A website geared toward teens and adults questioning their gender identity or who are transgender tells children as young as 13 how to get cross-sex hormones with—or without—parental consent.
“The material is unbelievably shocking, and the public deserves to know what’s going on,” Schenkoske told The Epoch Times on June 22.
“Note: This page is for young people ages 13 and above,” it states near the bottom of the page.
Schenkoske said she objects to what she sees as blatantly advertising potentially life-altering medical products to children.
“This is incredibly reckless,“ she said. ”‘One of the most important things you can do at your age?’ I mean, you’ve got to be kidding me. What they’re doing to these kids is placing them in tremendous risk and potential danger. The way things are worded matters. The way this is communicated and presented is not balanced. It seems marketed.”
Meanwhile, the Transgender Map site suggests on one hand that teens who are unsure about their gender identity may want to consider delaying puberty with hormone blockers, but then warns teens they must be sure of their gender because these treatments could cause sterility.
A small disclaimer at the bottom of the page states: “This is medical talk, not medical advice,” and suggests that users do their own research.
Under the heading, “How to get them” the site suggests the easiest and safest option way for minors to get cross-sex hormones is by “coming out” to a parent or guardian.
“You will have to see a therapist and a doctor for a while before they let you take them,” the site states.
“I hope you will get hormones with help from loved ones and healthcare workers. You may have a hard time finding a healthcare worker who will help you without a parent or guardian who says it is OK.”
‘Other Ways’
Schenkoske said the website is contradictory because it points out actions that are illegal, but then seems to suggest “if you want to take this risk, here’s how.”“It seems that this website acknowledges there are certain things that are against the law, and then proceeds to advise in those ‘other ways,’” she said.
One of these ways is for minors who to “come out” to a “a trusted friend or family member who is over 18” to help them obtain the hormones illegally.
“There is a chance they might tell your family, so think hard before talking to someone,” the site states.
The site warns minors not to ask people they meet online—only adults they have already met in person.
Another suggestion is to simply ask a doctor.
“Though this is rare, some young people have been able to get this just by asking. Tell them you have a problem that you do not want to discuss with your family. If your doctor agrees not to tell, then ask about what you want. This may not work, but if you trust your doctor, you can try,” the site suggests.
“Another way,” according to the site, “is to start hormones from another source, and then tell your doctor that you do not want to take them without a doctor. Some doctors may help you to lower the chances of hurting yourself.”
Promoting Puberty Blockers
In a 1.5-minute video called Puberty and Transgender Youth on the site, the animated Amaze.org character, Jane, wonders what to name her pet goldfish because she doesn’t know its gender.“A person who is transgender is someone whose internal sense of their gender—being a boy, girl or something else—doesn’t match their physical body. People who feel this way sometimes feel anxious when they begin to reach puberty and their bodies start to change in ways that don’t match their internal sense of their gender. These feelings are totally normal,” the cartoon narrator says.
“If you feel you want more time to explore how you feel about your gender before your body starts to change, it’s important to talk with a parent, counselor, therapist, or doctor about the feelings you have regarding your gender.”
In the clip, a girl who cuts her hair short is referred to an endocrinologist and injected with puberty blockers.
“Puberty blockers are medications that will stop your body from changing. They are usually given as injections or an implant. They block the production of hormones to stop or delay the physical changes of puberty. The effects of the medication are only temporary, so if a person stops using puberty blockers, their physical changes of puberty will begin again,” a narrator says in the video.
“Whether you identify as male, female or genderqueer, or something else, you’re perfectly normal and there are lots of ways to manage puberty so that it can be a fun, exciting time rather than a scary or stressful one,” it concludes.
As the cartoon ends, Jane looks at her goldfish and says, “OK. Maybe you need more time to get to know yourself first. Uhhh, I’ll just call you Bubbles for now.”
AMAZE has produced more than 200 videos and provides lesson plans for schools as well as “content and tools for parents and allies, integration into health care systems, and even a coloring book and comic,” according to another video on the AMAZE.org site.
In the Courts
Harmeet Dhillon, a prominent civil rights attorney and CEO of the Center for American Liberty, has been an outspoken critic of puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones being used on minors who identify as transgender, calling the practice “absolute child abuse.”School Districts
SUSHD Superintendent Dan Burns said in an email to The Epoch Times on June 24 that the district “does not condone, advise or support students breaking the law,” and suggested that TransgenderMap.com is responsible for its own content.SUSHD recognizes and celebrates Pride Month and provides “LGBTQ+ Resources” on its school webpages, he said.
The resource articles and links provide “valuable resources for students, staff and the greater community” and are readily available on the Internet for anyone to view and can be accessed with a simple search in any search engine, he said.
“Within an article, research paper, or periodical there may be links to other resources for which the SUHSD does not manage that content,” Burns said.
But Schenkoske maintains that school boards and districts should be held accountable for the content on any outside links they connect to their websites and “exercise extreme caution” to ensure they are safe for students, she said.
“I get the impression the school board and district are absolutely promoting their agenda, regardless of what anyone else thinks,” Schenkoske said. And, the agenda, she claimed, is “social justice activism” and “Marxian ideas.”
In the Legislature
Erin Friday, a mom whose daughter suffered from Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria but has since desisted from transitioning, told the California Assembly health committee hearing on June 21 she opposes the use of puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones on minors under the auspices of so-called gender-affirming care.“All of her doctors, therapists, and school counselors said that she would commit suicide if I did not affirm her. I ignored them. See, I had read all the suicide studies and I knew what they were saying was untrue. Today my daughter is happy in her unaltered female body,” Friday said.
Friday told the committee she has evidence of a California school counselor providing a high school student with advice on how to run away from his parents to LGBT housing. She denounced the notion of schools using outside links to promote the idea of child emancipation or instruct minors how to illegally obtain puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones “just in case those pesky parents won’t.”
