Former President of Drag Queen Story Hour Foundation Arrested on Child Porn

[Michigan Swamp Buck]

I gotta start out by saying please folks, don’t equate or lump together drag queens, transvestites and cross-dressers with gender dysphoria/transsexualism and furthermore that gender dysphoria and transsexualism experienced by children and adolescents are completely different conditions with different etiologies and outcomes than from that experienced by adults. These distinctions are very important to keep in mind and if anyone has questions, just ask. I’ve also got to say drag queens reading stories to kids is the dumbest idea ever.

I should also point out that I’m not trying to argue, debate of piss people off. I’m only posting to offer alternate opinions as food for discussion.

As far as the health secretary goes, yeah, that's a really big sign they are planning on preventing children with gender disphoria from going through natural puberty at national levels...

So you saw a blurry picture on the internet, assumed that it was true and wrongly followed up by linking that to some national level agenda? Mmmkay?

Currently there is Republican sponsored legislation pending in 20 different states to prevent trans youth from obtaining puberty suppression and other gender affirming therapies and criminalizes doctors that prescribe it or perform them. If there’s some sort of agenda afoot, look no further than that. Trans youth are under attack across the county thanks to the religious fundamentalist conservative anti-LGBT special interest groups who now feel that since they lost the battle on the whole gay marriage thing, they’ll cowardly go after the most vulnerable segment of the alphabet population – the trans kids.

I am not and I assume you probably aren’t a fan of the government meddling into the private lives of citizens and intruding on decisions made between doctors and parents concerning the health and welfare of their children and telling them how to raise their kids? To me, this is just the kind of thing conservatives rally against it seems unless it supports their agenda which in this case appears to be the eradication of trans kids from existence or to make their lives so intolerable they just go away or stay underground but it’s too late, the genie is already out of the bottle and the horse has already left the stable.

And that scares me... a psychologist back in the day did a study and his findings were that 90% of children with gender disphoria outgrow the condition naturally if allowed to go through puberty .

Okay, here is where I feel I must get more involved in this discussion because I have done years of on-going research studying the phenomenon of trans youth from a scientific, sociological, cultural and medical perspective. I have listened to the debates on both sides of this issue to at least try to maintain a balanced view, know several young adults that were prepubertal gender dysphoric pre-transsexual children some of whose natal puberty was suppressed and some that weren’t but more importantly, I can speak directly from personal experience because I was one of those kids.

I also know that misinformation, myth, rumor and junk science are far more prevalent in the minds of the general public about this issue than are the facts and I feel it is my obligation to provide information for those that might be willing to listen when these things come up to maybe help dispel some of those inaccuracies.

Before I go any further, for the record let me add in here that I am not some flag waving trans rights activist (TRA) spouting their ideological nonsense trying to change society to conform to my needs or out publicly in the real wordl about my trans history but what I am is well studied, well read and experienced when it comes to trans children and adolescents so rather than think of me as some sort of activist out to destroy the fabric of society, please consider me an educational resource whose only desire is to present information for those that might be open to having a deeper and more nuanced understanding of these issues.

Let’s start with the “psychologist back in the day” and where the inaccurate 80% to 90% desistance rate comes from. Dr. Kenneth Zucker, a Canadian psychologist and sexologist and a professor in the psychiatry and psychology departments at the University of Toronto, while well respected in his field and well credentialed, has been the main source of and proponent of this misinformation. Studies done by both Zucker and Dr. Thomas Steensma in this area as well of others have been highly criticized for being methodologically flawed primarily for including children that weren’t actually trans in the first place and including those who dropped out of follow-up studies as having desisted.

It is true that a slight majority of gender atypical prepubescent trans children do “desist” at or around puberty and go on to live happy lives as gays and lesbians but more modern and accurate studies put the rates of those desisting in their cross-gender identification between 54% and 63% and even those studies neglect the ones that do desist and then later in life go on to transition anyway. Additionally, the diagnostic criteria were improved in 2015 that would have eliminated huge numbers of children from even being included in these older studies.

Some Reading:

The End of the Desistance Myth

The Controversial Research on 'Desistance' in Transgender Youth

Reframing “Transgender Desistance” Debates

Hormone treatment to halt puberty in transgender adolescents is safe and effective

Puberty blockers linked to lower suicide risk for transgender people

Detransition, Desistance, and Disinformation: A Guide for Understanding Transgender Children Debates

The pernicious junk science stalking trans kids

People can say what they like and argue semantics about the study all day long, but if even half of that number is correct we do a disservice to any child if we allow the medical prevention of the puberty process.. it's truly child abuse.

