Accusations of colonialism are used by leftists to smear &#8220;history’s victors,&#8221; or great men and civilizations, according to conservative commentator Michael Knowles.
Knowles, host of an eponymous podcast at The Daily Wire, delivered a speech in defense of colonists, colonialism, and settlements in a speech on Tuesday night at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. The conservative Catholic host said that colonialism, seen as universally oppressive by leftists, has rid the world of some of the worst human rights abusers.
Knowles began his lecture with a modern and timely example, the modern state of Israel. The Israeli state, now at war with the terror group Hamas, dubbed “freedom fighters” and de-colonizers by some, was built largely through settlement and colonization during the early 20th century, Knowles said.
Defending Israel against charges of colonization is a bad strategy, he said, because every nation is open to accusations of colonialism if one looks back far enough in history. The anti-colonialist standard is one that no nation could survive if applied equally, according to Knowles. 
“All regimes in history have been established by settlers and colonizers of one kind or another. Not since Adam in the Garden of Eden have any people sprouted out of the ground, and Adam, you might recall, had a little bit of help in the process, as well,” Knowles said.
American history is full of colonialist endeavors, tracing as far back as the explorer Christopher Columbus’ voyages to the Americas. Knowles used the Black Hills of South Dakota as an example. The Black Hills is the site of Mount Rushmore and declared by the Supreme Court in 1980 to have been illegally taken by the U.S. from the Lakota Sioux tribe.
“The Lakota Sioux did not magically sprout out of the Black Hills of South Dakota. In fact, the Lakota Sioux only possessed the Black Hills for about 100 years – less time, in fact, than the United States has possessed it. The Lakota only acquired the Black Hills in 1776, and the way they acquired it was by moving in from Minnesota and conquering the Cheyenne. So, should the U.S. government pay a billion dollars to the Lakota because we took Lakota land? Or should we pay a billion dollars to the Cheyenne because the Lakota took Cheyenne land?” Knowles asked, pointing out the impractical and unrealistic expectations that come out of an extreme anti-colonialist mindset.
In many instances, acts of colonization and expansion conquered much worse cultures, such as the Aztec that used tens of thousands of people annually as human sacrifices. The best version of colonialism, Knowles said, is one that instilled Christian values.
“If there will be conquest, it seems preferable that such conquest be Christian rather than demonic; the kind of imperialism that builds Santa Croce rather than Tenochtitlan; the sort of conquest that teaches people to love their enemies rather than to rip their hearts out,” Knowles said.
“I sometimes tell critics of Christian nationalism that if they think Christian nationalism is bad, just wait until they see un-Christian nationalism. The same is true of settlement, colonialism, and conquest. If you believe that the Western kind of conquest is bad, just wait until you see all the other kinds,” he said.
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YAF_MichaelKnowles_Georgetown_Sep2023_mf_DavidKeithPhotography_85

Michael Knowles Defends Colonialism At Vanderbilt: ‘History’s Victors’

