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Eriko's avatar

Thank you, Bernard. Some hopeful news from Chile, though I do wish we had more politicians like this in Australia, who are brave enough to propose a similar bill here. Didn't you write about trans identified girls receiving subsidised testosterone thanks to their doctors diagnosing them with some kind "testicular deficiency" despite not actually having testicles? How is that not medical fraud?

Our laws seem to do the opposite of protecting children from these dangerous and irreversible treatments. With the conversion practices ban in place, children are instead pushed towards them, with anyone trying to dissuade them risking punishment under the law.

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Bernard Lane's avatar

Yes, Eriko. Testicular disorder is the false diagnosis & our federal Department of Health knows it is being misused.

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Vincent Keane's avatar

“The Chilean parents’ group Kairós welcomed the bill, noting that 15 per cent of the gender-distressed children in their members’ families had desisted and re-embraced their birth sex, thereby highlighting the risks of medicalising unstable transgender or non-binary identities”.

. . . . Indeed, multiple studies confirm that some 80-90% of children who present with gender dysphoria will cease to question their gender incongruence by the time they reach adolescence if left alone. (ie they will desist)

If gender physicians are not be forthcoming in relation to the very high rate of desistence they will be exposing children and parents to a vulnerable window in which puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones may be seen as ‘life saving’.

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Elizabeth's avatar

Bernard you are so thorough in your research.

There is so much in this article that is usable to the many taking this cause (to protect the vulnerable) into official arenas in countries. Other than Chile.

My hope is they are all reading your important and very rich, clear articles.

It is heartening to read of clarity, simple truth and common sense reaching effective platforms in Chile.

Thanks

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