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mel ladi's avatar

Great column and thanks for taking my question. So by your definition of intellectual, I am aware of several intellectual writers who aren’t expert in any area but do indeed send me hotfoot down rabbit holes on subjects and issues I’ve never studied before. So their writing and their illumination on subjects does help make sense of complexities.

Second, thank you for being brave on the subject of transgenderism and children. It has been the cause du jour on the progressive left and it makes me queasy. I think the activists are denying the level of (someone called it) social contagion involved. It’s cool now to be non-binary and transgender just as it was to be Goth or any other number of other fads children explore when they’re young. That’s what being young is for, exploration and play-acting. And youthful dramatic emotions are more the norm so I’m sure these kids are expressing themselves with passion on the subject.

But now, there is encouragement to hop to medical intervention, and to keep information from supposedly non-affirming parents. I’m not quibbling here about the choices of legal adults but we used to recognize that there are areas in which the young brain is not yet developed enough to make certain choices, such as smoking and drinking.

Progressives argue that we’re really talking about a handful of children and even then most do not go on a life of medicalization. They argue that gender-affirming care reduces self-harm and saves lives. Are we so sure.

Sorry for the vent.

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Ben from Denver's avatar

I just have to commend you for the intellectual humility you consistently bring to the table. I've only recently started following your writing, but I find the way you tackle hard issues and wrestle with your own assumptions to be so refreshing. Keep up the good work!

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