Michael Knowles

Nashville

Tennessee

Vanderbilt University

It used to be that if you wanted someone to publish an over-the-top, flattering portrayal of your life&#8217;s work, you had to pay for it. Unless it&#8217;s your obituary, you had one choice, which was to hire an ad agency to create some marketing materials or get a publicist to send some emails or something like that. I’m not sure how the process works exactly.
But anyway, none of that is true anymore. Now, if you&#8217;re looking for unfettered, fawning adulation on the cheap, there is another option. You can always wait for a Left-wing digital media outlet to write a hit piece about you. Years ago, when the slightest hint of nonconformity got people fired, these hit pieces were effective. Now they read more like press releases from the person being targeted. This has been true for a while, but yesterday, the trend officially hit its apex at something called &#8220;HuffPost,&#8221; formerly known as The Huffington Post.
Without charging me a dime, HuffPost has just <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/matt-walsh-anti-trans-push-tennessee_n_653fd5e8e4b032ae1c9c0497" target="_blank" rel="noopener">published</a> probably the most complimentary profile anyone has ever written about me. That’s not a high bar to get over, granted, given that there has never been a complimentary profile written about me. But still, this one is pretty great. That was not their intent, as far as I can tell. They obviously spent a lot of time on this thing. They interviewed a bunch of people to put together this lengthy diatribe in an apparent attempt to make me seem mean and bad and scary. But in the end, they produced an article that essentially accuses me of single-handedly shutting down &#8220;gender-affirming care&#8221; in Tennessee while chasing trans activists out of the state altogether. They were trying to embarrass me, but in the process made me out to be some sort of superhero.
To be clear, I don&#8217;t deserve nearly as much credit as they give me, but I appreciate the thought. And of course, it’s the thought that counts. And it&#8217;s worth talking about this article in some detail because it reveals something significant, which is that the Left knows it&#8217;s losing on this issue. Even the writers at HuffPost and the few people who still read HuffPost understand that very well. This is probably the best confirmation on this point that we’ve seen, and I’ll show you why.
<h4><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-1254-the-left-admits-defeat-in-their-latest-hit-piece-against-me" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: The Matt Walsh Show</a></h4>
The <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/matt-walsh-anti-trans-push-tennessee_n_653fd5e8e4b032ae1c9c0497">piece</a> I&#8217;m talking about is entitled &#8220;This State Tried To Pass Anti-Trans Laws For Years. Then A Right-Wing Media Star Got Involved.&#8221; The sub-headline reads, &#8220;The Daily Wire&#8217;s Matt Walsh has set his sights on banning gender-affirming care for trans youth — and an attack on Vanderbilt&#8217;s transgender health clinic shows he&#8217;s succeeding.&#8221;
All I have to say to that is, damn right and amen. Now, the writer of this profile is a former Buzzfeed reporter who goes by the name &#8220;Lil Kalish&#8221; and uses they/them pronouns, so you know you&#8217;re in for something good. You also know, of course, that Lil Kalish, they/them, is going into this investigation with all of the conclusions already drawn. There isn’t even any pretense of objectivity. That’s journalism for you. Lil Kalish begins by describing an interview with &#8220;Riley,&#8221; who&#8217;s supposedly a health care worker at Vanderbilt and who also uses they/them pronouns, apparently. The article makes clear that &#8220;Riley&#8221; is a pseudonym. So, right away, we have a hit piece written by an author with a fake name talking to someone with a fake name, and both of them have third-person pronouns.  Already, the credibility is off the charts.
According to Riley, one day in September, the idyllic serenity of the Vanderbilt gender clinic was shattered when I posted my investigation into Vanderbilt on Twitter. As Riley put it, people at the clinic: 
<blockquote>&#8230;whispered about the social media posts by right-wing blogger Matt Walsh, which had gone viral the day before for claiming that doctors at Vanderbilt’s transgender health clinic &#8216;castrate&#8217; and &#8216;sterilize&#8217; children.</blockquote>
I need to pause for a second to note one of the many ironies of this piece, which is that it accuses me of spreading disinformation while constantly getting basic facts wrong. Throughout the piece, I&#8217;m called a &#8220;right-wing blogger,&#8221; even though I haven&#8217;t blogged in roughly ten years. It&#8217;s a small detail, admittedly, but it stands out in a piece that&#8217;s supposed to be accusing me of spreading disinformation. Our friend Lil Kalish dedicated a 5,000 word hit piece to me, but apparently never even bothered to Google me beforehand. Which, you would think, would be the first step.
But to Lil Kalish&#8217;s credit, the article does offer a somewhat accurate portrayal of what I wrote on social media. Here&#8217;s the HuffPost summary: 
<blockquote>Walsh posted a video of one Vanderbilt doctor ― Dr. Shayne Taylor, who founded the clinic in 2018 ― discussing how gender-affirming surgeries, like double mastectomies and genital surgeries, could bring in &#8216;a lot of money&#8217; for the medical center.</blockquote>
And indeed, that&#8217;s exactly what I posted, because it’s true. The article goes on to correctly characterize some of my other tweets: 
<blockquote>In another video Walsh posted, a different doctor cautions that employees who don’t want to treat transgender patients on the grounds of religious objections &#8216;probably shouldn’t work at Vanderbilt.&#8217; At the end of the thread, Walsh wrote that the clinic’s peer support group, Trans Buddy Program, was in fact a &#8216;gang of trans activists&#8217; acting as &#8216;surveillance in order to force compliance.&#8217;</blockquote>
What&#8217;s the problem with any of this? you might ask. Eventually, Lil Kalish gets around to making something of a point: 
<blockquote>Puberty blockers, which stop the body from making sex hormones, help slow unwanted secondary sex characteristics. They do not, as Walsh suggested, &#8216;sterilize&#8217; or &#8216;castrate&#8217; children, though the medication could pose some risks to fertility if they are administered too early in puberty.</blockquote>
This is what&#8217;s called a self-refuting sentence. Lil Kalish begins by saying it&#8217;s wrong to suggest that puberty blockers castrate kids and then proceeds to admit that these drugs castrate kids.
You should know that the definition of “chemical castration,” according to the Webster dictionary, is the use of a drug to block the production of <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sex%20hormone" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sex hormones</a>. So HuffPost is claiming that puberty blockers don’t castrate, they only block the production of sex hormones. Which is to say that they don’t block the production of sex hormones, they only block the production of sex hormones. Just as, you might argue, that object over there isn’t a square, it’s only a geometric shape with four equal straight sides and four right angles. If it feels like you’re having a stroke while you listen to this line of logic, that makes two of us.
As for sterility, the data have been clear on this for a long time. Here&#8217;s a direct quote from the peer-reviewed journal of Translational Andrology and Urology, from back in 2019: 
<blockquote>Transgender individuals who undergo gender-affirming medical or surgical therapies are at risk for infertility. Suppression of puberty .. in the pediatric transgender patient can pause the maturation of germ cells, and thus, affect fertility potential.</blockquote>
By the way, not that facts matter here, but in my tweet thread, I wasn&#8217;t only talking about puberty blockers. I was mainly talking about cross-sex hormones, which also have a well-documented sterilizing effect on children. Vanderbilt admitted to giving those to children as young as 13:
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But they must have forgot to delete a video from Vanderbilt Psychiatry’s Youtube channel back in 2020 which admits explicitly that they will give and have given irreversible hormone drugs to children as young as 13. <a href="https://t.co/Qn48zWoJ1N">pic.twitter.com/Qn48zWoJ1N</a>
