Remove Gender Identity from the Equality Act

Dear Members of Congress:



The Equality Act (H.R.2282, S.1006) proposes to redefine sex across all federal laws to include “gender identity,” an unprovable assertion based on one’s feelings. We request that “gender identity” be removed from the Act, which specifically prohibits health care services from discriminating on the basis of “gender identity.”



Clinicians must be permitted to consider biological sex when providing psychological and medical care.



We, the families, physicians, and therapists of transgender-identifying young people are concerned about the dangers this will cause. For supporting evidence of these dangers, please read: https://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/2019/01/48640/



The facts:



The number of gender-confused children has grown exponentially in recent years. According to a recent survey, 12% of young people assert a “gender identity,” such as transgender or nonbinary, that does not match their biological sex.



In less than a decade, the number of girls seeking treatment in the UK rose by more than 4,000 percent, as did the number of pediatric gender clinics in the US.



Evidence shows that “gender identities” among young people are often the result of social contagion, social media, and/or underlying comorbidities.



Once students adopt a new “gender identity,” many schools will change their names and pronouns without notifying their parents.



Teachers who refuse to comply with these ideologically-based mandates are at risk of losing their jobs.



Therapists are trained to affirm a child’s “gender identity” and to ignore signs of social contagion or underlying issues like autism.



It is impossible for anyone, including the children themselves, to predict whether their “gender identities” will persist into adulthood.



A common treatment protocol for children consists of puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones, which are known to cause serious and irreversible side effects, including infertility.



Some clinicians use manipulative tactics to encourage parental compliance with medical treatment.



Parents who question their children’s new identities may be reported or lose custody of their children.



Many stories of transition regret are emerging, but only time will tell the full extent of these medical harms.



If the Equality Act becomes law :



Therapists may fear the legal repercussions of exploring reasons why a child might wish to identify as the opposite sex.



Physicians will be pressured to provide untested, risky medical treatments to transgender-identifying children.



Parents will be unable to find proper therapeutic support for their gender dysphoric children that does not involve automatic affirmation or medical intervention.



For the health and well-being of our children, we respectfully request removal of “gender identity” from the Equality Act.



Sincerely,

Families, Physicians, and Therapists of Gender-Confused Children