This is the sort of thing I am now seeing on my social media. It makes it hard to argue against, because at first glance, anyone disagreeing seems uncompassionate and intolerant. Most people aren't asking about the statistics or the claims, but just responding to the message, and of course everyone wants to promote acceptance and understanding and reduce suicide rates. They just aren't making any further logical leaps than that. But I don't have any other statistic to hand either, so I don't comment.
My thoughts - 86% reporting 'suicidality' - what does it mean and where is the statistic from? 56% of trans youth having attempted suicide - I can't see what the footnote is, so not sure where this stat is from (It might be online where the actual speech is reported, haven't had time to check yet), so I don't know how true it is. It does sound high and very concerning if true. But despite the speech saying that 'acceptance and connection' is the way to reduce suicidality, is there any evidence for this? Is allowing them to play sports the way to show acceptance? Are their suicide rates high for other reasons that are not specific to being trans?
This seems to imply that 'trans kids' are an accepted thing, and stops people questioning that idea in itself. Chidlren who are confused about gender or who say they want to be the opposite, yes. Does that make them trans kids? How would that be defined? How was that defined in the various research that is quoted?
Lots of emotive language. "it's all about four kids. that's it." But it's not, is it - it's part of a much bigger issue than that. Are those kids playing sports to find friends and feel part of something? Who has looked into that - is that what they've said, or is this just a soundbite that sounds good in a speech? How do we know they aren't after trophies or scholarships? Does it not relate to the broader issue of acceptance of trans athletes in bigger competitions, which is about much more than 'four kids'? And surely it will soon be about a lot more than 'four kids', if you are trying to get people to agree that this is a sensible thing to allow and that it reduces suicide rates.
What girls are not playing sports as a result of that (one?) boy playing girls sports? If there is more than one girl who has chosen not to play because of a boy in the changing room, or who has been displaced by a boy on the team, is that not one fewer girl who wants to find friends and feel part of something? Does the fact that she hasn't threatened to commit suicide mean that she isn't as important?
Does not allowing 'trans kids' to play on the opposite sex teams actually mean that they aren't accepted and don't have a place in the state, or that people don't love them or want them to live? It just sounds very manipulative to me, and reading in things that have not been said at all.
Also, it seems to normalise the idea. While there might not be huge disadvantages to allowing a few kids to play on a non-competitive team at school, that paves the way for people thinking that it's something that should be accepted, that it's bigoted not to allow it, etc, and that will spread upwards into more competitive sports. Meanwhile, even at the grass roots level, there might be some invisible girls who are choosing not to participate as a result, and that too has longer term disadvantages.
Social media is incredibly superficial, so I shouldn't be surprised that people just click like and love and share away, trying to be very compassionate and tolerant, and I know that it comes from a good place. They aren't in the right place to get into heavy discussions or be questioned on any of it. At the same time, that's how things like this spread, the idea that trans-kids have such an awful time that can only be relieved by people accepting them totally as the opposite sex. And suicide is such a serious issue that it's like nobody wants to go there and say 'hang on, is that really what's happening?' because you are always told never to doubt someone expressing those thoughts. So I do really think that most of the people I know posting stuff like this are coming from a good place. And that's partly why it's such a battle to get them to consider any other perspective.