&mdash; Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) <a href="https://twitter.com/MattWalshBlog/status/1572313670075518978?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 20, 2022</a></blockquote>
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To be clear, the drugs they&#8217;re talking about don&#8217;t simply reduce fertility. In many cases, they eliminate it entirely and permanently. It is simply an indisputable fact that cross sex hormones — which Vanderbilt did give to gender confused children, and which are given to gender confused children all over the country — can and very often do sterilize. This is not my theory or my assumption, it is a fact. That’s why many hospitals engaging in this so-called &#8220;gender-affirming care&#8221; tell patients to store their eggs and sperm. UCSF, for example, advises that its gender doctors will: 
<blockquote>&#8230;oversee services for people with testicles, including sperm storage and specialized techniques to produce and retrieve sperm in those with a history of hormone use.</blockquote>
So HuffPost caught me saying something true, which they&#8217;re pretending is false. But let&#8217;s just move on because it gets even worse. Lil Kalish also takes issue with my reporting that Vanderbilt was performing double mastectomies on minors.
<blockquote>[Vanderbilt] performed fewer than a dozen top surgeries, or double mastectomies, each year for transmasculine patients in their late teens, according to Riley. Such surgeries require patients to undergo months of therapy beforehand, and a study published this summer showed that top surgery patients had little to no regrets decades after the operation. Both Riley and a [Vanderbilt] executive, C. Wright Pinson, said that the hospital never performed &#8216;genital procedures&#8217; on minors.</blockquote>
There are at least three significant problems with this paragraph. The first is that it uses the term &#8220;late teens,&#8221; which is obviously ambiguous. A 19-year-old adult woman is in her &#8220;late teens.&#8221; Someone who&#8217;s 17-years-old could also be considered to be in their &#8220;late teens.&#8221; A 16-year-old might qualify as “late teens,” if by “late teens” you just mean someone on the back half of their teenage years. They’re relying on this ambiguity because, in fact, Vanderbilt did perform double mastectomies on patients under the age of 18. They&#8217;ve admitted that. This is why they suspended so-called &#8220;gender-affirming surgeries&#8221; for patients under the age of 18 after my reporting. It’s kind of hard to suspend something you weren’t doing in the first place.
Another problem with that paragraph is that it implies Vanderbilt didn&#8217;t act unethically because they only performed &#8220;fewer than a dozen top surgeries” each year for teenagers. So they only mutilated a few kids. What&#8217;s the big deal? Imagine being one of the young girls who no longer has her breasts because of these charlatans and then reading that paragraph. Enraging does not begin to describe it. In fact, if you are a person with a brain and a soul, you will hear that they mutilated a dozen kids a year and be shocked by how high that number is. A dozen a year? A dozen girls a year had their body parts removed for no valid medical reason? That is shocking and horrifying, to those of us with a conscience, anyway. You notice how they’ve moved the goal posts. They went from saying “We don’t mutilate kids at all, don’t be ridiculous,” to “We only mutilate kids every once in a while, don’t overreact.” That’s a very different argument, isn’t it?
The third issue here is the study they cite. They claim that &#8220;a study published this summer showed that top surgery patients had little to no regrets decades after the operation.&#8221; If you have common sense you will already find this claim highly dubious, given that almost all surgeries have regret rates at least over zero. The idea that nobody ever regrets a cosmetic double mastectomy is simply ludicrous on its face. That’s why I did what HuffPost hopes you won’t do and I clicked the <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamasurgery/article-abstract/2808129?guestAccessKey=43a62af8-3042-4678-b29d-3430c3ff98c1&amp;utm_source=For_The_Media&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=ftm_links&amp;utm_content=tfl&amp;utm_term=080923" target="_blank" rel="noopener">link HuffPost provided</a>. It took me to a report that I’ve actually already debunked on this show, and it begins with this: 
<blockquote>Question: What is the rate of regret and satisfaction with [the] decision after 2 years or more following gender-affirming mastectomy?</blockquote>
They&#8217;re clearly not tracking results from &#8220;decades&#8221; after the surgery, at least not in every case. Two years suffices, apparently. And then I looked at the response rate: 
<blockquote>A total of 235 patients were deemed eligible for the study, and 139 responded.</blockquote>
Right there, you have a useless study. If nearly half of the patients don&#8217;t respond — maybe because they&#8217;re dead, depressed or unhappy — then you have no business citing the very small number of people who responded — fewer than 140 in this case — as evidence of anything. We see this kind of statistical manipulation constantly in this field. This is yet another instance of it. We should also note that the median age at the time of surgery for those who did respond was 27. So this was not a study that focused on minors who had top surgery. In other words, it’s a totally irrelevant study because it is not even attempting to measure the thing that we’re actually talking about. 
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Finally, a number of respondents actually did report high levels of dissatisfaction, but their answers were thrown out because the researchers judged the answers to be contradictory or confusing. This is just a brief list of the problems with this absolutely ridiculous and scientifically illegitimate study, which HuffPost is citing uncritically and without acknowledging any of its myriad limitations.
I could go on here. The rest of the piece is an extended attack on Vanderbilt, believe it or not, for daring to comply with the Tennessee attorney general&#8217;s investigation into this barbarism. They also suggest it&#8217;s improper for Tennessee officials to act on my concerns, even though this is precisely how democracy is supposed to work: Citizens bring an issue to the attention of their government, and the government responds.
The upshot is that this writer repeatedly insists that I misinformed the public about Vanderbilt&#8217;s trans program and about &#8220;gender affirming care&#8221; generally. But there is no explanation as to what part I was wrong about, or how exactly I was wrong. What little this writer does say is clearly wrong or misleading. This is what passes for a fact check. This is how a &#8220;hit piece&#8221; works in the year 2023.
As gratifying as it was for me to read this, there&#8217;s a bigger point to be made here. Ultimately the article is a lamentation over a battle that the Left knows it has lost. The child gender transition racket has suffered one defeat after another in state legislatures, and then the courts followed. Most importantly, it has lost completely on a cultural level. 
Look at the comments on this HuffPost hit piece. The most popular comments — on this extremely Left-wing website — all support my point of view. As of today, the top comment on the article reads: 
<blockquote>Why is this being made into a Left-Right issue by the media, it&#8217;s NOT. I&#8217;m liberal, everyone I know is liberal, NO ONE I know supports trans treatments for children.</blockquote>
The next highest-rated comment reads: 
<blockquote>They keep telling us that no surgical procedures are being done on minors, yet here it seems to be occurring.</blockquote>
Right below that, is this comment: 
<blockquote>I just can&#8217;t understand how any adult would be ok with this in their children..</blockquote>
The public sees &#8220;gender-affirming&#8221; butchery for what it is, and once they&#8217;ve seen it, the genie can&#8217;t go back in the bottle. The voices of sanity are winning. They&#8217;re winning with laws against child castration, which are being passed all over the country. They&#8217;re winning in the courts, especially after the ruling from the Sixth Circuit just a few weeks ago, upholding the ban on &#8220;gender-affirming&#8221; butchery in Tennessee. And now, with this desperate, overwritten and incoherent hit piece, the Left has admitted their defeat as clearly as they possibly can.

