Actress Heather Graham, 55, said it’s “awesome” that more women aren’t having children, while also admitting that she sometimes questions her decision never to become a mother.
The “Austin Powers” star made the revelation during a recently published interview with <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/apr/28/i-stopped-talking-to-my-parents-and-life-opened-up-heather-graham-on-family-ageing-and-creepy-film-makers">The Guardian</a>. 
“I think I’ve had moments where I wondered: what would it have been like if I had a kid? I guess I would say 80% of the time I feel glad I don’t have kids, and I feel free and really good about it, and maybe 20% of the time I wonder what would it be like. You just have to appreciate the life you have,” Graham said.
The actress said she respects women who decide not to have children. 
“I do think it’s awesome now that more women are expressing their desire to not have kids,” she added. “The culture says: ‘You need to have kids.’ But why? If you’re not being a people pleaser, what do you really want?”
Graham’s comments come as multiple reports show <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/31/health/fertility-births-vance.html">declining birth rates</a> in the United States and other countries, such as Japan.
The “Chosen Family” actress also said she’s been estranged from her “religious” family for 30 years because they disapproved of her Hollywood lifestyle. 
“I kind of became my own person and discovered: ‘What do I like? What do I want when I’m not under this very judgmental, authoritarian, parental, patriarchal structure? What do I want to do? What do I think of this?’” she told the outlet of cutting ties with her family around the time she was 17. 
“My father’s really religious, and they were, especially my father, very critical of everything I was doing. It didn’t feel like a healthy dynamic. I stopped talking to them and, I have to say, that was a huge relief. I felt like, at that moment, my life opened up with a freedom. I didn’t need to please them.”
Graham continued, “I feel like I wasn’t brought up to have a deep sense of self-esteem, and I think as I detached from my family, I built my own sense of self-esteem. Sort of like a detective, I went through my past and looked at how I developed certain ways of thinking that weren’t the healthiest, and basically just went on a journey to be happier.”
When asked if her family ever tried to contact her, the actress said an effort was made, but it was “very judgmental.”
She said they would say, “‘Let me give you the number of the priest and you can go to confession.’ I just think we’re really different. They have a lot of great qualities – it’s just not a healthy dynamic for me.”

Heather Graham

As Birth Rates Plummet, Actress Heather Graham Says It’s ‘Awesome’ More Women Don’t Want Kids

As Birth Rates Plummet, Actress Heather Graham Says It's 'Awesome' More Women Don't Want Kids

Celebrities

Children

Entertainment

Hollywood

U.S.

A video of an influencer couple celebrating their twins’ first birthday has reignited the conversation about the morality of surrogacy.
The clip in question shows Joseph and Nathan Hughes, two gay hair stylists who live in Texas, throwing a lavish birthday party for the children. The Hughes men are popular on social media for showcasing their family.
The couple’s friend Kortney, who works at their salon, donated eggs while Joseph’s sister Breeanna acted as a gestational carrier for the couple, per The Mirror.
Joseph and Nathan have been sharing extensively online about their experience, but the video of the birthday party has gone viral as viewers question the overall idea of surrogacy, plus observe how the twins don’t seem excited or happy at the party, noting how neither one smiles during the video.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
NEW: TikTok influencers show off their surrogate children for the cameras during their 1-year-old birthday party.
Horrifying.
Joseph and Nathan Hughes had the children through Joseph&#8217;s sister, who was the &#8220;gestational carrier.&#8221;
Their friend &#8220;Kortney&#8221; was the one who donated… <a href="https://t.co/qPOU1SqRtR">pic.twitter.com/qPOU1SqRtR</a>
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) <a href="https://twitter.com/CollinRugg/status/1915526487379501546?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 24, 2025</a></blockquote>
“This should be illegal,” one reply <a href="https://x.com/gentrywgevers/status/1915526597886562695">said</a>.
Another chimed in, <a href="https://x.com/ThnKMyMmsGnCrzy/status/1915539163018920052">writing</a>, “Why do those babies look like they don&#8217;t even know these people?”
“The fact that they used friends and family as their donor and surrogate is less disturbing than paying some random woman to completely abandon the child they carried for nine months,” another person <a href="https://x.com/crystalandqueue/status/1915543238200479827">wrote</a>. “My biggest concern with both of these babies is their lack of eye contact and facial expressions in every video I’ve ever seen of them. They’re completely disconnected which makes me wonder what happens off camera.”
“As a mom, I am so upset by the children&#8217;s reactions and body language,” another <a href="https://x.com/Aphrohditee/status/1915912434621055363">echoed</a>. “You can tell they are not only uncomfortable, they are not happy. And they can buy them all the things in the world and dress them up cute, but any sane person who has had a child can see there is NO connection between those babies and the people holding them.”
Daily Wire podcast host Matt Walsh, who has spoken about moral concerns regarding surrogacy in the past, also <a href="https://x.com/mattwalshblog/status/1916589500739764357?s=43&amp;t=BDz6oekueqrSVJ50bM62xw">commented</a> on the clip.
“Somehow ‘social conservatives’ still get a bad rap, even on the Right. But we’ve been right about every issue and usually decades ahead,” he tweeted. “We’ve been saying for many years that gay adoption and surrogacy should be illegal. Now everyone else seems to be catching on. This is an abomination.”
“It is, in a sense, child trafficking. Selling a baby as a prop, a plaything is just wrong,” another wrote. “Let’s check in on these two and the kid in 10 years.”

