I say more?

Aluminum salts emerge as likely target as health officials scrutinize childhood vaccines

The vaccine ingredient has long been a talking point for anti-vaccine activists. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has made unsubstantiated claims that it is linked to allergies and autism.

NBC News

By Aria Bendix

12/26/25

With further changes to the U.S.’ recommended vaccine schedule likely in the year ahead under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s leadership, his agency’s recent scrutiny of one vaccine additive in particular — aluminum salts — may offer a clue about what’s to come.

Earlier this month, members of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine advisory committee — whom Kennedy selected after firing the previous group — suggested digging into concerns about aluminum salts, though large studies have found them to be safe. Andrew Nixon, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services, told NBC News that the committee is “reviewing the body of science related to aluminum and other possible contaminants in childhood vaccine[s].”

Similarly, a statement that appeared on the CDC website last month said that HHS is investigating whether aluminum in vaccines could be linked to autism.

But... But... But...

Aluminum salts are not a “contaminant” in vaccines: The compound is added as an adjuvant, an ingredient that boosts the body’s immune response to a vaccine, allowing for a smaller dose to be used. Nearly a century of evidence has found it to be safe for this purpose. Aluminum salts are naturally present in soil and water, and the amount children are exposed to from vaccines is minuscule compared with cumulative daily exposures from food. (Exposure from infant formula or breastmilk is higher than exposure from vaccines in the first six months of life, as well.)

But the BS comes down from the top!

Skeptical or negative statements about aluminum have cropped up repeatedly during federal health announcements and meetings in recent months. President Donald Trump in September said aluminum was being “taken out of the vaccines” during a news conference in which he and Kennedy warned that Tylenol use in pregnancy may be linked to autism. (The bulk of scientific research has not identified such a link.)

“Who the hell wants that pumped into a body?” Trump said of aluminum.

This is Voodoo Medicine... You would expect something like this from Snake Oil Salesman not the head of the HHS! Bloomberg reported that,

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. continued his campaign against the aluminum in some vaccines by suggesting at a conference on Monday that they may play a role in the rise of food allergies.

Kennedy acknowledged there is no science backing the connection, but said he wanted researchers to study aluminum adjuvants in childhood vaccines because he believes their use “fit the timeline perfectly” with an increased prevalence of food allergies. He added that pesticides and ultraprocessed food also could be contributing factors, without providing evidence.

Quack! Quack!

What’s the fuss about aluminum in vaccines?

Despite extensive safety record, U.S. health advisers are set to discuss claimed link to asthma

Science

4 Dec 2025

By Phie Jacobs

On Friday, advisers to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are scheduled to discuss the safety of vaccines that include aluminum salts, compounds long added to vaccines to boost their effectiveness. The move comes amid a controversial push by Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime skeptic of vaccination, to remake CDC’s influential recommendations for childhood vaccinations.

Here's some background on why CDC is now scrutinizing aluminum salts.

Why do vaccines include aluminum?

The aluminum used in vaccines is not the same as that found in foil or cooking pans. It is in the form of aluminum salts—aluminum hydroxide, aluminum phosphate, and aluminum potassium sulfate—that have been added to vaccines in small quantities for more than 70 years. They serve as adjuvants, which help the immune system react more strongly to the key proteins contained in vaccines. These adjuvants are often an essential ingredient, as without them the vaccine might not be able to trigger a strong enough immune response to adequately protect against disease. In addition, less material is needed to trigger an immune response, reducing the number of required booster shots.

But... But... But...

What do past studies say about the safety of aluminum adjuvants?

Large-scale studies have consistently found them to be safe. A 24-year-long study of more than 1.2 million Danish children, published earlier this year in the Annals of Internal Medicine, found no link between aluminum in childhood vaccines and the development of any neurodevelopmental disorders, and no connection to autoimmune and allergic disorders, which often trigger asthma. (Kennedy has called for the study to be retracted, questioning its methodology, analysis, and results. The journal has rejected his request.)

Scientists also note the tiny amounts of aluminum in vaccines are comparable to what infants ingest in breast milk and formula. And according to FDA, the most common source of aluminum exposure is food and drinking water, not vaccines.

This is a power play to their MAGA base, this is not about science. This is not about healthcare. This is about catering to the right-wing MAGA crackpots!