Matt Walsh 5 (1)

The Left Admits Defeat In Their Latest Hit Piece Against Me

Huffington Post

Matt Walsh

Readers Pass

Transgender

transgender surgery

Federal health officials have launched a civil rights investigation into Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) after the hospital turned over trans-identifying clinic patients’ medical records to the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office. The AG&#8217;s office is investigating the Nashville-based center for potential medical billing fraud connected to transgender medical treatments for minors.
VUMC chief communications officer John Howser <a href="https://apnews.com/article/tennessee-transgender-vanderbilt-e524f08f8324c46b106cbe3a054724ff" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> The Associated Press last week the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Civil Rights contacted the medical center just weeks after two patients sued the hospital system, claiming they were among more than 100 current and former patients whose records were turned over to Tennessee state authorities.
“We have no further comment since this is an ongoing investigation,” Howser said.
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti’s office confirmed in June that it was investigating the medical center over potential billing fraud. The center <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/vanderbilt-pediatric-transgender-clinic-terminates-gender-affirming-care-before-tennessee-law-takes-effect-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recently</a> ceased providing cross-sex hormones and performing sex-change surgeries on minors in compliance with a new Tennessee law that took effect earlier this year.
Brandon Smith, chief of staff for the state attorney general, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/vanderbilt-gives-tennessee-ag-gender-clinic-patient-records-under-investigation-for-billing-fraud" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> that the investigation is purely about Vanderbilt’s billing practices and not about the patients themselves, saying the AG’s office was “surprised that VUMC has deliberately chosen to frighten its patients like this.”
“The Office does not publicize fraud investigations to preserve the integrity of the investigative process. The Office maintains patient records in the strictest confidence, as required by law,” Smith added. “The investigation is focused solely on VUMC and certain related providers, not patients, as VUMC is well aware.”
Howser <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/14/us/tennessee-vanderbilt-university-medical-center-investigation-transgender-reaj/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> CNN that the medical center “received valid requests” from state authorities as part of its investigation, which sought information about transgender care at VUMC.
“The Tennessee Attorney General has legal authority in an investigation to require that VUMC provide complete copies of patient medical records that are relevant to that investigation, and VUMC was obligated to do so,” Howser said. “VUMC complies with all health care privacy and security requirements established under both Federal and Tennessee law, including but not limited to HIPAA.”
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The investigation into VUMC from the Biden administration comes after a heated legislative session earlier this year when Tennessee Republicans moved to prevent sex change procedures and hormones from being prescribed to minors, legislation prompted by The Daily Wire’s investigation into VUMC’s gender clinic.
Daily Wire host Matt Walsh published a bombshell report last year that prompted Tennessee lawmakers to prohibit doctors from performing sex-change treatments and surgeries on minors.
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BREAKING: My team and I have been investigating the transgender clinic at Vanderbilt here in Nashville. Vanderbilt drugs, chemically castrates, and performs double mastectomies on minors. But it gets worse. Here is what we found. Let&#39;s start at the beginning.
&mdash; Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) <a href="https://twitter.com/MattWalshBlog/status/1572313369528635392?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 20, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Walsh uncovered shocking videos that showed a doctor calling certain sex-change surgeries “huge money makers” and a health law expert saying conscientious objections to the surgeries are “problematic.”
Anthony Cash contributed to this report.

US-POLITICS-GOVERNMENT-HEALTH

Biden Administration Investigates Vanderbilt University Over Release Of Transgender Clinic Patient Records

