The effort to normalize transgenderism in our culture is in full swing. Men and women that believe they were “born in the wrong body” want to live as the opposite gender and want us to treat that decision as normal. Grown adults making the decision to live as the opposite gender is a disturbing reality.

But what about kids?

The fact that we have to even have a discussion about kids, many of them elementary aged kids, is heart breaking. Those that believe they were born in the wrong body and want to live as the opposite gender are confused, disturbed individuals in need of loving, compassionate help. They do not need encouragement. When it’s an adult in this situation, making such decisions, it’s one thing. When it is a child being encouraged into hormone treatments in order to support their confused decisions, it’s another thing entirely.

Recently, the American College of Pediatricians released a study on “Gender Dysphoria in Children.” The study has some important scientific conclusions regarding kids and transgenderism that need to be read by everyone. This is an important issue because it directly affects children. Adults are, in many ways, complicit in their decision to be transgender. Kids often don’t have the mental and emotional maturity to know what is happening and make the right decision. If the people they trust, parents, schoolteachers, encourage them to make a confused decision; it could impact the rest of their life.

Peter Sprigg, writing at The Family Research Council blog, has identified five key takeaways from the Gender Dysphoria in Children study:

1) There is no scientific evidence that people with gender dysphoria are “born in the wrong body.”

2) Most children who experience gender dysphoria do not grow up to identify as transgender adults.

3) Despite #2, many children with gender dysphoria are now being funneled into a treatment protocol that involves both early and ongoing hormone treatments.

4) Such hormone treatments may have serious negative health consequences—both known and unknown.

Looking at these conclusions from the recent study, it’s hard to imagine that kids are being encouraged to embrace their gender confusion. The idea that it is all right to give a child hormones so he can live as a she seems, to me, to be nothing short of child abuse. When kids say they don’t want to eat fruits and vegetables, we don’t encourage that behavior. We tell them the truth and require them to eat what we know is healthy. When kids say they don’t need sleep and want to play video games for 8 hours we don’t agree. We do what is right and healthy for the child. Encouraging confusion in a child that can result in life-long mental and emotional issues is not what is in the best interest of the child.

Pushing children into confusion, especially when they could in all likelihood resolve their gender confusion issues by adulthood is a cruel policy. Again, Sprigg, citing the recent study, says:

“Research has shown that, left to themselves—that is, if they are not given special hormone treatments and not permitted to ‘transition’ into living socially as a person of the opposite sex—most children who exhibit symptoms of ‘gender dysphoria’ will resolve those issues before adulthood and will live as normal males or females with a ‘gender identity’ that corresponds to (rather than conflicts with) their biological sex at birth. Historically, this has been true of between 80% and 95% of gender dysphoric children.”

So if we refuse to encourage the gender confusion in children they will eventually realize that they are confused and make the needed correction. Instead, against the scientific evidence, many parents and teachers and doctors are choosing to encourage the confusion and aid in it by offering hormones and drug treatments. The people that children should be able to trust to do what is in their best interest are betraying them.

The study shows that hormone treatments begin as young as age 11 with puberty blockers. In an effort to stall puberty, gender confused children are given hormones that will slow and reduce the effects of puberty in order to allow the child to live as the opposite gender. Sprigg cites the study:

“[S]ome children (as young as 11) are actually being given hormones to block the natural effects of puberty before it begins…Then when they are older (although sometimes as young as 16), they may begin to receive ‘cross-sex hormones’ (e.g., estrogen for males who identify as female, or testosterone for females who identify as male). These continue the suppression of characteristics of their biological sex, while triggering some of the characteristics of the intended gender (such as breast growth or development of facial hair).”

This madness is akin to the movies depicting an “evil genius” in his lab trying to bring his creation to life. There is nothing honorable or respectable about experimenting on children that are unable to truly give informed consent. They are being used as guinea pigs to advance a political and sexual agenda. The results can devastate the rest of their lives. Again, Sprigg citing the study:

“Supporters of puberty-blocking hormones contend that their effects are reversible, giving a child the opportunity to change his or her mind about gender ‘transition’ upon reaching adulthood. Case studies show, however, that in reality such an intervention puts the child on a nearly inevitable path to a transgender identity—in sharp contrast to most gender dysphoric children who are not so treated. Completion of the entire protocol of both puberty-blocking and cross-sex hormones (especially when followed by sex reassignment surgery) results in permanent sterility—the inability to ever have biological children, even using artificial reproductive technology. The American College of Pediatricians argues, ‘The treatment of GD in childhood with hormones effectively amounts to mass experimentation on, and sterilization of, youth who are cognitively incapable of providing informed consent.’”

This insanity has to stop. If children under the age of 18 can’t smoke, drink alcohol, watch porn (legally) or vote; they should not be allowed to “consent” to hormone treatments that could cause lasting side effects. The people tasked with protecting children need to prioritize protection over any political agenda.