Texans Battle On Child Transgender Medical Procedures In HB 1399

Opinion By Lauren Comele Morris

April 16, 2021

Proponents For Child Gender Affirming Procedures Oppose HB 1399

Texas House of Representatives Public Hearing on Wednesday, April 14, 2021 heated up in the Texas House Public Health Committee when faith and family clashed with LGBTQIA over House Bill 1399.

Constitutional Attorney and Rep. Matt Krause, District 93 is an Author of HB 1399. The bill would "amend the Health & Safety Code relating to professional liability insurance coverage for and prohibitions on the provision to certain children of procedures and treatments for gender transitioning, gender reassignment, or gender dysphoria". "Child" is still defined as an individual younger than 18 years of age.

Section 161.702 prohibits transitioning a child's biological sex as determined by sex organs, chromosomes, and endogenous profiles of the child or affirming the child's perception of the child's sex if that perception is inconsistent with the child's biological sex. A physician or other health care provider may not perform sterilization surgeries, perform a mastectomy, provide or otherwise administer puberty suppression drugs. A physician may not provide testosterone to females, estrogen to males, or otherwise remove healthy tissue. The bill provides for exceptions that pertain to medically verifiable genetic disorders involving chromosomes and abnormal sex structure.

TEXAS ACLU TESTIFIES IN OPPOSITION TO HB 1399

Adri Perez, a Policy and Advocacy Strategist for the ACLU testified in support of gender affirming healthcare for children. He testified that children can suffer from suicideality when not allowed to live their authentic selves. Perez, a transgender queer whose pronouns are "they, them, their" stated: "I knew who I was at the age of four". Perez argued that transgender affirming procedures are medically necessary life saving treatment. Perez stated that HB 1399 would strip children of life saving healthcare.

Sympathetic Committee Member Rep. Erin Zwiener of District 45 commended Perez and stated that there have been "so many examples throughout history of folks who have not identified as the gender they were assigned at birth". Zwiener who serves on the Agriculture and Livestock Committee announced her bisexuality at the hearing. Zwiener is a founding member of the LGBTQ Caucus and serves as its Secretary.

SENIOR TEXAS NEUROPSYCHOLOGIST TESTIFIES IN SUPPORT OF HB 1399

Dr. Clifford Alan Hopewell Testifies to Protect Children

Testifying for the bill was the Senior Clinical Neuropsychologist for the State of Texas, Ph.D. C. Alan Hopewell. Hopewell testified that "neuropsychology deals with thinking and rational decisions - which children cannot". Hopewell ultimately stated to the Committee that "we cannot damage children with life-altering surgeries and drugs when they do not have the capacity to consent to the same." Hopewell testified that the "research overwhelmingly shows that what helps these children is psychotherapy and 88% of children resolve identity problems and resume their real sex."

Hopewell stated that they are seeing an increase in these issues in children with Autism and personality disorders who are confused. Hopewell testified that antidepressants are helpful for many adults, but some are dangerous for children and are prohibited by law. "If a mother walked into my office and asked me to prescribe antidepressants to her two year old child based upon 'feelings' or 'she wanted them,' I would be arrested and lose my license". Children need protection from irreversible surgeries and treatments. Hopewell's testimony is historically proven and sound medical science.

NOT JUNK SCIENCE!

1950's Publication Available on Amazon

The late Dr. William Low was an esteemed psychiatrist and Director of the Psychiatric Institute of Illinois. In 1937 Low founded "Recovery Inc." Low wrote 60 papers on the brain and disorders and his manual for Recovery Inc. is a book entitled Mental Health Through Will Training: A System of Self-Help in Psychotherapy As Practiced by Recovery Incorporated. The training manual helps patients self-regulate and self-lead for controlling abnormal thoughts and behavior through a method of "spotting" and in group therapy.

In the section on Realism, Romanticism, Intellectualism - Low writes that to coddle feelings and to pamper thoughts, pronouncing them as real and right, prepares the groundwork for a self-imposed mental incapacity. Patients claiming to suffer from frightening sensations, overpowering impulses, and torturing thoughts are actually suffering from distorted perceptions of their own reality. It is philosophy. Humans suffer physical symptoms such as panic attacks from ideas and thoughts. Recovery Inc.'s methods train the individual to spot these symptoms and gives the patient a set of tools to reprogram the brain to eventually alleviate abnormal thinking habits.