So what does this have to do with trans stuff? Absolutely nothing!

But... But... But... JFK Jr is pushing all of this anti-trans bias and healthcare and this is about his character, this is about pogroms.

Thou Shall Not Criticize RFK Jr.

They broke Kennedy's commandment... Thou shall not criticize the appointed one! So he cut the grants to AAP because they contradicted him! Funding for:

• Reducing sudden infant deaths... Cut!
• Improving adolescent health... Cut!
• Preventing fetal alcohol syndrome... Cut!
• Identifying autism early... Cut!

Why? Because they dared to challenge the leader!

HHS cuts millions in grants to the American Academy of Pediatrics

The move is an escalation in the agency’s clash with the medical group, which is suing Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over vaccine policy.

NBC News

By Berkeley Lovelace Jr.

December 17, 2025

The Department of Health and Human Services has terminated seven grants totaling millions of dollars to the American Academy of Pediatrics, escalating its confrontation with the group, which is suing Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over vaccine policy.

The grants supported initiatives aimed at reducing sudden infant deaths, improving teen and young adult health, preventing birth defects, such as fetal alcohol syndrome, and identifying autism early, according to an academy spokesperson.

You know this guy lives in his own little "Neverland" world!

In an emailed statement, Andrew Nixon, an HHS spokesperson, said the grants “were canceled along with a number of other grants to other organizations because they no longer align with the Department’s mission or priorities.”

When NBC News asked about the agency’s priorities, Nixon responded by sending links to “about” pages on websites of HHS, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Health Resources and Services Administration.

Mark Del Monte, the academy’s CEO and executive vice president, said the group learned this week that the grants had been terminated and was now exploring “all available options, including legal recourse.”

“The Academy is proud of this work, and of the staff, pediatricians, and partners who were engaged in these important programs,” he said in a statement. “The sudden withdrawal of these funds will directly impact and potentially harm infants, children, youth, and their families in communities across the United States.”

Hey just because we are HHS you think that care about people? Nurse.org wrote...

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has cancelled millions of dollars in grants to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) without warning, a decision that could have significant implications for pediatric healthcare delivery nationwide.

On December 17, 2025, HHS under Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. terminated seven grants supporting critical pediatric programs, citing a misalignment with "the Department's mission or priorities," according to an HHS spokesperson. 

The Guardian has reported that the HHS pointed to "identity-based language" as part of the issues the organization found with the AAP, including references to racial disparities and using the gender-neutral term "pregnant people." 

HOW DARE THEY USE  "Pregnant People."!!!!

We're cutting millions from them because they used  "pregnant people." and pro-trans healthcare! For that we make everyone in the U.S. suffer!

Reuters reported that,

"These grants, previously awarded to the American Academy of Pediatrics, were canceled along with a number of other grants to other organizations because they no longer align with the Department's mission or priorities," an HHS spokesperson said.

It’s clear: these programs are no longer "in alignment" with the administration's pogrom against us. Trump has issued a decree that there are only two genders, and his minions are kowtowing and lick his boots while we get the shaft.

But it wasn't just us that pissed off RFK Jr. but also about Kennedy’s personal grievances;

The AAP has received $18.4 million in federal funding from HHS in 2025, according to government records. The newly canceled grants had been communicated to the organization earlier this week, according to Del Monte.

The AAP broke with federal policy in August when it recommended that all young children get vaccinated against COVID-19, diverging from the CDC. It condemned Kennedy when he fired the CDC's independent panel of vaccine experts in June.

In October, it said it does not recommend the routine use of leucovorin - a form of vitamin B9 - in children with autism, citing a lack of evidence on the treatment's benefits and risks to support widespread use in this population. Kennedy touted the decades-old drug in September at a White House event.

The AAP response will be "We'll see you in court!" 

We Know Who We Are!

One truth stands out form all the lies... we know who we are, a new research study showed,

Trans & cis youth show equal stability in their gender identities

Researchers followed both trans and cis kids for 11 years and concluded that kids of all identities know who they are.

LGBTQ Nation

By Molly Sprayregen (She/Her)

August 24, 2025

A study examining the gender identities of cis and trans children over an 11-year period has found that both groups are equally consistent in how they identify.

The Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) worked with over 900 youth in North America from 2013 to 2024. The subjects initially fell into three categories when recruited for the study: trans youth who socially transitioned with family support by 12 years old; cisgender youth “who were age- and gender-matched” to the trans group; and cisgender siblings of those in the trans group.

The study followed youth from an average of 8.1 years old through an average of 14.3 years old and concluded that “among early-transitioning transgender children as well as their counterparts who were cisgender in childhood, stability in gender identity was by far the modal trajectory.”

But the Republicans know all that and for them it doesn't fit their narrative about us. PubMed, the website of the National Library of Medicine writes in Gender Development in Transgender Preschool Children...

Abstract

An increasing number of transgender children-those who express a gender identity that is "opposite" their natal sex-are socially transitioning, or presenting as their gender identity in everyday life. This study asks whether these children differ from gender-typical peers on basic gender development tasks. Three- to 5-year-old socially transitioned transgender children (n = 36) did not differ from controls matched on age and expressed gender (n = 36), or siblings of transgender and gender nonconforming children (n = 24) on gender preference, behavior, and belief measures. However, transgender children were less likely than both control groups to believe that their gender at birth matches their current gender, whereas both transgender children and siblings were less likely than controls to believe that other people's gender is stable.

So lets dig into the Society for Research in Child Development research...

Gender-Affirming Policies Support Transgender and Gender Diverse Youth’s Health

Transgender and gender diverse youth (TGD) (i.e., children and adolescents whose gender identity and/or expression differs from their sex assigned at birth) are more likely to experience poor health than their peers whose gender identity aligns with their assigned sex at birth (i.e., cisgender youth) due to stigma and marginalization. Fortunately, school policies that protect, include, and affirm TGD youth’s gender identity are associated with positive mental health and academic outcomes. TGD youth who have access to gender-affirming medical care experience improvements in mental health and often show mental health comparable to their cisgender peers. Some legislative efforts have attempted to block transgender youth’s access to gender-affirming medical care (e.g., puberty blockers) and school resources (e.g., sports teams that align with their gender identity). Policymakers, along with school personnel, must enact non-discrimination and anti-bullying policies that allow TGD youth equal access to school facilities and resources, and protect youth on the basis of their gender identity and expression. In this brief, we term policies and practices that recognize and support TGD youth’s identities and expression “gender-affirming care” and highlight opportunities to ensure the healthy development of all TGD youth. We highlight how medical and school contexts are critical for TGD youth’s development and health and offer evidence-informed policy and practice recommendations to guide efforts that support youth.

[...]

Transgender youth who have access to gender-affirming medical care experience improvements in mental health and often show mental health comparable to their cisgender peers.

Yeah but... that doesn't jive with the propaganda of the Republicans. Do not think for a moment that the Republicans don't know about this, it is just that they believe their lies instead of the research. LGBTQ Nation went on to write,

The study found that over 80% of youth showed stability in their identities throughout the study. It also found that when subjects did experience a gender change, “When gender change did occur in all three groups, “it overwhelmingly involved change to (and, to a lesser extent, from) a nonbinary gender identity.”

There was also no evidence that young people were less or more likely to change their identity at any specific age.

The study also emphasized the importance of family support.

“Early identifying transgender children’s sense of their own gender was no more or less stable than cisgender children’s,” the study concluded, “suggesting that children who are supported in their transgender identities tend to show developmental patterns that mirror their cisgender peers.”

The findings mirror what has overwhelmingly been found in studies on trans adults, that very few people detransition and those that do often do so due to anti-trans discrimination rather than an identity change.

We are the boogeyman that the Republicans scare people with their lies. Pew Research reports that,

A new Pew Research Center survey finds that majorities of U.S. adults favor or strongly favor laws and policies that:

Require trans athletes to compete on teams that match their sex assigned at birth (66%)

Ban health care professionals from providing care related to gender transitions for minors (56%)

At the same time, 56% of adults express support for policies aimed at protecting trans people from discrimination in jobs, housing and public spaces.

Views on these policies and several others have shifted in recent years, with Americans becoming more supportive of restrictions for transgender people, according to the survey of 5,097 U.S. adults conducted Feb. 10-17, 2025.

