Advocates and Lawyers React to Jonathan Van Ness’ Comments on Transition Surgeries for Minors
Advocates and lawyers representing women who have detransitioned are raising their voices in response to nonbinary Netflix star Jonathan Van Ness’s recent remarks on actor Dax Shepard’s questioning of transition surgeries for minors.
During an appearance on Shepard’s “Armchair Expert” podcast, Van Ness accused Shepard of echoing what he referred to as “trans-misogyny” and “transphobic ideologies” when questioning the fairness of allowing gender transitions for teenagers and the inclusion of transgender women in women’s sports.
Shepard asked, “How do we know that the person is not going to change their mind?” and expressed his concerns about the repercussions of questioning these topics, stating, “This whole notion that to be critical or to question … because to even question it makes you an enemy. I don’t think that’s the way forward.”
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Van Ness, in response, argued that there is no legitimate questioning happening but rather an “onslaught towards queer people” in the form of over 500 bills targeting trans kids in the United States this year. These bills cover gender-affirming care, bathroom access, and sports participation, according to Van Ness.
However, lawyers and advocates for women who have experienced hormone therapies and surgeries at a young age, later choosing to detransition, are contesting Van Ness’s claims.
Kelsey Bolar, the creator of the series “Identity Crisis,” which shares the stories of women who have detransitioned, criticized labeling such questions as “transphobic,” calling it “cruelty cloaked in altruism.”
Bolar pointed out that a growing number of young women who underwent hormone therapies and surgeries at a young age have experienced permanent and debilitating side effects, including harm to their sexual function, reproductive health, and general well-being.
Chuck Limandri, an attorney representing Chloe Cole, who underwent a double mastectomy at 15 and was prescribed testosterone and hormone blockers at 13, is now detransitioned and actively working to “end child transition procedures.” Cole is suing doctors, alleging she could not provide proper consent at such a young age.
Limandri pointed out that the defendant, Kaiser Permanente, does not explore the root causes of gender dysphoria but swiftly moves to surgeries and treatments.
Chloe Cole testified before the House Judiciary Committee, explaining how she felt her childhood was ruined and that she needed compassion and therapy to work through her issues instead of affirmation in her belief that transitioning would solve her problems.
Prisha Mosley, who transitioned at 16 and had a double mastectomy at 18, is suing her doctors to prevent similar experiences for others. She suffered physical and emotional consequences from the treatments she received.
Dax Shepard, discussing the issue of transgender athletes, emphasized the need to consider the rights of women in this conversation. He raised questions about the fairness of allowing a person who was male for a significant part of their life to compete against women.
Van Ness argued that these concerns are being used as a “boogeyman” by some Republican lawmakers to create fear and division.
The debate surrounding these topics continues, with individuals on both sides expressing passionate opinions. The focus remains on the well-being and rights of all individuals involved, especially minors, in the complex and evolving landscape of gender transition and transgender rights.
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