Daily Wire host <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/matt-walsh" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Matt Walsh</a> excoriated a district judge on Friday for a decision blocking a ban on injecting minors with puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones to treat gender dysphoria.
“This week, federal Judge Eli Richardson declined to halt Tennessee’s ban on child mutilation surgeries. But he issued an injunction against the state’s ban on chemically castrating &amp; sterilizing minors. The opinion is astonishingly bad &amp; the state AG has already appealed,” Walsh said in the first tweet of a lengthy thread posted to Twitter.
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1/ This week, federal Judge Eli Richardson declined to halt Tennessee’s ban on child mutilation surgeries. But he issued an injunction against the state’s ban on chemically castrating &amp; sterilizing minors. The opinion is astonishingly bad &amp; the state AG has already appealed.
&mdash; Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) <a href="https://twitter.com/MattWalshBlog/status/1674908142813970432?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 30, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Tennessee enacted legislation banning sex-change treatments and surgeries on minors after an undercover investigation by Walsh and his team found that Vanderbilt University Medical Center was providing so-called “puberty blocking” drugs, cross-sex hormones, and mastectomies to underage teens.
In his opinion blocking the Tennessee state law, Richardson cited two other court cases that have “nothing to do with transgenderism,” Walsh said. Richardson also took into account data provided by two pro-transgender organizations, disregarding objections that the data was “low quality.”
“[T]he Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation system permits conclusions to be drawn based on what is considered ‘low-quality evidence,’” Richardson wrote.
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4/ How does the judge make the leap and determine that it&#39;s &quot;medical care&quot; to castrate &amp; sterilize a child? He disregards the state’s experts and cites &quot;evidence&quot; that he admits is &quot;low quality&quot; from two main sources: the trans activist group WPATH and the Endocrine Society. <a href="https://t.co/Wgko0kl4bm">pic.twitter.com/Wgko0kl4bm</a>
&mdash; Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) <a href="https://twitter.com/MattWalshBlog/status/1674908146622423040?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 30, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Richardson dismissed professional testimony from clinical psychologist Dr. James Cantor pointing out flaws in the data, which came from WPATH and the Endocrine Society. The judge said that Cantor’s testimony was meaningless unless he possessed experience “administer[ing] the medical procedures banned by SB1.”
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“In other words, the judge only values the opinions of doctors who are already making money by castrating children,” Walsh wrote.
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8/ In other words, the judge only values the opinions of doctors who are already making money by castrating children. That could be why he completely ignores sworn declarations from doctors like Sven Roman, who explained to him why minors should not receive cross-sex hormones. <a href="https://t.co/AFZA4RNzug">pic.twitter.com/AFZA4RNzug</a>
&mdash; Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) <a href="https://twitter.com/MattWalshBlog/status/1674908151634591744?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 30, 2023</a></blockquote>
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The judge also disregarded concerns from the state that administering cross-sex hormones to minors could “lead to a lifetime dependence on certain medications” because “[d]efendants do not explain why such dependence should itself be considered a negative side effect.”
Richardson accepted expert testimony from physicians who supported transgender treatments for minors, however. He cited Duke Health’s Dr. Deanna Adkins “extensively” throughout the opinion, despite Adkins&#8217; own lack of citations for her work, according to Walsh.
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10/ Judge Richardson doesn’t ignore every declaration in the case, however. He extensively cites this declaration from Duke “trans” specialist Dr. Deanna Adkins, who offers this rundown of gender theory without providing citations. <a href="https://t.co/vLVqUnbVEG">pic.twitter.com/vLVqUnbVEG</a>
&mdash; Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) <a href="https://twitter.com/MattWalshBlog/status/1674908154126114820?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 30, 2023</a></blockquote>
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“Judge Richardson said Dr. Adkins’ declaration is credible. Meanwhile, he disregards evidence that cross-sex hormones sterilize children, because ‘not all individuals will experience this negative side effect,’” Walsh wrote.
Walsh blasted the judge for giving little treatment to the risks associated with cross-sex hormone treatments and, when writing of the procedures and their effects, using euphemisms that disguise the real impact.
“Even one of the doctors that Judge Richardson’s opinion relies on – Dr. Adkins – admits in her declaration that patients must be informed of ‘irreversible’ risks of cross-sex hormones, including sterilization,” Walsh writes.
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14/ Even one of the doctors that Judge Richardson’s opinion relies on – Dr. Adkins – admits in her declaration that patients must be informed of &quot;irreversible&quot; risks of cross-sex hormones, including sterilization. <a href="https://t.co/cuhmoLIlTq">pic.twitter.com/cuhmoLIlTq</a>
&mdash; Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) <a href="https://twitter.com/MattWalshBlog/status/1674908158903349250?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 30, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Richardson also cited the lack of evidence as to whether such sex-change treatments are “safe” as an argument supporting their further use.
“The practical effects of the judge’s decision are clear. Vanderbilt’s deputy CEO told Judge Richardson that the moment he issues an injunction, sterilizing hormone therapies will resume – including on minor children,” Walsh writes.
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16/ The practical effects of the judge’s decision are clear. Vanderbilt’s deputy CEO told Judge Richardson that the moment he issues an injunction, sterilizing hormone therapies will resume – including on minor children. <a href="https://t.co/OyFqlAzbWt">pic.twitter.com/OyFqlAzbWt</a>
&mdash; Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) <a href="https://twitter.com/MattWalshBlog/status/1674908161411543044?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 30, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Walsh went on to spotlight two of Richardson’s former clerks, one who has posted her pronouns in her bio and works for a lesbian activist group and another who wrote in support of nuisance environmental lawsuits against the meat industry.
“Is Judge Richardson surrounding himself with left-wing activists? Why did he decide to override the will of the overwhelming majority of Tennesseans in order to allow child castration? Maybe those two questions are related. The good news is the appeal is already underway,” Walsh concluded.
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20/ Is Judge Richardson surrounding himself with left-wing activists? Why did he decide to override the will of the overwhelming majority of Tennesseans in order to allow child castration? Maybe those two questions are related. The good news is the appeal is already underway.
&mdash; Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) <a href="https://twitter.com/MattWalshBlog/status/1674908166293712897?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 30, 2023</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;
Editor&#8217;s Note: A previous version of this story incorrectly labeled Judge Eli Richardson a Tennessee state judge.