birthday cake

Viral Clip Of Gay Couple’s Birthday Party For Twins Ignites Surrogacy Debate

Viral Clip Of Gay Couple's Birthday Party For Twins Ignites Surrogacy Debate

LGBTQ

Social Issues

Social Media

Surrogacy

In 2007, when Hillary Clinton was <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/26/us/politics/26DEBATE-TRANSCRIPT.html">asked</a> in a Democratic primary debate whether she would be comfortable having “King and King” — a children’s picture book about a prince who marries another man — read to her second-grade child as part of the school curriculum, she responded that it was a “matter of parental discretion.”
It’s remarkable how far off the deep end the Left has gone in just a few short years.
This week, the Supreme Court will <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_calendars/MonthlyArgumentCalApril2025.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hear a case</a> brought by a group of parents claiming what Clinton argued years ago: Parents should be able to decide whether or not their children read LGBTQ storybooks at school.
Oral arguments will be heard for the parental rights case Mahmoud v. Taylor, which <a href="https://becketfund.org/media/religious-parents-ask-supreme-court-to-restore-opt-outs-for-pride-storybooks/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">originated</a> when the Montgomery County Board of Education introduced LGBTQ storybooks to the elementary school curriculum and revoked its existing parental notice and opt-out policies. Muslim, Jewish, and Christian parents challenged the school district’s ban on elementary school opt-outs on the grounds that the policy burdened their constitutional right to free exercise of religion.
The diverse coalition of parents isn’t asking the school district to remove the LGBTQ storybooks from classrooms. They simply want the option to remove their children from the classroom when content is taught that conflicts with their religious beliefs. Parents are the primary educators of their children, and that vocation doesn’t stop when kids begin to attend school.
The board of education added storybooks that introduce gender ideology and sexuality to children as young as three or four years old. These storybooks are transparently part of an activist push to introduce children to same-sex relationships, transgender ideology, and LGBTQ vocabulary at a startlingly young age.
“Born Ready” features a female main character who repeatedly claims, “Inside, I’m a boy,” and whose parents immediately start treating her like a boy. “Not everything needs to make sense. This is about love,” Penelope’s mom tells her confused older brother. The book’s author, Jodie Patterson, serves on the board of the Human Rights Campaign, a radical LGBTQ advocacy group.
Another book in the Montgomery County curriculum, <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/wu2be63z1cfa0jg6fq3je/APiCjohPQCCnkdX6jXcrOIE/Book%20Covers%20%2B%20Pages/Storybooks%20(Full%20text)?dl=0&amp;e=3&amp;rlkey=te8vom170eoxvb57ivge6ecue&amp;subfolder_nav_tracking=1">titled</a> “My Rainbow,” is about a transgender-identifying boy’s desire to have long hair to fit in with “cisgender girls.” Trinity Neal, a transgender-identifying boy, and his mother, DeShanna, a nonbinary activist, wrote the story based on their experiences. DeShanna <a href="https://history.delaware.gov/lgbtq/my-rainbow-and-trinity-neals-rainbow-wig/">advocated</a> for Medicaid coverage of Trinity’s puberty blockers, resulting in the first Medicaid coverage of transgender medical procedures in their home state of Delaware. Subsequently, Trinity <a href="https://history.delaware.gov/lgbtq/my-rainbow-and-trinity-neals-rainbow-wig/">became</a> the first minor in the state to change his birth certificate’s gender marker from male to female.
“Jacob’s Room to Choose,” about a cross-dressing boy whose school accommodates him by abolishing gendered bathrooms, was <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/wu2be63z1cfa0jg6fq3je/APiCjohPQCCnkdX6jXcrOIE/Book%20Covers%20%2B%20Pages/Storybooks%20(Full%20text)?dl=0&amp;e=3&amp;rlkey=te8vom170eoxvb57ivge6ecue&amp;subfolder_nav_tracking=1">published</a> through the American Psychological Association’s children’s book imprint. APA has prominently <a href="https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2024/02/policy-supporting-transgender-nonbinary#:~:text=%E2%80%9CAPA%20also%20affirms%20the%20essential,appropriate%20youth%20self%2Dadvocacy.%E2%80%9D" target="_blank" rel="noopener">supported</a> transgender medical procedures for minors and advocated for so-called “gender-affirming care.”
The other books at the heart of Mahmoud v. Taylor are similarly written at an elementary school reading level but focus on complex adult topics of sexuality and gender identity. “Love, Violet” <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/wu2be63z1cfa0jg6fq3je/APiCjohPQCCnkdX6jXcrOIE/Book%20Covers%20%2B%20Pages/Storybooks%20(Full%20text)?dl=0&amp;e=3&amp;rlkey=te8vom170eoxvb57ivge6ecue&amp;subfolder_nav_tracking=1">focuses</a> on a same-sex relationship between elementary school classmates. “Pride Puppy” <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/wu2be63z1cfa0jg6fq3je/APiCjohPQCCnkdX6jXcrOIE/Book%20Covers%20%2B%20Pages/Storybooks%20(Full%20text)?dl=0&amp;e=3&amp;rlkey=te8vom170eoxvb57ivge6ecue&amp;subfolder_nav_tracking=1">instructs</a> readers to identify leather, underwear, a lip ring, an intersex flag, and a drag king in its illustrations.
“What Are Your Words?” <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/wu2be63z1cfa0jg6fq3je/APiCjohPQCCnkdX6jXcrOIE/Book%20Covers%20%2B%20Pages/Storybooks%20(Full%20text)?dl=0&amp;e=3&amp;rlkey=te8vom170eoxvb57ivge6ecue&amp;subfolder_nav_tracking=1">encourages</a> kids to change their pronouns, promoting confusing pairs like “ey/em,” “ze/zir,” and “xe/xir,” and using they/them pronouns to refer to individuals in the story. And “Intersection Allies,” another book <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/wu2be63z1cfa0jg6fq3je/APiCjohPQCCnkdX6jXcrOIE/Book%20Covers%20%2B%20Pages/Storybooks%20(Full%20text)?dl=0&amp;e=3&amp;rlkey=te8vom170eoxvb57ivge6ecue&amp;subfolder_nav_tracking=1">featured</a> in the case, includes a foreword by critical race theorist and activist Kimberle Crenshaw.
These storybooks are examples of radical propaganda written by progressive activists to shape the hearts and minds of the next generation. Kids may not know better than to believe what they’re taught, but American adults aren’t so convinced by these woke storybooks. Only 3% of Americans <a href="https://becketnewsite.s3.amazonaws.com/20250115160612/Religious-Freedom-Index-2024-Report.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">believe</a> that instruction on human sexuality and gender identity is appropriate for pre-K or kindergarten-aged children. And 77% of Americans <a href="https://becketnewsite.s3.amazonaws.com/20250115160612/Religious-Freedom-Index-2024-Report.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">believe</a> that parents should be able to opt their children out of gender and sexuality instruction.
Just a few years ago, I pulled my children out of Fairfax County Schools because of the progressive garbage they were being exposed to in their classrooms on a daily basis. My family is not alone. There is a large movement of parents who have made the same decision we have, but not every family is in a position to do so. Parents should undoubtedly have the right to opt their children out of reading these radical activist storybooks: Children are not wards of the state.
When public schools add storybooks that teach gender ideology as truth, the state has violated the right of parents to raise their children in their religious tradition, along with teaching them the corresponding religious beliefs about gender, human sexuality, and the meaning of marriage.
The government has no business mandating that elementary students learn radical gender ideology. Fortunately, parents will do whatever it takes to protect their children and exercise their parental rights — even if it means taking the case to the Supreme Court.
* * *
Terry Schilling is a parental rights advocate and president of the American Principles Project.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Mixed race teacher reading to class

