Florida woman claims kids today are pressured to be transgender
Pushing the right-wing lie from "TikTok videos," Katherine called in and said she was a "tomboy" as a kid, and, today, she'd think she's trans. I had to slam this deception pretty hard.
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In a discussion on my SiriusXM show about John Stewart’s masterful take down of the Arkansas attorney general on the state’s banning of gender affirming care for young people who identify as transgender — which you have to see if you haven’t watched it —a woman named Katherine called my show from Florida.

The tip-off that Katherine was a fraud came when he told our producer she didn’t understand why there was so much attention on this issue, since we’re talking about such a small percentage of the population, and she wanted to discuss that.
But then when she got on the air, she hijacked the discussion, going into a whole other direction. Katherine said she used to agree with me but that after watching “TikTok videos,” she was afraid that kids today would feel pressured to believe they’re transgender. This is the right-wing lie that tries to take advantage of the fact that there’s more affirmation and acceptance for the those kids who are trans and who can now come out as trans.
Katherine claimed, however, that she was a “straight up tomboy” as a child and that in today’s world she’d think she was trans. This is silly, as no one can make you transgender no matter how you express your gender. Just as no one can make you gay, lesbian or bisexual — or heterosexual — if you are not.
So I asked Katherine if in fact she thought she was a lesbian when she was a kid since she was a “tomboy” and, in her time, that was coded as “lesbian” — and surely if she were a tomboy people called her a lesbian or a “dyke” or queer or whatever, since that’s how kids bully other kids.
It all escalated really, really quickly — and you can criticize me for getting too hot — as I just will not allow people to spread lies, especially after they used deception to get on the show, and I demand they answer questions.
She refused to answer the question and I had to shut her down — until finally she did answer. And no, she said, she didn’t think she was lesbian. And the reason is — she’s not a lesbian. (I wonder if she really was a “tomboy,” by the way, or if the whole thing was a fraud.) You can’t make someone a lesbian just because you tell them they are, or they appear to be, just as you can’t make someone transgender.
No one is encouraging kids to be transgender. The world is simply more open to accepting those who are — something that appears to threaten a lot of people. It’s true that some young people, as they feel out expressing their gender, might question if they are gay or lesbian or bisexual or transgender, and determine that they’re not. So what? Why can’t we let kids think about possibilities and conclude on our own?
There is no surgery or hormone or other physical treatments offered to children (or even most teens, except for puberty blockers), as those decisions are made when they are older. It’s true that there have been a small percentage of people who, as adults, have found that transitioning wasn’t right for them. But just because of that small percentage it doesn’t mean you condemn or stop others from becoming themselves and leading full and productive lives.
Let people make their own decisions. And let parents, informed and led by medical professionals, make decisions with their children.
Again, I warn you again — I went hard on this one, and feel free to say I was too harsh. I explained after the call here, that part of the reason was because she deceived us.
Listen in and let me know your thoughts!
Florida woman claims kids today are pressured to be transgender
I heard that call with Catherine and I thought she was suspect as well after she called herself a “tomboy”. I was glad that you called her out. I am a primary care provider, and I can tell you that there is a lot of misinformation and lack of education regarding transgender individuals who experience incredible suffering when the proper care is not received or provided. We have lots of work to do even among the healthcare provider community let alone the general public in providing education about this vulnerable population. Education will go a long way to help to curtail the damage that is being done everyday.
I had always been on the fence on this issue: I sort of understood (and tolerated) both sides.
Then, my FOURTEEN year old son, told me this:
"Why worry so much about bathrooms and sports? One day, we will figure this out. The Native Americans respected both: Berdache. But our Christian (or, what calls itself Christian) country destroyed their culture. Now, we are lost again. But one day, we will figure out this out and understand the right language to discuss it--for right now, we don't have the words and the right is exploiting this."
Shit! My son is smarter than me.
Then, I asked him to read "The 1619 Project" and, together, we agreed that the success of the US owes more to 200 years of free labor, than to capitalism. That is why the right fears it so much.
I think these two issues are intimately tied together (says my son, who I LOVE SO MUCH for being so much smarter than me).
Right now, we are in a period of questioning EVERYTHING. In this period when we all doubt ourselves, the arrogance of the right is destructive. It seems we have two choices.
Option 1: don't say gay and deny CRT.
Option 2: have faith in the intelligence of our kids
I go with #2
And I think you were spot on, because she lied to you.
As a P.S.: we live in Norway now. The Norwegian schools teach sex in second grade and he learned about gays and trans people there. It is not a big deal to the boys and girls, here. Today, he spends his free time planning games with his buddies, as the D&D Dungeon master. He thinks the US is obsessed over silly shit like bathrooms and gold medals in sports, and everyone trying to be super rich.