I'm horrified to see what CV intimated about Rachel Rooney and her lovely, body-affirming book. PP's response was utterly ignorant and wrong.
Undoubtedly Keira's case has rattled a lot of cages and many with a vested interest are attempting to push back very forcefully. Especially in the light of so many brilliant, eye opening articles in the papers this weekend.
However, I am loathe to criticise other parents and consign them to the 'bad' box if they cheerlead their kids. Because it is very very hard to not go along with this.
If you don't become your child's number 1 supporter and amplify the ideology then it is likely you'll be branded as transphobic and a bigot.
Depending on the age of your child, they may completely cut you out of their life and this can cause absolute havoc throughout the family.
Any parent who has the strength to stand firm and chooses not to enable and collude becomes metaphorically gagged and literally silenced. The battle to own truth is at the heart of this movement and dissenting parents will be sacrificed.
I chose not to collude. I tried to help my daughter understand that her body was absolutely perfect in all its beautiful femaleness. I begged her to keep her future options open. To pause before embarking on medical treatments as things had escalated so quickly.
She hasn't spoken to me
or her Dad since before beginning testosterone over 2 years ago and will have nothing to do with us.
We simply couldn't
go along with the madness, revision of her history or support medical transition - and it has been unspeakably painful to take this position.
For me, wanting my daughter to remain physically whole and to work through her mental distress was the most truly loving thing I could do as a mother. But others will make a different choice.
I might wish they didn't affirm and enable, I might profoundly disagree with their solutions but I don't blame them. I have to believe that they think they are doing the best for their children. And that this vile ideology makes losers of us all.