Will SCOTUS Back Parents When It Comes To LGBTQ Storybooks?

Books

Education

Gender

gender ideology

Opinion

Parental Rights in Education

Parenting

Public Schools

Schools

SCOTUS

Supreme Court

Young boy jumping in mid-air

The ‘Experts’ Are Finally Admitting That ADHD Is A Scam

The 'Experts' Are Finally Admitting That ADHD Is A Scam

Boys

Drugs

kids

Matt Walsh

Middle School

New York Times

Teenagers

The following is an excerpt from the new book “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Children-Left-Behind-Rationalizes-Separation/dp/B0DSJZWMDL/ref=sr_1_1?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.mHwt-SB0BE6Z4SuvSL8BpJGq0o4KZKefFX7qCk2QDecQdDECQ5sacSwFhvoqNh0G.3kO-vQO6MHEer2Op5JTvskog7q0WE0RCOw0_toT-nOM&amp;dib_tag=se&amp;qid=1738089124&amp;refinements=p_27%3AAdam+Coleman&amp;s=books&amp;sr=1-1">The Children We Left Behind: How Western Culture Rationalizes Family Separation &amp; Ignores The Pain Of Child Neglect</a>,” by Adam B. Coleman (Wrong Speak Publishing, April 1, 2025).
* * *
“I don’t care if I die. I don’t care if I go to jail”. 
These were some of the final words spoken by Jordan Neely, a homeless thirty-year-old man who died inside a subway after threatening frightened riders and being subdued in a headlock by <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-daniel-penny-found-not-guilty" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Daniel Penny</a> on May 1, 2023.
Neely had a long 42-arrest history of criminal activity, involving four violent offenses spanning from 2013 to 2021, only to eventually die on the floor of an F train subway car.
While most of the public has focused on his threats before being taken down by Daniel Penny or the racial differences between Neely and Penny, I want to focus on Neely’s origin story.
My interest in sharing Neely’s story is twofold. Objectively, Neely was a troubled man who had a history of terrorizing riders and was riddled with mental health problems. But he wasn’t born that way. No child dreams of being a homeless person on the street. How did Jordan Neely go from an innocent child to dying on the subway? As I hope to illuminate for readers, it all stems from his abusive childhood.
The second reason why I want to share Jordan Neely’s story is more personal. In Jordan, I see something of myself: a child who was abandoned by his father. After my father left me, my mom, and my sister, my entire life was uprooted. By the age of six, I had lived in three states and various towns, residing with multiple family members and spending months in and out of homelessness. My father’s absence and my mother being left to raise me and my sister on her own led me to suffer from depression, low self-esteem, and suicidal ideation. At age eight, I was admitted to a mental hospital.
<div id="attachment_900349" style="width: 394px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Children-Left-Behind-Rationalizes-Separation/dp/B0DSJZWMDL/ref=sr_1_1?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.mHwt-SB0BE6Z4SuvSL8BpJGq0o4KZKefFX7qCk2QDecQdDECQ5sacSwFhvoqNh0G.3kO-vQO6MHEer2Op5JTvskog7q0WE0RCOw0_toT-nOM&amp;dib_tag=se&amp;qid=1738089124&amp;refinements=p_27%3AAdam+Coleman&amp;s=books&amp;sr=1-1"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-900349" class="size-large wp-image-900349" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/71DC2oU2QoL._SL1360_-384x576.jpg" alt="Credit: Wrong Speak Publishing" width="384" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/71DC2oU2QoL._SL1360_-384x576.jpg 384w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/71DC2oU2QoL._SL1360_-200x300.jpg 200w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/71DC2oU2QoL._SL1360_-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/71DC2oU2QoL._SL1360_.jpg 907w" sizes="(max-width: 384px) 100vw, 384px" /></a>Credit: Wrong Speak Publishing</div>
Would Jordan’s life have taken a different turn if he had a loving father in his life? Why could he not have been one of the lucky ones, like me, who by the grace of God overcame a traumatic childhood?
Neely grew up in an abusive household with his mother and stepfather. This violence from his stepfather escalated to the point of murdering Jordan Neely’s mother, Christine Neely, by strangulation, subsequently stuffing her body in a suitcase, and dumping her body on the Henry Hudson Highway in Bronx, NY, when Jordan Neely was 14 years old.
In <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/05/03/subway-chokehold-victim-jordan-neely-spiraled-after-moms-death-aunt/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">an interview</a> with The New York Post, Carolyn Neely, Jordan’s Aunt, stated that his mother&#8217;s murder was the pivotal starting point of his mental downfall.
“My sister Christie was murdered in ‘07, and after that, he has never been the same. It had a big impact on him. He developed depression, and it grew and became more serious. He was schizophrenic, PTSD.”
After his mother&#8217;s killing, Jordan bounced around from foster home to foster home for four years, being left behind in New York City’s dysfunctional foster care system.
After Jordan Neely’s death, New York’s PIX 11 News <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iX7lkOZA_g" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interviewed</a> Neely’s foster brother, Larry Smith. Larry Smith viewed Jordan Neely as his best friend, big brother, and mentor.
Eventually, both Smith and Neely aged out of the foster care system, leaving them homeless on the streets of New York City. In the early years of their brotherly relationship, Neely would perform Michael Jackson dance routines on subway cars for money to feed themselves.
“He would do the whole Billy Jean [dance routine], and I would sit there and have the one hat that he gave me for Michael Jackson and collect a couple of dollars. He used that because foster parents were abusing us.”
It is Smith&#8217;s final statement that encapsulates the deep desire of every child: “Jordan never wanted money … Jordan wanted a home.”
Every child wants a home, and not just in a physical sense. It’s not enough for a child to have a place of shelter; they also need a place where they know they belong and are safe.
In various articles I’ve read about Jordan Neely in his teenage years, he was described as a quiet child who enjoyed Japanese anime. However, this quiet child was hardened like the concrete streets he’d occasionally sleep on.
There are only so many chances you’ll give the world to hurt you before you acknowledge your hopelessness by outwardly exclaiming, “I don’t care if I die. I don’t care if I go to jail.”
He gave his stepfather a chance, who ultimately murdered his mother. He gave the foster care system a chance, and they abused and abandoned him. If every adult you encounter lets you down, you’d probably go insane too and grow a deep hatred for mankind, including hatred for yourself.
Jordan Neely’s situation isn’t abnormal, and that’s the problem.
The only reason we even know his name is because of a fluke circumstance of being filmed by a journalist. But if he had overdosed alone on a street corner, he would be just another statistic.
Thousands upon thousands of Jordan Neelys all over America are on the street. They are adults now, but they were once children left behind by nearly every adult they encountered.
I once felt all the rage that Jordan felt. I sometimes still do. My father chose himself over me, my sister, and my mother and neglected me until the day he died. Thanks be to God, I made it, but my successes should never be a reason for parents to risk playing Russian Roulette with their children’s lives.
I am also a father now. And as a father, my job has been to raise my child to become greater than myself and to be a healthy and functional member of society. Over the years, I became incredibly conscious of how my actions and lack of actions could turn my son into the man you’d never want to be alone with on the streets at night.
Raising children isn’t just about feeding and housing them. How we treat them and what we teach them directly affects their likelihood of success in the world.
If you fail your children, don’t be surprised when they fail in our society.
* * *
Adam B. Coleman is the author of “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Children-Left-Behind-Rationalizes-Separation/dp/B0DSJZWMDL/ref=sr_1_1?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.mHwt-SB0BE6Z4SuvSL8BpJGq0o4KZKefFX7qCk2QDecQdDECQ5sacSwFhvoqNh0G.3kO-vQO6MHEer2Op5JTvskog7q0WE0RCOw0_toT-nOM&amp;dib_tag=se&amp;qid=1738089124&amp;refinements=p_27%3AAdam+Coleman&amp;s=books&amp;sr=1-1">The Children We Left Behind</a>” and founder of Wrong Speak Publishing. Follow him on X: @wrong_speak
This excerpt is published by permission from Wrong Speak Publishing.
The views expressed in this book excerpt are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