The survey also finds that more Americans support than oppose laws and policies that:

• Require trans people to use public bathrooms that match their sex at birth, rather than the gender they identify with (49% favor or strongly favor, 26% oppose or strongly oppose)
• Make it illegal for public school districts to teach about gender identity in elementary schools (47% favor or strongly favor, 34% oppose or strongly oppose)

In turn, adults are much more likely to oppose than favor policies requiring health insurance companies to cover medical care for gender transitions (53% vs. 22%).

The affects of all these lies show up in the polling and also that fact that the public thinks we are more numerous than we are... a 2023 University of Minnesota study found,

Public opinion on transgender rights not only varies across issue areas though. The ways in which people form their attitudes has changed over time. Our study found that in 2015, many Americans were still relatively unfamiliar with transgender issues and many elites, such as party and religious leaders, had yet to send clear and consistent cues about them. As such, the factors that significantly shaped opinions were rooted in people’s personality traits, values, and personal experiences. For example, people with authoritarian personalities, who value obedience and deference to authority figures, as well as those who hold more traditional moral values and are less tolerant of cultural change tend to hold negative attitudes toward transgender people and transgender rights. In addition, people that know someone who is transgender, particularly a close friend or family member, tend to have more positive attitudes. Partisanship and religiosity, meanwhile, did not show consistent impacts on these attitudes.

We can't count on the Democrats to get the word ou,t they feel that we burned them in the last election! If we want to bring about change... we have to do it! The report states, "However, as seen in policies that are more clearly understood in terms of civil rights, like nondiscrimination and military service policies, Americans public opinion has the potential to be more supportive when the issue is framed around equity."

There is no one who has our backs.

If We Are Not Counted... We Don't Exist!

When we were trying to pass the Connecticut non-discrimination law we heard from law makers... Well how many trans people are in the state. All we could do is shrug our shoulders because nobody counted us.

We’ve been tracking the number of Americans who identify as transgender – soon, there will be no reliable way to measure them

The Conversation

By Jody L. Herman & Andrew Ryan Flores

August 28, 2025

Researchers have traditionally had a difficult time tracking the number of Americans who identify as transgender.

But over the past decade, our work has become easier, largely thanks to federal data. In 2014, for the first time, the federal government included a question on transgender identity in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance System. It subsequently added gender identity questions to other surveys, like the National Crime Victimization Survey. Since 2016, we’ve been able to use federal datasets to estimate the number of people who identify as transgender at the national and state levels.

Our recently published analysis suggests that 2.1 million U.S. adults identify as transgender. In our prior study, published in 2022, we found that 1.3 million U.S. adults identified this way. In our new report, we also found that 724,000 youth age 13 to 17 identified as transgender.

But as you guest, that all has changed under Trump,

This information is important. It allows policymakers, educators, judges, the media and others to understand the size and characteristics of this population, as well as who will be affected by public policies, such as nondiscrimination laws that aim to protect transgender people or bans on transgender people’s use of public bathrooms. The U.S. Supreme Court has even cited our estimates in decisions that impact transgender people.

But our work is about to become a lot harder, if not impossible.

At the directive of the Trump administration, federal surveys will no longer collect data about gender identity. Questions that aim to identify transgender respondents will be removed, while binary sex questions with only “male” or “female” response options will remain.

Though data sources are being erased, the transgender population will not be. And yet it will likely be at least a decade before we can publish updated figures on the estimated number of people living in the U.S. who identify as transgender.

If you are not counted we don't exist.

It is not just legislators who need out information... but researchers who are trying to understand our community needs the information. The Williams Institute wrote back in February,

Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) and the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBS) were removed. In addition, the Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey (HPS) data and documentation were deleted, Census data became inaccessible, and datasets related to tracking HIV/AIDS in the U.S. and globally were no longer available. At the same time, questions about sexual orientation and gender identity have been removed from some federal surveys going forward.

 Health Policy Watch writes about the cuts to healthcare...

Influential conservatives have long sought to curtail the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) – and the actions of four nurses in Mozambique may have inadvertently given them the ammunition to do just that.

Deeply uncomfortable with the sexual dimension of HIV transmission, the powerful Heritage Foundation, which authored the conservative Project 2025 blueprint for a Donald Trump takeover, argues that PEPFAR should be “restructured as a development rather than an emergency assistance program”. 

