Dr. Rachel Levine, a gender non-conforming biological male who identifies as transgender and Joe Biden's pick for deputy health secretary, supports "gender-dysphoric" children receiving puberty blockers, cross-gender hormone injections, and sex reassignment surgery.
During Levine's confirmation hearing in the Senate, Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul noted: "For most of our history, we have believed that minors don't have full rights and that parents need to be involved,. We should be outraged that someone's talking to a 3-year-old about changing their sex."
Paul (a doctor specializing in ophthalmology) asked Levine (a professor of pediatrics and psychiatry) when she believes children "are capable of making such a life-changing decision as changing one's sex?"
"Transgender medicine is a very complex and nuanced field with robust research and standards of care that have been developed," Levine replied, promising to discuss the issue further with the Kentucky senator at his office if confirmed.
"The specific question is about minors," Paul said, "let's be a little more specific since you have evaded the question. Do you support the government intervening to override the parents' consent to give a child puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and/or amputation surgery of breasts and genitalia. You have said that you're willing to accelerate the protocols for street kids.
Paul pressed Levine to disavow the procedures associated with transing children and to say that children should be allowed to grow up.
Levine refused.
Paul later tweeted: "Biden nominee refuses to answer my question about whether the government should override a parent's consent to allow a minor to receive puberty blockers or surgical amputations of breasts or genitalia."
Levine has given lectures in various settings since at least 2012 on how to perform sex changes and gender conversion therapy on children, the Post Millennial noted in a Feb. 25 report.
According to Levine, children ought to be given the latitude to choose their own gender. When minors challenge their gender identity, the right course of action is to "try not to force them one way or other," Levine advised parents to "follow the child's lead" in a 2014 article published by Penn State's communications school.
Levine, who served as Pennsylvania Health Secretary under Gov. Tom Wolf since 2017, was heavily criticized for her mishandling of nursing home patients hospitalized with coronavirus.
Democrats pass Equality Act
House Democrats on Thursday passed the Equality Act. The bill, which would add sex, gender identity and sexual orientation to the 1964 Civil Rights Act, was approved 224-206, with three Republicans voting in favor of the measure, a drop from the eight who supported the measure in 2019.
The bill bars discrimination in areas including housing, employment, education, lending and public accommodations.
Critics argued that the bill goes further than that. Feminists and women’s sports advocates said the measure would effectively eliminate female athletics by requiring schools and leagues to include biological males who identify as females.
“This legislation would be devastating for women’s rights, forcing female athletes to compete against biological males and opening private women’s spaces to men, including bathrooms, locker rooms and shelters,” said Terry Schilling, executive director of the American Principles Project. “It would also deeply imperil every American’s First Amendment rights to free speech and freedom of religion.”
The bill specifically exempts itself from the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, raising fears that churches, religious schools and devout small-business owners could be sanctioned for adhering to traditional beliefs or refusing to offer health insurance that covers gender reassignment.
“Religious charities like Little Sisters of the Poor could not opt out of this requirement or take such a case to court,” said Rep. Vicky Hartzler, Missouri Republican. “Family-owned businesses, like Jack Phillips’ Masterpiece Cakeshop or Barronelle Stutzman’s Arlene’s Flowers would be required to celebrate same-sex unions and transition procedures.”
Rep. Yvette Herrell, New Mexico Republican, said that “any parent who doesn’t want [their child] to go through gender reassignment surgery at a young age would be stigmatized.”
Rep. Tom McClintock, California Republican, said the bill “is about to replace [parents] with bureaucrats.”
Free Press International