Gender dysphoria in children must not be affirmed by medical professionals to the incapacity of one's biological sex. One of Low's main spotting tag lines is that Feelings Are Not The Facts. Low would opine that childhood gender dysphoria is a philosophy to be treated as a mental health disorder.

Save James Campaign

Hearing attendees in support of HB 1399 were Texas Values, a local Austin 501c4 supporting faith, family and liberty values. Pro-Family Activist Group who support the Save James Campaign, Mass Resistance were strong in attendance with heavy weight Texas advocates Tracy Shannon, Kevin Whitt, Jen Loh, and WB Travis. Mass Resistance support 16 policies this session.

Rep. Liz Campos Reacts to Jonathan Saenz of Texas Values

BIG CORPORATE BUSINESS & PHARMA

Lynn Meagher presented evidence collected by Gender Mapper on the number of gender reassigning clinics across the United States. Meagher testified that there is evidence that surgeries are being performed on children. Blue are the adult clinics; Purple are pediatric; Red indicates testimonies of harm; Brown are universities; and Orange represents surgeons.

Meagher claims transitioning is huge business - and profitable. "This is not health care. Gender patients are patients for life."

Twitter.com/GenderMapper

Meagher began to testify as to the junk science supporting transgender surgeries mostly based on the Rafferty Study but was abruptly cut off by Rep. Nicole Collier. The Rafferty Study is countered here by James M. Cantor.

During testimony, physicians who treat transgender children were grilled about surgery on minors and reluctantly agreed that mastectomies were happening.

TESTIFYING PHYSICIAN

Dr. Ximena Lopez is a Pediatric Endocrinologist who received her medical degree in 2000 and is the founder of GENder Education and Care, Interdisciplinary Support (GENECIS) program at Children’s Health in 2015. It is the first such program in the Southwest that provides comprehensive mental and endocrine care for youth with gender dysphoria. While Dr. Lopez' information is available on the internet, in her testimony representing the Pediatric Endocrine Society, she declined to disclose where she currently works except to say that she works in Dallas providing gender affirming care.

Dr. Lopez testified that HB 1399 would contribute to suicide and poor general overall health of transgender youth. She states that puberty blockers are not steroids and their affects are entirely reversible and helpful in youth. She describes her work as affirmation, not reassignment and testified on the standard of care. She stated that puberty blockers can begin at age two with the consent of the parents. See her in-depth video testimony here beginning at 9:10:10.

Lopez admitted that some of the affects are irreversible and that there are risks with the medications when taken in conjunction with the surgeries and with other medications. Lopez stated that surgery is reserved for adults, but that there is a "statement" reserved for transgender males who want to have mastectomies earlier if they are developing large breasts.

Lopez states that large breasts are the single most dysphoric aspect of a trans-male. "Imagine if you have huge breasts and you want to look male. That's really hard. Even if you get testosterone and you get a deeper voice, that's really hard. Patients don't get out of the house and removing the chest is life changing for them".

Ximena Lopez, MD Pediatric Endocrinologist

EAT THE RICH? NOT WHEN THEY ARE A GENDER CAPITALIST!

Meagher states that medical associations are capitulating to big business and wealthy, powerful people behind a movement who use suicide to support their claim. Big businesses are creating life long medical patients through a conveyor belt of pharmaceuticals and expensive medical procedures. Big business, tech giants, and powerful supporters include Arcus Foundation, Martine Rothblatt, and transgender billionaire Jennifer Prizker.

Jennifer Pritzker

WEAPONIZED NARRATIVES

Others testified on behalf of the bill as to the growing mountain of educational materials presented to children through schools, teachers unions, and in the private sector. Materials that encourage youth and their parents into transgenderism in an exciting and beautiful way.

