Dallas County Commissioners Court voting on a resolution supporting the transgender community in Dallas County on Sept. 17.
Last week, the Dallas County Commissioners Court passed a resolution supporting the county’s transgender community and declaring Dallas County a safe haven for them. The resolution was introduced by Commissioner Theresa Daniel. The Dallas Morning News is not amused.
The daily paper isn’t objecting to the part about how the transgender community should be free from discrimination. It’s when she gets into ways the community is being discriminating that they object.
They don’t like where the resolution says “gender affirming healthcare has been proven to be evidence-based, medically necessary, and lifesaving,” even though all research proves this to be true and that statement in some form is the policy of every medical, psychological and social work organization except for those with religious rather than scientific goals.
Noting that county government is responsible for healthcare, they write, “The fact that its highest governing body is leaping ahead of scientific consensus is troubling.” Except there is scientific consensus. As proof, they mention a couple of local transgender folks who have detransitioned or transitioned twice. No one forced either one to transition either time and hopefully they are happy with themselves now.
The Morning News apparently has taken a position that transgender women should be excluded from women’s sports. We disagree, but they haven’t offered trans teens an option to participate in sports. Equal treatment doesn’t mean excluding trans kids from some activities such as sports the way all women were excluded from school sports until fairly recently.
And they quote a Washington Post poll that show 68 percent of Americans oppose use of puberty blockers in teens under 15. Since when is medical care decided by Washington Post polls? Whether a teen should be given puberty blockers should be between a parent, the child and their doctor. And the paper incorrectly labels puberty blockers as “permanent medical intervention.” The effects are erased when the child stops taking the puberty blocker. Fortunately, Dallas County Commissioners who oversee the county healthcare system knew that when they passed the resolution.
— David Taffet