For the sake of discussion, let’s say that 50% do desist in their cross-gender identification. What about the other 50%? Do we just let these kids who number in the thousands struggle, have miserable lives and spend countless thousands of dollars and endure immeasurable pain correcting the results of an unwanted puberty and often end up with physical attributes that will never allow them to seamlessly fit into society? That seems kind of cruel and heartless?

The effects of “puberty blockers” i.e. gonadatropin hormone releasing analogues/agonists (GnRHa) such as Lupron and other drugs of similar effect are reversible and If discontinued, natal puberty will proceed normally and they are a way for parents and medical professionals to press the pause button giving children a year or two to mature and work out whether they are really trans or not and allow additional time for counseling and evaluation for a child without the fear of undergoing an unwanted puberty looming over their heads which by my own experience is terrifying. Humorously and a bit sarcastically I will add maybe we should put all children on puberty blockers until they are old enough to decide if they are boys or girls?

Considering the high rates of suicidality, depression and anxiety among gender dysphoric children that have exhibited persistent, consistent and insistent evidence of being cross-gender identified, doing nothing is risky business that in itself is considered unethical. Ignoring the needs of a severely distressed and gender dysphoric child is as much “child abuse” as failing to get medical help for any serious medical condition. Ignore it and it might go away but if it doesn’t, you’ve screwed up your kid’s life. Not so cut and dried or black and white, is it?

Here’s where I think sharing my “story” might have a slight influence on your perspective? Most people haven’t actually ever met or know anyone trans or have anyone trans in their family so it is unlikely they’ve heard of or dealt with the condition firsthand but I can help with that.

Note: realizing people will probably stop reading right here if they haven’t already, I’ve removed the story of how I and my family dealt with my transsexualism growing up as a child and teenager. For those that might be interested, I have moved this lengthy tale to a PDF that I have attached below. There might even be a few pictures?

I mean, I'm disabled and have been for a very long time, but I'd give almost anything not to be... who wouldn't? Being a healthy, normal, functioning member in any society is optimal, I mean God; who would want such a life-long struggle for their child? Certainly not someone who loves their kid! And if there's even the slightest chance to be completely cured naturally? Who wouldn't give their all to take that chance?

I am sorry that you have been challenged but here I would like the opportunity to present a different perspective for consideration and offer a alternate hypothetical: if there is even the slightest chance that a child could be transsexual are you going to take the risk of denying them reversible treatments that could help their lives not be damaged or possibly destroyed because of having a fixed mindset or failing to do the research necessary to understand the condition?

Many parents share a similar opinion to yours until they have to deal with the suffering and pain of a genuinely and severely gender dysphoric child. I’ve seen every form of right-wing religious Christian conservative bible thumping Republican suddenly change their tune when they have to deal with their own trans child they love unconditionally and compassionately. I’ve also seen this same demographic as well as others who fail to take the time to educate themselves that abandon and disown their children resulting in the worst possible outcomes for these kids so what kind of parent would you be? It’s complicated and hard, huh?

Yes of course, I would have much preferred to have been born female, not suffered with gender dysphoria growing up or had to go through major surgery but none of those things happened and being a healthy, normal functioning member of society when one’s life is afflicted by the struggle with transsexualism is nigh impossible without some resolution to the problem because it is ever present, on-going and inescapable.

My parents, grandparents, extended family and eventually even my biological father all loved me unconditionally very much and did whatever they could to help me even if it was unconventional, confusing and difficult and something they put up with a lot of shit for doing.

Faced with an impossible situation they did whatever they could so that I would thrive, be happy and be a productive member of society not some drug addicted tranny street prostitute doing survival sex work which is unfortunately where many of those of us that don’t have loving and supportive families end up and this outcome is what I assume what you mean by “life-long struggle for their child”?

For me, I was so out of place in the world and so feminine in manner and comportment that it was absolutely impractical and pretty ridiculous for me to try to live as a boy and my folks were very well aware of that and they knew the prospects of me ever successfully living as a man ranged from zero to impossible and a life-long struggle is exactly what my parents didn’t want for me so they did what was best to help me live as a girl and I can guarantee that if they weren’t supportive and understanding, I would not have survived as most of the rest of trans youth from my generation weren’t so lucky and did not.

While I was in school and not really either a boy or a girl, yes I struggled with things no parent would want to see their kid go through. It is not politically correct or scientifically accurate to think of transsexualism/gender dysphoria as an illness or a disorder but the effects are very much the same as if it were. It is crippling and debilitating and there’s no magic pill or drug to fix it, no electroshock or no amount of talk therapy, coaching or punishment or waiting to see if it goes away to help it and it is impossible to make someone that hasn’t experienced it to understand it but there are ways to deal with it which rather than cure it, are more palliative in nature and that is to transition. Gender dysphoria never really goes away but it can be moderated and minimized to the point where we can function fully and normally and live healthy and happy lives.