Right-wing organisations and politicians have also claimed the plan is being used to “promote abortion, LGBT ideology, and comprehensive sexuality education”, a school sex education programme.

The Trump administration has politicized healthcare for us and unfortunately diseases are an equal opportunity infector and doesn't care about politics! The population that are seeing the greatest increase in HIV/AIDS is the Black and Latino communities and surprisingly elders in Long Term Care facilities! So their attack on us, is not only hurting us... but also everyone in the US. 

Yet far-right conservatives in the US and Africa are deeply ambivalent about PEPFAR, largely because they believe that HIV is a sexually transmitted “lifestyle disease” – the inference being that most of those with HIV have themselves to blame.

The Heritage Foundation spelt this out in a 2023 paper, arguing that, “except in cases of rape or maternal transmission, HIV/AIDS in the US and in developing countries is primarily a lifestyle disease (like those caused by tobacco) and as such should be suppressed through education, moral suasion, and legal sanctions”. 

In their hatred of us they're cutting programs that count us, treat us, and protect us, it not only hurts us the trans and greater LGBTQ+ community but it hurts everyone!

1% And I Am Not Talking About Billionaires

The Republicans like to pick on the small guy who can't fight back. Back in the 1930s and 40s the right-wing tried to do it with the Jews... make them the scapegoats for all the ills in the world... so the looked for a groups that is so small that no one would defend them... us.

UCLA study reveals how many Americans identify as transgender – and it’s only 1%

Despite the rising number of anti-trans executive orders and bills in the United States of America, just one per cent of the population aged 13 and over identifies as transgender, according to a new study from UCLA. 

Pink News

Aug 21, 2025

Newly published research from the UCLA Williams Institute looked at data from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention’s Behavioural Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) and the Youth Risk Behaviour Surveillance System (YRBS) in the study, published this week. 

It estimates the rate of trans identity in those aged 13 years old and older across all 50 states and the District of Columbia, excluding Puerto Rico. 

Researchers found that over 2.8 million people, comprised of around 2.1 million adults (aged 18 and older) and 724,000 youth (aged 13-17), identify as transgender in the US. As per the study, that means just one per cent of the American population aged 13 and older identify as trans.

The study outcome is a stark reminder of gender identity in the US, compared to incessant misinformation from the right. Back in March, President Donald Trump wrongly claimed, “Everything is transgender, everybody is transgender”.

Okay, stop and think... how many manhours have the Republican's put towards legislation against us?

SceneMag writes... 

The release of this data comes amid significant political controversy. President Donald Trump signed an executive order declaring that the US government will officially recognise only two genders - male and female - prompting concerns about the erasure of trans individuals from federal surveys and public policy.

Researchers warn that this may be the last opportunity for a comprehensive analysis of the transgender population for years to come, as federal agencies begin removing references to gender diversity from critical datasets.

And the witch-hunt continues... are the Salem trials next?

They Can't Even Fudge It.

When you are trying to discredit us and it comes up roses. Utah commissioned a study to determine how harmful trans healthcare but instead...

Utah lawmakers’ own study found gender-affirming care benefits trans youth. Will they lift the treatment ban?

The study was commissioned under the 2023 law that prohibited gender-affirming care for minors.

Salt Lake Tribune

By Emily Anderson Stern

May 22, 2025

Utah‘s ban on gender-affirming care for transgender youth was meant to be a moratorium, giving lawmakers the chance to reevaluate the policy once experts reviewed research on the impacts of treatment.

This week, nearly 2½ years after the law took effect, lawmakers received the findings of that study.

Utah health care experts concluded, in a more than 1,000-page report, “Overall, there were positive mental health and psychosocial functioning outcomes” as a result of gender-affirming care. But some Republican legislators are already dismissing those findings.

“Young kids and teenagers should not be making life-altering medical decisions based on weak evidence,” Rep. Katy Hall, R-South Ogden, the House sponsor of the 2023 ban, and Rep. Bridger Bolinder, R-Grantsville, who chairs the Legislature’s Health and Human Services Interim Committee, said in a joint statement to The Salt Lake Tribune.

“Utah was right to lead on this issue,” they continued, “and the public agrees — polls show clear majority support both statewide and nationally. Simply put, the science isn’t there, the risks are real, and the public is with us. We intend to keep the moratorium in place.”