Matt Walsh Deconstructs ‘Astonishingly Bad’ Ruling Blocking Ban On Minor Sex-Change Procedures

Social Issues

U.S.

A federal judge in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/tennessee" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tennessee</a> has put a partial block on a law intended to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/irreversible-infertility-listed-as-risk-of-hormone-therapy-on-trans-clinic-waiver" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shield children from life-altering transgender procedures</a>, following other federal judges who blocked similar protective laws in other states.
U.S. District Judge Eli Richardson placed a temporary injunction against the ban on giving children cross-sex hormones and puberty blockers, which have been shown to have life-altering impacts on children. Richardson did not block the provision of Tennessee’s law banning double mastectomies on girls identifying as boys or other genital procedures.
“If Tennessee wishes to regulate access to certain medical procedures, it must do so in a manner that does not infringe on the rights conferred by the United States Constitution, which is of course supreme to all other laws of the land. With regard to SB1, Tennessee has likely failed to do just this,” Richardson <a href="https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/politics/2023/06/28/tennessee-gender-affirming-care-ban-halted-judge-eli-richardson/70340063007/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a> in his ruling.
Richardson&#8217;s ruling just places temporarily blocks the law, which was set to go into effect on July 1, but will now be held while a suit against the law is adjudicated. The judge’s ruling was widely condemned by Republicans in the state, who promised to continue the fight.
“It is a sad day in Tennessee when, in place of protecting innocent children, our courts normalize a dangerous ideology that promotes the abuse and chemical castration of healthy young people. I am grateful for the wisdom of the General Assembly in recognizing and passing legislation that, despite today’s disappointing ruling, will protect children from gender-mutilating surgeries beginning July 1st.  Tennessee Republicans will vigorously fight this decision to the highest court in the nation,” <a href="https://twitter.com/WilliamLamberth/status/1674215065531056128" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> House Majority Leader William Lamberth, the author of the law.
Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson, who sponsored the bill in the state Senate, thanked Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti for his “commitment” to appeal the decision.
“I have complete faith that the legislation we passed is constitutional,” Johnson <a href="https://twitter.com/SenJohnson/status/1674211851817611271" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. “This is a critical part of our efforts to protect Tennessee children, and we are going to continue to fight to protect these kids from permanent, irreversible mutilation of their bodies.”
Tennessee’s law was passed after an investigation from Daily Wire host <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/vanderbilt-pediatric-transgender-clinic-terminates-gender-affirming-care-before-tennessee-law-takes-effect-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Matt Walsh revealed</a> that transgender procedures were being performed on children at Vanderbilt’s Pediatric Transgender Clinic.
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“It’s not a surprise that an activist judge has once again stepped in to defend child butchery. We expected this would happen. This fight will end up in the Supreme Court. I’m confident we’ll win there,” Walsh said on Twitter.
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It’s not a surprise that an activist judge has once again stepped in to defend child butchery. We expected this would happen. This fight will end up in the Supreme Court. I’m confident we’ll win there. <a href="https://t.co/PDmx7fHMcK">https://t.co/PDmx7fHMcK</a>
&mdash; Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) <a href="https://twitter.com/MattWalshBlog/status/1674214521693523970?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 29, 2023</a></blockquote>
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In response to Walsh’s tweet, Lamberth said he wished Richardson would watch Walsh’s groundbreaking documentary, “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/videos/what-is-a-woman" target="_blank" rel="noopener">What is a Woman?</a>” or speak with Chloe Cole, a young woman who &#8220;transitioned&#8221; but now has detransitioned and speaks out against the harmful impact of transgender procedures.
“I wish this judge would spend just 10 minutes with brave young people like [Chloe Cole] or watch<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WhatIsAWoman?src=hashtag_click"> #WhatIsAWoman</a> No way this decision on medication assisted abuse is handed down after that. Look at the facts. It isn&#8217;t gender affirming care, it is gender destroying care. Thank you @MattWalshBlog for your fierce advocacy on this important issue.”
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I wish this judge would spend just 10 minutes with brave young people like <a href="https://twitter.com/ChoooCole?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ChoooCole</a> or watch <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WhatIsAWoman?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WhatIsAWoman</a> No way this decision on medication assisted abuse is handed down after that. Look at the facts. It isn&#39;t gender affirming care, it is gender destroying care. Thank you… <a href="https://t.co/MH3hCfwmJp">https://t.co/MH3hCfwmJp</a>
&mdash; William Lamberth (@WilliamLamberth) <a href="https://twitter.com/WilliamLamberth/status/1674219328130916353?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 29, 2023</a></blockquote>
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A federal judge in Kentucky also blocked a ban on giving children cross-sex hormones and puberty blockers on Wednesday, joining other judges in Florida, Indiana, and Arkansas who have made similar rulings.