US-JUSTICE-TRANSPORT-FUNERAL-NEELY

Let Jordan Neely’s Story Be A Warning To Parents: We Must Always Put Our Children First

Let Jordan Neely’s Story Be a Warning to Parents: We Must Always Put Our Children First

Daniel Penny

Foster Care

Homelessness

Jordan Neely

New York City

Subway

At roughly 10:30 p.m. Monday, a babysitter in a home near Great Bend, Kansas, was putting children to bed when one of them told her a monster was under the bed. Hoping to reassure the child, the babysitter looked under the bed and came face-to-face with someone.
Martin Villalobos, Jr., 27, who had previously lived at the home but had been <a href="https://www.kake.com/home/kansas-child-says-theres-a-monster-under-the-bed-babysitter-comes-face-to-face-with/article_9bf5bbde-1c83-4c44-a77b-1cb91fd05ea8.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">issued a protection from abuse order</a> banning him from the property, was hiding underneath. When he was discovered, he <a href="https://www.qcnews.com/nexstar-media-wire/babysitter-checking-for-monsters-finds-man-hiding-under-childs-bed-in-kansas-sheriff/">reportedly</a> had an altercation with the babysitter and knocked over a child before fleeing the house, according to the Barton County Sheriff&#8217;s Office.
The Barton County Sheriff’s Office released this <a href="https://www.facebook.com/btsokansas/posts/1073733091459106?rdid=ftUj3lShw9V3AE1u" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a>:
<blockquote>
On March 24, 2025 at about 10:30 PM Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to the 2000 block of Patton Road, just outside the city of Great Bend. The deputies were responding to a reported disturbance call. Upon arrival the deputies contacted the victim who stated she was babysitting children at the residence. When putting the children to bed, one child complained there was a “monster” under their bed. When the victim attempted to show the child there was nothing under the bed, she came face-to-face with a male suspect who was hiding there. An altercation ensued with the babysitter and one child was knocked over in the struggle. The suspect then fled the scene before deputies arrived.
</blockquote>
Villalobos was found the next morning by law enforcement and attempted to flee, but was captured, arrested, and taken to jail, where he was booked for aggravated kidnapping, aggravated burglary, aggravated battery, child endangerment, felony obstruction of a law enforcement officer, and violation of a protection from abuse order.
“I’m glad everyone’s safe but that poor babysitter will probably never babysit again and those children will never believe there’s not a monster under the bed. A literal living nightmare,” one online commenter wrote.
Villalobos, who has pending charges of criminal threat and domestic battery as well as violating a protection order, is being held on a $500,000 bond.