So it goes against the Republican mantra of how harmful trans care is... so we sweep it under the rug.

The Advocate had this to say,

A comprehensive, state-commissioned report released last week shows that gender-affirming care leads to better mental health and lower suicide risk among transgender minors. But instead of lifting the state’s ban, GOP lawmakers are doubling down on a policy that doctors, advocates, and families have long warned is putting lives at risk.

The report eviscerates the claims Republicans used to pass the ban in the first place.

“The conventional wisdom among non-experts has long been that there are limited data on the use of [gender-affirming hormone therapy] in pediatric patients,” the researchers wrote. “However, results from our exhaustive literature searches have led us to the opposite conclusion.” The study found over 230 primary studies involving 28,056 trans youth — “far exceeding” the evidence that typically supports FDA approval for high-risk pediatric treatments, including gene therapy.

“The body of evidence we have uncovered exceeds the amount of evidence that often serves as the basis of FDA approval for many high-risk, new drugs approved in pediatric populations in the U.S.,” the authors added.

Kind of exposes the lies the Republican are making about us! Their own study shows proper healthcare helps us but they are buying it. Rolling Stone magazine writes...

But according to the Salt Lake Tribune, legislators behind the ban are already dismissing the findings they asked for. In response to questions from the Tribune, Rep. Katy Hall, who co-sponsored the 2023 ban, issued a joint statement with fellow Republican state Rep. Bridger Bolinder, the chair of the legislature’s Health and Human Services Interim Committee, that dismissed the study’s findings. “We intend to keep the moratorium in place,” they told the Tribune. “Young kids and teenagers should not be making life-altering medical decisions based on weak evidence.”

Why ignore their own review? Polling, the legislators’ statement suggests. “Utah was right to lead on this issue, and the public agrees—polls show clear majority support both statewide and nationally,” Hall and Bolinder added in their statement. “Simply put, the science isn’t there, the risks are real, and the public is with us.”

Politics ahead of science! The Democrats had this to say, Utah Policy reported,

The Utah House Minority Caucus Leadership released the following statement after a new study found gender-affirming care benefits trans youth:

“More than two years after the Utah Legislature banned gender-affirming care for transgender youth, we are encouraged that Utah healthcare experts have found strong evidence of positive mental health and psychosocial outcomes resulting from this care. Originally, the harmful, dangerous, and insensitive ban was described as a moratorium while the Legislature evaluated the treatment’s impacts. Now that the Legislature-commissioned study has found overwhelmingly positive health outcomes, we must act to lift the ban.

Despite the clarity of the findings, some policymakers who originally supported the legislation  have already attempted to discredit, dismiss, or ignore the evidence. This kind of rhetoric endangers the health of Utah’s children and directly contradicts the values of our state. Based on these results, children’s healthcare decisions must be returned to the hands of their families and doctors, not dictated by the whims of politicians.”

But the Republicans hate educated scientist, it gives their MAGA base headaches when they start thinking. 

First Amendment? What The Heck Is That?

Once again Trump & Company attacks the press! This time it is medical journals that Trump doesn't like... after all the journals all say that vaccines are good! That Fluoride works! And they shoot down all the quack theories that HHS supports.

Medical journals hit with threatening letters from Justice Department

NPR

May 2, 2025

The letters began arriving at medical journals around the country over the last few weeks.

"It has been brought to my attention that more and more journals and publications … are conceding that they are partisans in various scientific debates," wrote Edward R. Martin Jr., the interim U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, in a letter to the journal CHEST.

Martin then asks a series of questions — about misinformation, competing viewpoints and the influence of funders such as advertisers and the National Institutes of Health.

"The public has certain expectations and you have certain responsibilities," the letter adds. Martin asks for a response by May 2.

WTF! Now they are intimidating medical media.

"We were concerned because there were questions that suggested that we may be biased in the research we report," Rubin says. "We aren't. We have a very rigorous review process. We use outside experts. We have internal editors who are experts in their fields as well. And we spend a lot of time choosing the right articles to publish and trying to get the message right. We think we're an antidote for misinformation."

Rubin says the letter mentioned that the journal has tax-exempt status.

"It does feel like there's a threatening tone to the letter and it is trying to intimidate us," Rubin says.

