(LifeSiteNews) — Two formerly gender-confused young women recently testified in favor of legislation that would ensure parental involvement and authority for their transgender-identifying children.
Katie Lennon and Chloe Cole, who both began to “identify” as male in their teens and pursued medical intervention for their confusion, shared their stories in Concord, New Hampshire this week in support of a parental rights bill. The legislation includes a requirement to inform parents about any gender confusion experienced by their children and grant them authority to address the issue.
“There’s no point of contentment during a gender transition,” Lennon said during her brief speech. “We get fleeting moments of euphoria, but, ultimately, one step leads straight into the next. I thought that, in the end, I could really become a man. But all I became was a mutilated and abused version of my old self.”
“I thought that in the end I could become a man but all I became was a mutilated and abused version of myself”
Detransitioner Katie Lennon who transitioned at 18, including hormones, a double mastectomy, and a full hysterectomy at 21 years old, testifies in Concord, NH in favor… pic.twitter.com/IwjW3ZpJOJ
— Chloe Cole ⭐️ (@ChoooCole) April 19, 2023
Lennon explained that she started with a “social transition,” asking “everyone in my life to call me by a new name and use male pronouns.” However, the lifestyle change “eventually wasn’t enough,” and she obtained a double mastectomy. At age 21, she pursued “a total hysterectomy, including the removal of my uterus, cervix, fallopian tubes, and both ovaries.”
The young woman also pointed out that even the LGBT advocacy group The Trevor Project has admitted that up to 45 percent of gender-confused teenagers “have seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year,” with “transgender-identifying” kids making up over half of the percentage.
“[Gender] transition is a big deal and we’re lying when we say that any of this is reversible,” she said. “This is a big decision with lifelong consequences, and New Hampshire doesn’t even require that parents be involved. If the roles of mother and father don’t include authority over the emotional, social, and physical future of their children, the roles no longer mean anything.”
Cole, who has spearheaded efforts to expose child mutilation by sharing her experience of being rushed into puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and a double mastectomy all before age 18 while professionals ignored her mental health issues, also spoke.
“The best data we have on social-transitioned minors, from the AAP [American Academy of Pediatrics], says that when social transition is affirmed, around 90 percent or more will continue on to medicalization,” Cole said. “And another study: If the child’s identity is not affirmed, the vast majority of kids will desist before the age of 18. They grow out of it when they are just given the chance to be kids.”
“How are teachers qualified to administer complex psychological interventions like social transition knowing that the eventual outcome will be life-long medical experimentation?”
I testify in support of Parental Rights Bill SB272 in Concord, NH. pic.twitter.com/uHsTOVCkf0
— Chloe Cole ⭐️ (@ChoooCole) April 19, 2023
“We have a chance today to turn the tide in New Hampshire. It is of the essence that we fight this because there are vulnerable children… just like me, who are counting on us. Don’t wait a decade until there are hundreds of me standing in front of you. This is our last chance.”
The irreversible medical intervention for gender confusion has been found to cause serious long-term side effects. Data shows that cross-sex hormones are associated with higher risks for cardiac issues, including heart attacks and strokes. So-called “treatments” have also led to increased suicidality among young people.
Bill SB272, which both young women spoke in favor of, would be the state’s “parents’ bill of rights in education.” Introduced this year, the legislation has so far passed in the Senate. New Hampshire’s legislature holds a Republican trifecta, controlling the governor’s mansion as well as both chambers. However, left-leaning Gov. Chris Sununu has previously opposed similar legislation.
If passed, SB272 would ensure parents “the right to inquire of the school or school personnel and to be truthfully and completely informed if their child” has requested to be referred to as a name other than his or her given name, biological sex, and whether any school staff are taking steps to “affirm” any indicators of gender confusion.
The bill would also protect parental rights regarding “the moral or religious training,” choosing which school their children attend, requesting “any instructional material” used in their children’s education, refuse mandatory vaccines and sex education, and to be informed of “any non-academic survey or questionnaire” given to their children. If passed, the legislation would go into effect on September 1, 2023.
In recent years, conservative states have introduced and passed policies to ensure parental rights, specifically regarding the ongoing issue of gender ideology being taught in schools. Florida notably implemented a statewide Parental Rights in Education law in 2022, a piece of legislation that other conservative states are imitating. Virginia Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin has also introduced educational policies that would require adherence to biological sex and increase transparency between schools and parents.
Additionally, states such as Mississippi, Idaho, Tennessee, and Arkansas are among those which have implemented partial or total bans in 2023 on medical intervention for gender-confused minors.
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