PITTiful: Fear-Mongering Website Shills for Cruel Anti-Trans Bill

In an entirely expected display of ignorance and cruelty, the “gender critical” cissexists over at PITTparents.com have thrown their full support behind HR 3887, a vicious bill that would rip life-saving healthcare away from vulnerable transgender youth. Their fearmongering article is a master class in how to dress up bigotry and junk science as "protecting the children."

Leading the charge is Rep. Dan Crenshaw, a man who seems to believe his medical expertise, which can be best described as ‘none,’ is better than the consensus of every major medical association. He took to the House floor to denounce gender affirming care as "nothing but pseudoscience," a phrase he clearly doesn't understand since he's using just that to dismiss decades of research and evidence showing the exact opposite.

But don't worry, Crenshaw assures us he's just trying to "protect children" by denying them access to safe, effective medical care endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association, and basically anyone who's ever read a scientific journal. Clearly, he knows better than the families of trans youth and the doctors who work with them every day. His goal, which is really quite wild for a conservative, is to insert the federal government as the sole arbiter of what care your child should receive. Not a decision made between your kid, their parent(s), and their team of doctors - but senators and elected representatives, of which almost none have medical degrees or qualifications to make this decision. How deep down the rabbit hole of prejudice do you have to fall as a conservative to overlook the federal government inserting itself into your life and your rights as an individual, as a parent, as a child, or as a doctor? I suppose so long as it hurts trans people, they are cool with it.

The PITTiful parents cheer Crenshaw on, bleating baseless fearmongering about children being "disfigured" and "rendered infertile," as if they've never once spoken to an actual trans person or bothered to learn how gender affirming care works. Puberty blockers are safe and reversible, but I guess that doesn't whip up the same moral panic as screaming about "mutilating" kids.

Bills like HR 3887 are part of a tidal wave of anti-trans legislation sweeping the nation, a cynical campaign to score political points by bullying an already marginalized group of young people. The intellectual dishonesty is staggering, but not surprising. They're not interested in science, compassion or basic human decency - just enforcing their rigid ideology at a catastrophic human cost.

As Rep. Jayapal points out, denying trans youth essential care has devastating consequences: "Almost half of all transgender people in the United States will attempt suicide at least once in their life, and nearly 20% of trans youth attempted suicide in 2023. Furthermore, transgender people are over four times more likely than cisgender people to experience violent victimization." Bills like HR 3887 cruelly endanger trans youth by erecting barriers to the care they need, care that decades of research has shown to be safe, effective and often life-saving.

The small number of detransition cases pale in comparison to the vast majority of trans people who wish they'd had access to gender affirming care sooner. Banning such care, as HR 3887 seeks to do, has already led to spiraling mental health crises among trans youth in places like the UK.

"Supporting transgender rights should be an issue of compassion and humanity, not a partisan one," says Rep. Jayapal, who even hosted a roundtable with conservative parents of trans kids to find common ground. We should all follow her lead in taking an unwavering stand for trans equality. No child should ever be sacrificed on the altar of ignorance and hate.

I urge you to contact your Representative and demand they oppose HR 3887. Tell them to listen to medical experts, trans youth themselves, and compassionate allies like Rep. Jayapal.

This is a matter of life and death for some of our most vulnerable young people. We cannot allow extremist, anti-science views to drive them to despair and self-harm. Together, we must send an unequivocal message that discriminating against trans youth is unacceptable.

Thank you for being part of the fight to ensure trans youth can access the compassionate, medically necessary care they deserve.

To the ghoulish scolds at PITTparents.com, to Rep. Crenshaw and his merry band of conspiracy theorists: your concern trolling isn't fooling anyone. We see right through your flimsy excuses and thinly veiled transphobic cissexism. History will judge you for the suffering you caused, and no amount of "won't someone think of the children" hand-wringing will wash the stain from your legacy. Anita Bryant’s script didn’t work in the 70’s and 80’s, it didn’t stop progress or marriage equality, and it won’t work now.

As for the rest of us, and those with a shred of decency, it's time to stand up and fight back against this blatant bigotry masquerading as policy.

You can find your representative and their contact info here: https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative

Call, email, and write your representatives, tell them to listen to trans youth and the people who actually know what they're talking about. Don't let the PITTiful parents and fear-mongers win. Trans kids' lives are at stake.

Don’t know how to start or what to say? Maybe this can get you started:

"I'm calling/writing to urge Rep. ___ to oppose HR 3887, which dangerously targets transgender youth by cutting off funding for hospitals providing them gender affirming care. This care is endorsed by every major medical association and is often life-saving for trans youth. Please listen to medical experts, trans youth themselves, and allies like Rep. Jayapal who are fighting for trans equality every day. Reject this harmful bill and instead support policies protecting trans kids.”