Books and materials have been presented to youngsters through Drag Queen Story Hour events in partnership with the American Library Association. Events held at public libraries became closed to the general public when hotly contested by local citizens. Pre-COVID these were heavily attended by vendors (see DQSH series on this blog). Listopia Children's Books that Break Stereotypes list 412 books geared towards children. These books can be read at DQSH by adult entertainers who sign up to read sexual books to children. Mass Resistance's Tracy Shannon exposed drag queen sex offenders reading to children in Houston, and continues to uncover networks of transient pedophiles and sex offenders.

WEAPONIZED MOVEMENT

W. Cleon Skousen's The Naked Communist lays out the progressive plan as endorsed by Dr. Ben Carson, United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. The book is also endorsed by Ronald Reagan and can be found on Amazon. It is a must read for a thorough understanding of how Marxist and Communists conduct their game. Specific to this article from the "Current Communist Goals" are the following:

#16. Use technical decisions of the courts to weaken basic American institutions by claiming their activities violate civil rights.

#17. Get control of the schools. Use them as transmission belts for socialism and current Communist propaganda. Soften the curriculum. Get control of teachers' associations. Put the party line in textbooks.

#18. Gain control of all student newspapers.

#32. Support any socialist movement to give centralized control over any part of the culture--education, social agencies, welfare programs, mental health clinics, etc.

#37. Infiltrate and gain control of big business.

#39. Dominate the psychiatric profession and use mental health laws as a means of gaining coercive control over those who oppose Communist goals.

SURGERY EVIDENCE IN AUSTIN?

On April 16, 2021 activists Lynn Meagher and Tracy Shannon revealed video evidence of a phone call with The Crane Center in Austin. The video reveals the clinic offers "top surgery" for individuals as young as 15. Meagher indicated her child was 14 and was desperate to have a double mastectomy. The receptionist gives her information on how to begin the process. See the video here.

PRESS CONFERENCE

Parents, transgender individuals and advocates spoke at a press conference prior to the hearing.

Mother Speaks in Opposition to HB 1399 on Behalf of her Transitioning Son

Intersex Female and Transgender Male Await Their Turn to Speak at Press Conference

Transgender Male Speaks In Opposition to HB 1399

Role Model

QUESTIONS: To what extent will a line be drawn as to what we will and will not do to our kids because of feelings that stem from weaponized messaging? Is it child abuse when a physician prescribes a puberty blocker to a two year old? Why are teachers unions allowing books and materials with gender messaging into a sex curriculum at the elementary level?

OBSERVATION: Three female members of the Committee exercised motherly nurturing to Perez and two children testifying by telling them how brave they were to be living their true lives! Dr. Low would call that coddling and pampering. It was not a neutral position. They additionally seemed to filibuster by sharing stories and asking questions of the persons they allowed lengthy and unequal opportunity at the microphone. Dozens of people that came from around the United States were denied time to speak. Groups on both sides of the issue were mildly antagonistic toward one another as passions and tensions were high.

The pro-castration group admitted that medications are given to children as young as two years of age and the physicians giving the medications agree that they CAN cause harm and may be irreversible. Surgery is being done to children as young as 14.

(C. Alan Hopewell)

A Note from the Author

There are many implications if gender affirming surgery is allowed to be conducted on minors. Drug combinations already produce irreversible affects and are being given to children without their consent - as early as age two. Physicians in opposition to HB 1399 indeed testified that the brain does not fully develop until age 25. Children are not property.

Proponents and practitioners of female genital mutilation will be knocking on the door next and demanding allowances for barbaric female circumcision on a religious basis. There are a reported 500,000 females who are victims in the United States and millions worldwide. There have been criminal cases brought against physicians in the United States. FGM is currently illegal in Texas.

Let me be clear. I hold no ill regard for the LGBT community, but the age of accountability (18) was established for good reason. While I respect the wishes of adults to live their authentic selves, I must draw the line with children. Children do not have the capacity to reason away their gender and incapacitate their sex based on feelings. I too have loving transgender friends. However, I submit that gender dysphoria must be treated psychologically until the brain is fully developed; and that the age of adulthood by law must be preserved to protect the innocent. Hold the line Texas.