Protests Continue Across The Country In Reaction To Death Of George Floyd

‘A Sad Day’: Federal Judge Blocks Tennessee Law Protecting Children From Life-Altering Transgender Procedures

'A Sad Day': Federal Judge Blocks Tennessee Law Protecting Children From Life-Altering Transgender Procedures

Courts

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/vanderbilt-university" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Vanderbilt University Medical Center</a> (VUMC) has turned over gender clinic patients’ medical records to the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office, which confirmed on Tuesday it is investigating the hospital for potential medical billing fraud.
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti’s office confirmed on Tuesday that it was investigating the embattled medical center that recently <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/vanderbilt-pediatric-transgender-clinic-terminates-gender-affirming-care-before-tennessee-law-takes-effect-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ceased</a> providing cross sex hormones to and performing sex-change surgeries on minors in compliance with a new Tennessee law set to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tennessee-isnt-backing-down-from-trans-surgery-ban-even-if-a-federal-judge-imposes-an-injunction" target="_blank" rel="noopener">take effect</a> on July 1.
&#8220;VUMC received requests from the Office of the Tennessee Attorney General as part of its investigation seeking information about transgender care at VUMC,” John Howser, a spokesman for VUMC, told <a href="https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/health/2023/06/20/vanderbilt-university-m-turns-over-transgender-patient-medical-records-to-tennessee-attorney-general/70338356007/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Tennessean</a> in a statement. “The Tennessee Attorney General has legal authority in an investigation to require that VUMC provide complete copies of patient medical records that are relevant to its investigation. VUMC was obligated to comply and did so.&#8221;
Generally, Tennessee law mandates that medical records be kept confidential, but because Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti is conducting an investigation into the medical center’s practices, he has the legal authority to pursue the records, according to Paul Hales, an attorney who specializes in health privacy.
VUMC informed families of their turning over medical records to the state, prompting concern among families over their children’s privacy. Chris Sanders, executive director of the <a href="https://www.tnep.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tennessee Equality Project</a>, a far-Left LGBTQ interest group whose Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/tnequality?lang=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">slogan</a> is “Taking on Tennessee’s Slate of Hate,” said several parents of trans-identifying children called him in a panic since they received the notification from VUMC on Monday.
“They’re terrified,” he said. “They don’t know what’s next, they don’t know how this will be used or whether they will be targeted in some way. They feel like their privacy has been violated.” Sanders went on to say that many are upset at VUMC for “not fight[ing] harder” against the state.
Despite the fear Sanders reports, VUMC clearly informs patients that the center may share their information with law enforcement and “other officials … as authorized or required by law” or for “lawsuits and disputes.”
Tennessee AG Chief of Staff Brandon Smith told The Tennessean that the investigation is purely about Vanderbilt’s billing practices and not about the patients themselves, saying the AG’s office was “surprised that VUMC has deliberately chosen to frighten its patients like this.”
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&#8220;The Office does not publicize fraud investigations to preserve the integrity of the investigative process. The Office maintains patient records in the strictest confidence, as required by law,” Smith added. “The investigation is focused solely on VUMC and certain related providers, not patients, as VUMC is well aware.”
The investigation into VUMC comes after a heated legislative session earlier this year when Tennessee Republicans <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-tennessee-introduces-legislation-to-ban-trans-treatments-for-minors" target="_blank" rel="noopener">moved</a> to prevent sex change procedures and hormones from being prescribed to minors, legislation prompted by The Daily Wire’s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/huge-money-maker-video-reveals-vanderbilts-shocking-gender-care-threats-against-dissenting-doctors" target="_blank" rel="noopener">investigation</a> into VUMC’s gender clinic.

Lady Justice before a flag of Tennessee

Vanderbilt Gives Tennessee AG Gender Clinic Patient Records, Under Investigation For Billing Fraud

Crime

Hospitals

Investigation

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/vanderbilt-university" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Vanderbilt University Medical Center</a> ceased providing minors with “gender-affirming care” on June 1 after a bombshell report from Daily Wire host Matt Walsh last year prompted Tennessee lawmakers to prohibit doctors from performing sex-change treatments and surgeries on minors.
According to <a href="https://www.nashvillepost.com/business/health_care/vumc-ceases-operations-at-pediatric-transgender-clinic/article_a9de70ee-0adc-11ee-904f-a70409ef95c6.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">local media</a>, the Pediatric Transgender Clinic at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital in Nashville sent emails to parents of children receiving the life-altering prescriptions and procedures, alerting them that the facility has stopped serving minor patients at the beginning of June.
“Your current medication prescription is affected by the laws coming into effect regarding gender affirming care,” the email read. “VUMC will not fulfill refill requests for medication prescribed for gender affirming care after June 1, 2023. … All medications dispensed for gender affirming care must have a completion date that is prior to 7/1/23.”
The law, set to take effect July 1, threatens doctors with losing their licenses while creating a path for parents and Tennesse’s attorney general to sue medical providers for providing children with such life-altering treatments.
Craig Boerner, spokesperson for the medical facility, confirmed the report to local media in an email.
“Pertaining to gender-affirming care at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, we continue to fully comply with all federal and state laws and are carefully following the legal proceedings challenging the constitutionality of Tennessee’s new law,” Boerner wrote.
The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tennessee-isnt-backing-down-from-trans-surgery-ban-even-if-a-federal-judge-imposes-an-injunction" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that the Biden administration joined the ACLU and several teenage plaintiffs suing to stop the law and is now seeking an injunction to block its enforcement until a judge rules on the case.
ACLU of Tennessee spokesperson Gillian Branstetter reportedly said, “Gender-affirming care would remain legal during the course of our challenge if we get a preliminary injunction from the judge blocking enforcement of any part of the law before the 7/1 effective date.”
Branstetter referenced similar laws in Alabama and Arkansas that have been blocked while those trials proceed.
Last year, Walsh <a href="https://twitter.com/MattWalshBlog/status/1572313369528635392?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1572313523232931840%7Ctwgr%5Ee812ea30b28c5a961e2c1f05bbd60185ad5fbd26%7Ctwcon%5Es2_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailywire.com%2Fnews%2Fadolescent-chest-reconstruction-surgeries-increase-nearly-400-in-us-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">uncovered</a> shocking videos that showed a doctor calling certain sex-change surgeries “huge money makers” and a health law expert saying conscientious objections to the surgeries are “problematic.”
“It’s a lot of money,” VUMC Clinic for Transgender Health’s Dr. Shayne Sebold Taylor said at one Medicine Grand Rounds lecture, the video revealed. “These surgeries make a lot of money.”
Taylor, who was not involved with pediatric transgender surgeries, said that “gender-affirming” double mastectomies could bring in $40,000, and a female-to-male phalloplasty could bring in upwards of $100,000.
A report from Grand View Research said the industry surrounding transgender surgeries saw a $1.9 billion valuation in 2021 and is forecast to expand at a compound annual growth rate of more than 11%, bringing the industry to $5 billion by the end of the decade.
Another doctor said objecting to gender surgery for religious or other reasons should have “consequences.”
“I just want you to take home that saying that you’re not going to do something because of your religious beliefs is not without consequences, and it should not be without consequences,” said Vanderbilt health law expert and pediatrician Dr. Ellen Wright Clayton.
“If you don’t want to do this kind of work, don’t work at Vanderbilt,” Clayton added.
Following the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/wave-of-lawmakers-demanding-investigation-into-vanderbilt-pediatric-gender-clinic" target="_blank" rel="noopener">exposé</a>, a groundswell of lawmakers demanded an investigation into the Nashville pediatric gender clinic and forced the medical facility to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-vanderbilt-pediatric-gender-clinic-pausing-transgender-surgeries-on-minors" target="_blank" rel="noopener">halt</a> all gender transition surgeries on minors immediately. Officials further noted that the minor patients were over 16 years old, and none received genital surgeries.