It was impossible back when I was growing up but think how much less of a struggle and nightmare my young life would have been if I had been able to socially transition at ten and to have blended in and to have effectively vanished as a regular young girl. I would have avoided years of constant aggressive bullying and avoided nearly being beaten to death if I was seen and treated like any other girl and not like some perverted freak.

Fortunately, I did have the love, support and understanding from my parents and I was one tough cookie and a very determined kid and once the nightmare of my school years was over, I have not had any life-long struggles or problems due to my transsexualism and in fact, have had a pretty normal and awesome life but let’s backtrack and think for a minute what if I hadn’t been a late bloomer in the natal puberty department or been able to start HRT relatively young and had grown tall and fully masculinized while still suffering with severe gender dysphoria and the need to transition. Wouldn’t my life been even more difficult? Why would any parent want their kid to go through this knowing it could be prevented?

I know there aren’t many things more controversial than trans children and puberty blockers and undoubtedly my opinions in these matters are skewed by my own experiences but I shudder to think what would have happened if I wasn’t fortunate to have a late, mild and brief male puberty and not had access to hormones at 17 to arrest any further masculinization. I can pretty much assure you that if physical changes made it impossible for me to live and fit in and be unquestionably accepted as a woman and a female I absolutely would have ended my own life, full stop.

If I did have a normal male puberty that started at 12 or 13 and the therapies and protocols existed to arrest developing in that direction, it would have been unconscionable and indeed child abuse to withhold these treatments and my life, if I was even able to have one would have been much much more difficult and challenging. Fortunately, I was always little and never did get very tall (I am a bit over 5’5), never got a deep voice or had to shave my face or got body hair but there are certain aspects of my physicality resulting from the male puberty that I did experience such as maybe having slightly larger than average hands and feet than other women of my height and build that at times have caused my dysphoria to poke its ugly head into my awareness. It’s always there somewhere.

But I do fear we have a serious battle coming, and it's going to be about the children this time... and there's the sore spot, right there. Most people can accept a lot when we are talking adults, but kids? That's a whole different ballgame right there...

And I would venture this belief and opinion comes from lack of any actual knowledge or experience of being a trans kid or of being the parent or caregiver of one. I should tell you that trans children and adolescents and trans adults are not the same animal and so different they could be from different planets which is a fact the “transgender community” seeks to erase which I personally feel is a grave mistake. Within the literature from the scientific and medical communities, trans kids and especially those experiencing cross-gender identification/gender dysphoria before puberty are the only ones considered to be “true” transsexuals while the rest are considered something else. Throughout the years, these two types have been called various things like primary/secondary, true/pseudo, HSTS/AGP, early onset/late onset and so on.

The vast majority of genuinely transsexuals youth do successfully disappear into the woodwork and are never heard from again only wanting to be seen and live their lives as normal men and women while some do embrace their trans identity and talk about it as an altruistic and educational way to help with the understanding of our kind and of course in our social media obsessed culture, to get clicks and make money off YouTube. Take this girl for example that began transitioning at 14. Do you think she’s going to have “life-long”struggles?



Take that same person and let her become a 6’2 lumberjack with a heavy masculine build, male features and a beard and still the need to transition and yes, she would have life-long struggles but like myself, she says in the video that she would have rather died than to have that happen to her.

From the outside, it is easy to understand the controversy around this topic. I know my thoughts fall on mostly deaf ears but I hope my words may have allowed a glimpse from the other side or at least provoked more thoughts about the complexity and difficulty of the whole thing? I’m not fighting or arguing or trying to shove anything down anyone’s whatever – just trying to shed a little light on the subject to make my fellow Rogues maybe think beyond preconceived notions or ideology.

Also for the record, I think puberty blockers  are appropriate only in certain cases, that half the kids that say they’re trans actually aren’t, especially natal females and they shouldn’t be handed out like candy (which they actually aren’t).

Thanks for the opportunity to speak. Questions, comments and further discussion always appreciated.

--Elisabeth

That's one hell of a wall of text.

It would make a fine book published on Amazon so that you could have a short summary and a link to it for people who want to read your life story in greater detail. If the book takes off and you make bank, great! You can hit the talk show circuit and maybe get an Oprah interview during prime time. They sky's the limit, open your wings and fly!

If you get a book signing gig in west Michigan, I'll go.