The Family Research Council’s Tony Perkins came across a story in CNSNews yesterday about a $150,000 NIH grant to George Washington University researchers who are studying “voice production and perception” among transgender people. Naturally, Perkins was outraged. In the top story of his daily email, Perkins accuses the NIH of “directing valuable resources away from treating mental illness–to enabling it in the name of political correctness.” Derisively calling transgender people “cross-dressers,” Perkins claims they “will have trouble leading ‘healthy, safe lives’ because of the emotional and physical tolls of their ‘lifestyle.”’

“The President’s priorities are as confused as some people’s gender identities,” he adds.

Taxpayers may be losing their voice in Washington, but transgenders are sure finding theirs! America may not be able to beef up defense, but apparently, it has more than enough money to fund “voice therapy” for cross-dressers. Based on the latest grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the President’s priorities are as confused as some people’s gender identities.

While the Obama administration claims it’s too poor to staff airports or White House tours, it continues to fund projects that should have never been considered in the first place! For the next two years, the NIH is directing valuable resources away from treating mental illness–to enabling it in the name of political correctness. The long term goal of this “voice therapy,” researchers explain, “is to inform and provide new directions for transgender voice care, thereby improving the lives of transgendered people who feel their voice is a great obstacle to living as their preferred gender.” As part of the $152,000 program, men and women will submit speech samples for 100 listeners who will guess the sex of the speaker. “Those male-to-female transgenders who pass as a female voice will be placed in a separate group and then compared to those who still sound like men,” CNS News explains.

How is this remotely relevant to public health, you ask? Well, as far as NIH is concerned, the study will help end the “discrimination” transgenders face when “their voice does not match their preferred gender presentation.” And that, researchers insist, “limits their ability to contribute to society and live healthy, safe lives.” No one seems to recognize that transgenders, by their very definition, will have trouble leading “healthy, safe lives” because of the emotional and physical tolls of their “lifestyle.” And no amount of taxpayer-funded speech lessons can change that.