The Trump administration has disdain toward any person, place or thing that writes against them! Scientific America takes a stand against Trump at its at their own peril! They risk the wrath of Trump!

The Scary Implications of U.S. Government Attacks on Medical Journals

A Trump-aligned prosecutor’s attack on medical journals is a threat to your health care—and the medical establishment should not comply

By Eric Reinhart

May 1, 2025

In April, I decided to make public a leaked letter from the acting U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia to the editor-in-chief of CHEST, a leading pulmonology and critical care journal. I did so because the letter represents an authoritarian threat to science, and I knew it wasn’t an isolated, bizarre incident. It is a warning sign, another move in a broader campaign to exert control over research, medicine and media.

The letter asserts that “publications like CHEST Journal are conceding that they are partisans in various scientific debates.” It was written by recently appointed acting U.S. attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr., who gives no examples that might demonstrate partisanship; nor does he cite any laws or legal principles to indicate a matter that should concern the U.S. government. Instead, without justification or jurisdiction over a private medical journal based in Illinois, he simply invokes his federal office to demand that CHEST explain if it accepts “competing viewpoints,” and how it is now developing “new norms” to adjust its editorial methods in view of its alleged—by Martin—biases.

Since I publicly shared this, at least four additional journals, including the New England Journal of Medicine, have confirmed receipt of similar letters, according to MedPage Today, STAT News, the New York Times and Science. Aside from Eric Rubin at the NEJM, none of the targeted editors have been willing to go on record, fearing retribution from the Trump administration. It’s likely that letters were sent to many more journals; CHEST’s was simply the first to leak.

No matter what you do, no matter who you are, no matter what you say... it Trump thinks you gave him the "evil eye" watch out!

Why CHEST? It’s a specialty outlet—not even among the top 50 medical journals. Is this a keyword-driven campaign like those we’ve seen at the CDC and NIH? Under Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., terms like “diversity,” “minority” and “equity” have been systematically flagged. This has led to elimination of federal positions and programs, cancellation of research grants, and scrubbing of government websites and statistics—all related to these words.

A search of CHEST’s archive for “transgender,” for example, returns 33 hits—articles acknowledging the clinical implications of caring for trans patients (e.g., ventilator settings may need to be adjusted). Add in other Trump-targeted terms like race, disparity, female and disability, and we can see the outlines of a new DOJ-led front in the administration’s campaign to target minorities for denial of care, legalized discrimination and bureaucratic erasure.

As I said.... they want to wipe us off the face of this earth! There hatred toward us that they want to shut down any thing that supports us.! I know that this sounds paranoid that everyone is against us... but they are!

We don’t know Martin’s, Kennedy’s or Trump’s specific motivations in sending a letter to CHEST, but it is clear that Martin’s threat to journals is not a one-off stunt. Like Trump’s actions that cut off or threaten federal research funding at Columbia, Harvard and other universities, it appears to be part of a calculated strategy to identify, isolate and intimidate researchers who, and institutions that, acknowledge realities like inequality, social differences and structural violence.

This is what the Christian Nationalist want an approved list of research subjects just like they did back in the 50s! Research in to why some men are gay...Nyet! Research in to marijuana... Nyet! You will only study what we want you to study!

And don't forget that the White House just released their "research" on trans youth... and now this comes out. Hmm...?

HHS report questions evidence for youth gender care

Axios

By Maya Goldman

May 1, 2025

HHS released a review Thursday that asserts gender-affirming care for minors has significant risks with little evidence of benefit.

Why it matters: The 409-page document contrasts the policies of major medical associations including the American Academy of Pediatrics, who say gender-affirming care can be life saving for transgender adolescents.

• The report stems from an executive order President Trump issued in January and does not include legislative or policy recommendations.
• HHS said it fills a gap in medical literature and clinical practice reviews on the ethical aspects of pediatric medical transition.

[...]

Why it matters: The 409-page document contrasts the policies of major medical associations including the American Academy of Pediatrics, who say gender-affirming care can be life saving for transgender adolescents.

• The report stems from an executive order President Trump issued in January and does not include legislative or policy recommendations.
• HHS said it fills a gap in medical literature and clinical practice reviews on the ethical aspects of pediatric medical transition.