I wanna sleep!

Child Tells Babysitter There’s A Monster Under The Bed. Babysitter Looks, Gets Shock Of Her Life

babysitter

Crime

Kansas

Monster

Our children are bombarded by technology, certainly a natural progression of our tech-dependent society. But our educational institutions, with tech companies’ eager help, have enabled this growth – and dependency.
Surveys <a href="https://www.edweek.org/technology/what-the-massive-shift-to-1-to-1-computing-means-for-schools-in-charts/2022/05">indicate</a> that more than 90% of middle and high school students and more than 80% of elementary students have a school-issued learning device.
Michael Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg LP, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2025-03-19/michael-bloomberg-kids-are-spending-too-much-class-time-on-laptops?utm_campaign=wp_the_technology_202&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=newsletter">pointed out</a> that children are spending too much time on laptops at school, citing that “social skills are deteriorating and test scores are near historic lows,” and called on schools to turn back to “using books and pens.”
Children’s near ubiquitous use of screens at school is worth reconsidering, in light of the dismal <a href="https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nation’s Report Card</a> finding that students are losing ground in reading and are not improving in math. While screens in schools may not be the only reason children are failing, they also don’t appear to be helping.
This is one reason why there’s a growing movement of school districts and states taking steps to restrict students’ cell phone use in classrooms. A 2023 <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/09/02/health/phones-allowed-school-children-wellness/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">study</a> found that “97% of 11- to 17-year-olds use their phones during school time.”
Teachers see the impact of cell phone use in their classrooms. According to a Pew Research Center <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/06/12/72-percent-of-us-high-school-teachers-say-cellphone-distraction-is-a-major-problem-in-the-classroom/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">survey</a> conducted in fall 2023, 72% of U.S. high school teachers consider cell phone distraction a major problem in their classrooms. Middle school teachers (33%) and elementary school teachers (6%) also share concerns about student distraction due to cell phones.
Phones are not only distracting to children (and let’s admit it, they are for adults too), children are especially vulnerable to addictive technology and powerful algorithms that feed <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tech-and-tv-study-shows-excessive-screen-time-explicit-content-changing-the-teenage-brain" target="_blank" rel="noopener">harmful content</a> to them. Children can also be groomed by predators and exposed to sexually explicit and graphically violent content on social media platforms. Personal tech can also be weaponized in schools – creating and magnifying bullying situations against classmates and teachers.
For all of these reasons and more, children should not have smartphone access during the school day.
I am encouraged that school districts and elected leaders across the U.S. have been working to restrict cell phones in classrooms. The issue is even <a href="https://apnews.com/article/school-cell-phone-bans-states-e6d1fe8ddfde33f086d5cd2a19f4c148" target="_blank" rel="noopener">uniting Republicans and Democrats</a>. Los Angeles Unified School District banned them, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has unveiled a plan to ban them, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker wants to restrict them, to name a few. Across the pond, Denmark has banned phones in schools and there are calls for the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/mar/05/ban-mobile-phones-schools-europe-children" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rest of the EU</a> to do the same.
The Parents Television and Media Council’s whitepaper, <a href="https://www.parentstv.org/resources/PDF/Studies/240723-REPORT-School-Phone-Policies.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Smartphones in the Classroom: What States are Doing to Confront These Digital Distractions</a> (July 2024) revealed that 28 U.S. states made efforts to eliminate or restrict cell phones in classrooms. That number is certainly larger now.
For this to work though, it will take parents uniting against these digital distractions, as many parents want to be able to reach their child instantaneously if there’s an emergency. While this is a valid concern, most schools already encourage parents to call the school office should they need to reach their child.
There are enough anecdotes alone to know that freeing children from cell phones in school is wise. School administrators have seen children and teens increasingly interact with each other.
A Study.com <a href="https://teachinglicense.study.com/featured-insights/mobile-bans-increase-engagement-and-learning-time.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">survey</a> found that “76% of teachers working in schools with strict cell phone policies believe that cell phone bans increase student engagement,” and “70% believe [the bans] enhance student safety.”
“Students were actually paying attention to his lessons,” <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-03-24/yondr-pouches-enforce-school-cell-phone-bans" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> a high school dean of students about one teacher’s feedback after the Los Angeles Unified School District’s cell phone ban began.
If our children are to succeed in school, it’s time to reduce screen time – and cell phone use – during the school day.
* * *
Melissa Henson is the Vice President of the <a href="http://www.parentstv.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Parents Television and Media Council</a>, a nonpartisan education organization advocating responsible entertainment. On X: @ThePTC.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Teens in circle holding smart mobile phones – Multicultural young people using cellphones outside – Teenagers addicted to new technology concept

It’s Time To Remove Cell Phones From The Classroom

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Utah Republican Governor Spencer Cox signed a law on Tuesday that will increase protections for the children of online content creators. This move was inspired by the child abuse conviction of Ruby Franke, a popular YouTube personality who was found guilty of severely abusing her children.
The new law says that online creators who make more than $150,000 a year from content featuring children will be required to set aside 15% of those earnings into a trust fund that the kids can then access when they turn 18. This will also be the rule for parents of child actors appearing in TV or film projects, per the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/ruby-franke-child-influencer-protections-utah-d9702b22c9ea7adba6e15003971493ce#">Associated Press</a>.
“Children cannot give informed consent to be filmed on social media, period,” Ruby’s ex-husband Kevin Franke said. “Vlogging my family, putting my children into public social media, was wrong, and I regret it every day.”
The Frankes became famous after starting the “8 Passengers” YouTube channel in 2015. The series followed their day-to-day lives as a Mormon family in Springville, Utah. The Franke children were included in the videos Ruby posted up to five times a week, the outlet noted. Their content became popular, attracting 2.5 million subscribers by 2020. 
In 2012, Ruby changed track and started creating parenting content with therapist Jodi Hildebrandt. At Hildebrandt’s insistence, Ruby became estranged from her husband and moved into the therapist’s home with her two youngest children. Viewers became increasingly alarmed by Ruby’s disciplinary suggestions.
The women were taken into custody on child abuse charges after Ruby Franke’s severely underweight 12-year-old son, Russell, climbed out of a window and ran to a neighbor for help. The neighbor called 911 after noticing that the teen’s ankles were wrapped in bloody duct tape. Responding officers discovered the youngest Franke child, 9-year-old Eve, with her head shaved and sitting cross-legged in a dark closet.
A search of the home uncovered handwritten journals where Ruby claimed that her son was possessed by the devil. In the journals, she detailed abuse including starvation and making her children work outside in the heat without protection or nourishment. 
Both Ruby and Hildebrandt received prison sentences of up to 30 years. The Hulu documentary “Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke” led to national attention.
The youngest Franke daughter, Eve, wrote a statement regarding the new law. “I’m not saying YouTube is a bad thing. Sometimes it brings us together,” she said. “But kids deserve to be loved, not used by the ones that are supposed to love them the most.”
The content creation industry is largely unregulated, AP noted, but several states have started adding protections. Illinois, California, and Minnesota all have laws that protect the earnings of young creators.

YouTube

Utah Law To Protect Child Influencers Passes After YouTuber Ruby Franke’s Child Abuse Conviction

New Utah Law Protects Child Influencers After YouTuber Ruby Franke's Child Abuse Conviction

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A parent’s love for their child can be a fierce and fearful thing. It can give the ability to act heroically, even supernaturally, if faced with something that threatens the beloved child’s life or safety.
On September 8, 2008, <a href="https://catholiceducation.org/en/faith-and-character/7-sons-lay-hero-dad-to-rest.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://catholiceducation.org/en/faith-and-character/7-sons-lay-hero-dad-to-rest.html&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1742489777083000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3Q_yApPFxQJY_PLRJxIuHU">Thomas S. Vander Woude</a> was working on his family farm with his 20-year-old son, Joseph, when Joseph fell through the cover of a septic tank, plunging into the sewage below. Without any thought for his own safety, Tom dove into the tank and held his son’s head above the foul sewage until he could be rescued.
While Joseph survived the incident, Tom drowned in the stinking darkness. The family lost their beloved husband and father, friends lost a devoted and faithful companion, Christendom College lost their athletics director, and the world gained a hero whose inspiring story of selfless love should never be forgotten.
Augmenting the poignant beauty of his sacrifice, Tom’s son Joseph has Down syndrome.
Today is World Down Syndrome Day. There could be no better day to revere Tom’s memory and his valorous act because it points to one single object: the love of a father for his disabled son. An extra chromosome doesn’t matter to parents who love their children.
Dr. Brian Skotko, a geneticist and the director of the Down Syndrome Program at Massachusetts General Hospital, has researched <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ajmg.a.34293" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ajmg.a.34293&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1742489777083000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1G3BvTjQ6yJbPuauZpr2ej">family attitudes</a> toward Down syndrome and shown that 99% of parents reported loving their child with Down syndrome, and 97% expressed pride in them. Additionally, 79% felt their outlook on life had become more positive because of their child. Only 5% felt embarrassed by their child, and 4% regretted having them.
The same year that Tom Vander Woude surrendered his life to save his son, Congress passed a bill that was intended to share this kind of news with families. Introduced by Senator Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts and Senator Sam Brownback of Kansas, the <a href="https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/110/s1810" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/110/s1810&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1742489777083000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1pRBjqsAnI961dNBl8SpGj">legislation</a> required the federal government to make up-to-date, evidence-based information available about conditions that could be subject to prenatal or early postnatal diagnosis — conditions like Down syndrome.
Research has also shown that the Down syndrome population is about 30% less than it would be if there was no ability to prenatally diagnose the condition, and the bill was intended to make certain families had good information before acting on a prenatal diagnosis.
The Kennedy-Brownback bill was never funded by Congress, so individual states began to take up the task of passing similar legislation. To date, <a href="https://www.lettercase.org/issues/state-laws/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.lettercase.org/issues/state-laws/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1742489777083000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2vFQmGzlR2uxlrvx2u_E1n">23 states</a> have implemented laws that are intended to make certain that families have the whole story about what it’s like to have a child with Down syndrome — the love families share as well as the challenges they might expect to encounter. Organizations like <a href="https://www.lettercase.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.lettercase.org/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1742489777083000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3KcPAjVMonk66pQ812yPbb">The National Center for Prenatal and Postnatal Diagnosis</a> and others have produced excellent supporting materials, easily accessible in print or for wide distribution through their website.
Asking physicians to provide factual and balanced information to families seems like a reasonable request, but recent research shows that the laws either haven’t been observed by physicians or the information accepted by families.
Two <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39829122/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">research</a> <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38619097/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">papers</a> by Dr. Skotko and his team yielded disappointing results.
“Parents’ perceptions of the quality of postnatal medical support have declined, suggesting that legislative reform, medical education, and parent-to-parent outreach programs have been insufficient to effect a change in parental perceptions,” they wrote.
According to one paper, which surveys prenatal care, respondents “experienced substantial fear and anxiety and reported that their physicians provided insufficient contact information or explanatory materials.” Further, “an increased proportion of parents felt that their physicians encouraged pregnancy termination.”
On this World Down Syndrome Day, we should ask ourselves why this attitude of discrimination toward disability remain so deeply rooted in our culture, especially in the healing professions. From Skotko’s research, one parent said doctors and staff “constantly pressur[ed] us to terminate” and “treated us like we were crazy” for refusing; that parent felt so “traumatiz[ed]” that they changed providers. Another parent “got repeated calls to schedule a termination, even though we had all agreed to get an expedited anatomy scan before any decision was made,” while another was repeatedly reminded “that I only had so much time left to terminate.”
If there is a lesson to take from Tom Vander Woude’s sacrifice, it is that it validated Dr. Skotko’s research. Parents who accept children with Down syndrome love them fiercely.
 * * *
Mark Bradford is the Fellow for Persons with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities at the Word on Fire Institute.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Boy with down syndrome playing outdoors in garden.