They are trying to stifle any opposition to their policies of hate against us! They are following the tried and true strategy of dictators everywhere... the path that Joseph Goebbels laid down in 1930s. In the footsteps of Putin, Xi, Kim Jong-un, Lukashenko, Nayib Bukele, and Nicolas Maduro. Those are Trump's idols. Control the media and attack minorities by making them the villains, the root of all that is wrong... it is their fault!

Reality check: The overwhelming majority of youth who receive gender-affirming care report high levels of satisfaction and low levels of regret, research shows.

• Less than 0.1% of adolescents in the U.S. received gender-affirming care drugs between 2018 and 2022, per a recent JAMA Pediatrics study.
• Puberty blockers are reversible and also used for non-trans youth who experience early onset puberty. Gender-affirming surgery is rare in adolescents and considered on a case-by-case basis.

This whole administration is lost in their own little reality of hate and bitterness toward the world... they see the battle in terms them against us... if you are not with us you are against us. For them the First Amendment means nothing. They are intimidating the courts by arresting judges, they are intimidating the media by threating them with regulatory investigations, they are threating television networks and shows, they are intimidating the collages and universities by threating them with withholding funding, and now they are intimidating the research by threating them with legal and regulatory investigations!

There is only one message and that is ours!

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Trump just signed an Executive Order cutting the funding to PBS and NPR!

Trump signs order to block funding to public radio

BBC News

By Yasmin Rufo

May 2, 2025

US President Donald Trump has issued an executive order calling for all federal funding to the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) and National Public Radio (NPR) to be blocked.

On Thursday evening, Trump alleged that both organisations have engaged with "biased and partisan news coverage".

The order instructs the board of the Corporation of Public Broadcasting (CPB), which distributes funding to PBS and NPR stations, to "cease direct funding" to the "maximum extent allowed by law".

PBS called the order "blatantly unlawful", while CPB said the organisation is not "a federal executive agency subject to the President's authority".

Meanwhile, Radio Free Asia, which receives funding from the government, said on Friday it was shutting down most of its news broadcasts and letting most staff go.

CEO Bay Fang said the cuts were due to the Trump administration withholding congressionally allocated funding, even though a federal judge sided with the broadcaster last week.

There is only one message and that is ours!

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WPATH just issued a statement:

WPATH AND USPATH RESPONSE TO THE

HHS REPORT ON GENDER DYSPHORIA

Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 2, 2025

East Dundee, IL/ USA - The World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) and the US Professional Association for Transgender Health (USPATH) are deeply concerned about the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) report released yesterday. This report misrepresents existing research and disregards the expertise of professionals who have been working with transgender and gender-diverse youth for decades.

Transgender young people deserve healthcare that is informed by science, compassion, and respect. Gender-affirming care is backed by rigorous research, expert consensus, and patient-centered values. Studies consistently show its positive impact, including improved mental health and overall quality of life.

The HHS report fails to meet established scientific standards. Authored anonymously, it relies on discredited narratives and selectively compiles prior systematic reviews, omitting critical findings from recent studies that support treatment interventions for appropriately identified individuals. Instead of conducting a new systematic review, the report dismisses multiple international clinical guidelines and disregards the prevailing medical consensus on gender-affirming care.

The HHS report claims that psychotherapy is the only viable treatment for youth with gender dysphoria—a position we firmly reject. Moreover, it misrepresents WPATH by suggesting that it equates conversion therapy with psychotherapy, a notion we unequivocally oppose. WPATH supports a comprehensive, multidisciplinary assessment, ensuring that mental health professionals evaluate and address any co-occurring mental health conditions in youth who are exploring their gender identity and options for treatment.

Clinical practice guidelines, including WPATH’s Standards of Care Version 8 (SOC8), are developed thorough evaluation of evidence, clinical expertise, patient values and preferences, and cultural and contextual considerations. SOC8 emphasizes ongoing research into outcomes for transgender youth while advocating for developmentally appropriate clinical services. Efforts to halt research funding and ban gender-affirming interventions threaten the health and dignity of transgender individuals and hinder medical progress.

Healthcare decisions should remain in the hands of patients, their families, and qualified clinicians—not politicians.

We urge policymakers to engage in meaningful dialogue grounded in scientific integrity. Policies affecting transgender health must be informed by recognized experts and guided by clinical evidence, not ideology.