‘An Extra Chromosome Doesn’t Matter’: A Father’s Love That Knew No Bounds

'An Extra Chromosome Doesn’t Matter': A Father’s Love That Knew No Bounds

Down Syndrome

A major court has ruled that parents don’t have the right to know that their child is changing genders while at school.
The <a href="https://www.ca1.uscourts.gov/sites/ca1/files/opnfiles/23-1069P-01A.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">opinion</a>, from the First Circuit Court of Appeals, determined that it does not violate parental rights for a school to transition a child without the parents’ knowledge.
“[P]arental rights are not unlimited,” the court ruled. “Parents may not invoke the Due Process Clause to create a preferred educational experience for their child in public school.”
“As per our understanding of Supreme Court precedent, our pluralistic society assigns those curricular and administrative decisions to the expertise of school officials, charged with the responsibility of educating children,” the court continued. “And the Protocol of nondisclosure as to a student&#8217;s at-school gender expression without the student&#8217;s consent does not restrict parental rights in a way courts have recognized as a violation of the guarantees of substantive due process.”
The decision comes from a case in Massachusetts, where in 2020 a Baird Middle School student referred to in court documents as B.F. began questioning her identity after she received “unsolicited LGBTQ-themed video suggestions” on her school-issued computer. The student, in sixth grade at the time, was given an assignment along with her fellow students to create biographic videos about themselves and to include their pronouns in those videos.
It is unknown how B.F. referred to herself in the assignment, but in the following months, she began receiving the “unsolicited LGBTQ-themed video suggestions” and started questioning whether she &#8220;might be attracted to girls&#8221; and if she had gender identity issues, according to court documents.
By December 2020, B.F. told her teacher that she was “depressed and struggling with insecurity, low self-esteem, poor self-image, and a perceived lack of popularity.” The teacher told B.F.’s parents, Marissa Silvestri and Stephen Foote, what their daughter had said, and the parents agreed to get her the help she needed.
But on February 28, 2021, B.F. announced to her teacher and other school officials that she was “genderqueer” and would use her preferred pronouns and go by a new name. B.F. told school officials that she hadn’t explained this all to her parents yet and asked that she be referred to by her birth name and proper pronouns when discussing things with her parents. Teachers immediately switched to the new name and pronouns, and the school librarian started meeting with the student to talk to her about gender identity and to give her “LGBTQ-related resources,” according to court documents. The school counselor also told the girl she could use whichever bathroom she wanted at the school.
At the same time, B.F.’s 12-year-old sibling also suddenly decided to start using a different name and pronouns.
The parents learned in early March 2021 – just days after B.F.’s declaration – learned about her new name and pronouns from her teacher. The parents spoke with the school principal and superintendent to express concern that school officials had ignored their request not to engage with their child “regarding mental health issues.” When the parents eventually sued the school and its officials, they argued that transitioning the child at school amounted to mental health treatment because social transitioning is &#8220;recognized as a medical/mental health treatment for children with gender dysphoria.&#8221;
Educators at Baird ignored the parents and continued to refer to B.F. by her new name and pronouns. The school counselor also contacted the student through text messages and online chat to keep encouraging B.F. to discuss any gender-related concerns on a weekly basis. At one point, the counselor asked B.F. if her parents were providing her “with appropriate care.” The counselor also asked if B.F. felt comfortable discussing these issues with the counselor her parents were paying for.
When the parents sued, the school district moved to dismiss the case, and the case eventually moved forward to the First Circuit, which ruled the parents had no right to know that the school was transitioning their child behind their back.
The First Circuit’s ruling is filled with biased language, using “they/them” pronouns for B.F. because is it allegedly “gender neutral.”
As Frederick Claybrook, Jr., <a href="https://fedsoc.org/commentary/fedsoc-blog/wrong-foote-forward-first-circuit-tramples-parental-rights">noted in an article</a> for The Federalist Society — an organization that supports limited government — this is the first time a federal court of appeals has waded into parental rights when it comes to transgender issues. Until now, Claybrook states, the courts &#8220;have dodged&#8221; the issue as it relates to parental rights.
“When district courts have ruled in favor of parents, for example in a <a href="https://adflegal.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Ricard-v-475-Geary-County-Schools-2022-05-09-Memorandum-and-Order.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">District of Kansas case</a> and in a <a href="https://casetext.com/case/mirabelli-v-olson">Southern District of California case</a>, the school districts have not appealed,” Claybrook writes. “When parents have lost, for example in <a href="https://casetext.com/case/parents-v-montgomery-cnty-bd-of-educ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Parents v. Montgomery County Board of Education</a>, they have proceeded to circuit court, but those courts to date have dodged addressing the merits.”
The Fourth and Seventh Circuits, Claybrook noted, have both ruled that parents don’t have a standing to complain schools were keeping things secret from them because they didn’t know for sure the schools were keeping things secret from them. Supreme Court Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas, who dissented from denial of certiorari in the Seventh Circuit, said that the school’s existing policy meant parents weren’t speculating about anything, and suggested circuit courts were avoiding the merits of the cases.
Jonathan Turley, a renowned law professor, <a href="https://x.com/JonathanTurley/status/1894444445656899712" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posted</a> about the First Circuit case on X, writing that there “is no more cherished right that citizens possess than raising their children.”
“Indeed, the right to raise one&#8217;s children according to your own faith and values is the touchstone of freedom,” Turley continued. “Conversely, the subordination of such rights is the harbinger of state tyranny. True pluralism allows families with different norms and values to thrive. Public schools are effectively demanding that parents give up their rights to critical aspects of rearing their children as a condition for public education. It is a virtual slogan for school choice.”

John Joseph Moakley Courthouse – Seaport District – South Boston – Boston Massachusetts

Major Court Rules Parents Have No Right To Know A School Is Transitioning Their Child

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There have been mixed reactions to Elon Musk bringing his 4-year-old son to high-profile Trump events, including a press conference in the Oval Office earlier this week, with the boy’s mother most recently weighing in on the situation.
The Tesla CEO shares his son X Æ A-Xii, who goes by X, with Canadian singer-songwriter Grimes (real name Claire Boucher). They also have two other children, Exa Dark Sideræl and Techno Mechanicus.
A fan alerted Grimes to an appearance at the White House on Tuesday, prompting her to post on X, “He should not be in public like this. I did not see this, thank u for alerting me. But I&#8217;m glad he was polite. Sigh.” 
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He should not be in public like this. I did not see this, thank u for alerting me. But I&#39;m glad he was polite. Sigh
&mdash; 𝖦𝗋𝗂𝗆𝖾𝗌 ⏳ (@Grimezsz) <a href="https://twitter.com/Grimezsz/status/1889478264252494095?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 12, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The fan had written under one of Grimes’ posts, &#8220;Lil X was very polite today! You raised him well. He was so cute when he told DJT &#8216;please forgive me, I need to pee.'&#8221;
Musk was in the Oval Office to see President Donald Trump sign an executive order urging federal agencies to work with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to cut the number of federal employees, but Musk took center stage defending DOGE&#8217;s actions.
X could be seen on camera making faces and grabbing at his father as the press conference went on.
This isn’t the first time X was on display, which advocates say is a benefit because it helps normalize young children being seen and heard in the world. Little X also joined his dad at the podium as Musk delivered a speech the day before Donald Trump’s inauguration. 
“Normalize this,” one X user wrote, as The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/elon-musks-4-year-old-son-steals-the-show-during-inauguration-rally">reported</a>. “[Elon Musk] is the richest man in the world, yet consistently lives out his pro-child beliefs by bringing his own children into his daily work.”
“Actions speak louder than words. Children aren’t burdens—they’re the future.”
Despite the outpouring of support, others grumbled that Musk has been bringing his son everywhere. 
Grimes and Musk dated for a while and broke up in 2022. They were very private about their on-again, off-again relationship, but Grimes tweeted recently about the custody situation and her ex’s involvement in politics.
“[I was] fighting and detaching from the love of my life as he comes unrecognizable to me, with a fraction of his resources (or iq/strategy experience),” she tweeted in November.
As for the allegations that Musk did an intentional Nazi salute during a speech, Grimes <a href="https://x.com/Grimezsz/status/1881618420367507941">wrote</a>, &#8220;It&#8217;s absurd that someone can be this cancelled for something their ex did before they even heard it happened,&#8221; she said. &#8220;I am not him. I will not make a statement every time he does something. I can only send love back into a world that is hurting.&#8221;
She added, &#8220;To be clear i could go talk s*** and be on a bunch of magazine covers and be a feminist hero and get clout &#8211; but it would serve no purpose. I choose my children&#8217;s wellbeing.&#8221;

Elon Musk at White House

Elon Musk’s Ex Says Her Toddler Son ‘Should Not Be In Public’ After Oval Office Debut

Elon Musk's Ex Says Her Toddler Son 'Should Not Be In Public' After Oval Office Debut

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New York Democratic Attorney General <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/letitia-james" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Letitia James</a> warned hospitals in the state against canceling appointments for transgender procedures on minors after President Donald Trump signed an executive order to protect children from irreversible surgeries and hormone therapy.
In a <a href="https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/letters/ag-james-to-hc-providers-re-tro-letter-2025.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">letter</a> sent to New York health care providers on Monday, James said that hospitals have &#8220;obligations to comply with New York state laws,&#8221; adding that refusing service to &#8220;transgender individuals&#8221; goes against anti-discrimination laws.
“Electing to refuse services to a class of individuals based on their protected status, such as withholding the availability of services from transgender individuals based on their gender identity or their diagnosis of gender dysphoria, while offering such services to cisgender individuals, is discrimination under New York law,” the letter stated.
Hospitals across the U.S. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hospitals-across-u-s-stop-transitioning-children-after-trump-signs-order-protecting-kids" target="_blank" rel="noopener">began canceling appointments</a> for life-altering gender procedures on children after Trump signed an order on &#8220;Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation,&#8221; Daily Wire White House Correspondent Mary Margaret Olohan reported on Monday.
“It’s already having its intended effect — preventing children from being maimed and sterilized by adults perpetuating a radical, false claim that they can somehow change a child’s sex,” the White House said. “Hospitals around the country are taking action to downsize or eliminate their so-called ‘gender-affirming care’ programs.”
Trump&#8217;s order threatens to withhold federal funding from any hospital that continues to conduct gender procedures on children. According to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/03/nyregion/ny-attorney-general-transgender-care.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The New York Times</a>, NYU Langone, one of the top hospitals in NYC, canceled appointments for transgender procedures on minors within days of Trump&#8217;s order. Reports of the cancellations led to a protest — attended by hundreds of people — outside of NYU Langone on Monday evening. Some of the protesters waved transgender pride flags and carried signs that called on the hospital to continue the irreversible procedures on children.
“This is the last thing that we need to be worried about, a political system attacking our family,” said one father at the demonstration. The man told the Times that his 12-year-old child identifies as &#8220;gender-fluid,&#8221; and they were seeking doctors&#8217; opinions on whether to have the child undergo hormone therapy.
Dozens of states have taken action to protect children from gender procedures, and more federal action could be on the horizon with a Republican-controlled House and Senate. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told The Daily Wire last week that the president would also support Congressional action to shield gender-confused minors from transgender surgeries, puberty blockers, and hormone therapy.
&#8220;As for congressional legislation to support the president’s agenda in this space, and certainly ending the mutilation of young children, the chemical castration of young children, which is a barbaric practice that the vast majority of Americans do not support, for young, minor children, certainly, the president would support Congress’ efforts, as he has already made that very clear this week,&#8221; Leavitt said.

Letitia James

New York AG Tells Hospitals To Defy Trump Order, Continue Trans Procedures On Minors

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