Surgeons operating patient for breast implant

Vanderbilt Pediatric Transgender Clinic Terminates ‘Gender-Affirming Care’ Before Tennessee Law Takes Effect: Report

Vanderbilt Pediatric Transgender Clinic Terminates Sex-Change Procedures Before Tennessee Law Takes Effect: Report

Health

LGTBQ

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/new-hampshire" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New Hampshire</a> authorities found the body of a 20-year-old female who had been reported missing after disappearing during a mountain hike in zero-degree temperatures last weekend.
Emily Sotelo, a sophomore biochemistry and chemical biology major at Tennessee&#8217;s Vanderbilt University, returned home to visit family for Thanksgiving break in Westford, Massachusetts.
New Hampshire Fish and Game Law Enforcement Division and Operation Game Thief Capt. Michael Eastman told <a href="https://www.wsmv.com/2022/11/23/body-vanderbilt-student-found-new-hampshire/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">local media</a> Sotelo&#8217;s mother dropped her off for a solo hike around 4:30 a.m. Sunday morning at Lafayette Place Campground in Franconia, New Hampshire, with the intent of hiking Mount Lafayette, Haystack, and Flume in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.
By Sunday afternoon, Sotelo&#8217;s mother reported to authorities her daughter did not arrive at the meeting location they had arranged, about seven to eight miles from where her body was found.
&#8220;Her mother watched her go up the trail,&#8221; Eastman said. &#8220;Her mother was going to meet her further down the hiking route to meet her for food and provisions, but she did not arrive.&#8221;
New Hampshire Fish and Game Law Enforcement Division and Operation Game Thief dispatched search and rescue teams Sunday night.
The Pemigewasset Valley Search and Rescue Team, which coordinated the initial search and rescue efforts, said in a statement, according to <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/20-year-hiker-missing-subzero-temperatures-2-days/story?id=93791048" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ABC News</a>, that the &#8220;temperature along the ridge [where she was hiking was] about zero, [and] 30 to 40 mph winds [made] the chill factor -30 degrees. The elevation of the mountain range is more than 5,000 feet at its highest parts.&#8221;
The rescue teams, which included 60 ground searchers and air support, spent the next two days looking for Sotelo until locating foot tracks and items belonging to the hiker on Tuesday afternoon at the headwaters of Lafayette Brook, which is a little more than three miles from the start of the trail where she was dropped off.
&#8220;It is strenuous to be up there,&#8221; Eastman told local media. &#8220;We have people coming down that can hardly walk by the time they get to the bottom.&#8221;
Authorities found Sotelo&#8217;s body next to the Brook, where she may have stopped after veering off the trail due to the harsh elements, on Wednesday morning — the same day she turned 20 years old.
Sotelo had previously hiked and enrolled herself in survival courses. However, authorities said she had only worn a jacket, exercise pants, and sneakers before leaving on her hike, which likely led to her death in the below-freezing temperatures and snow blowing up to 60 miles per hour.
Officials have not revealed a cause of death. However, the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department examiner confirmed there was no evidence of foul play.
&#8220;The biggest lessons learned in a tragedy like this is when you&#8217;re hiking in New Hampshire, especially in the White Mountains, be prepared for the unexpected,&#8221; Fish and Game Department Major David Walsh told <a href="https://www.wmur.com/article/lost-hiker-body-found-franconia-notch-112322/42052999#" target="_blank" rel="noopener">local media</a>, adding to be prepared with knowledge of the weather conditions, wear protective gear, and have food and water on hand.
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Conservation officers in New Hampshire looking for this overdue hiker, who hasn&#39;t been seen since yesterday morning. Her name is Emily Sotelo. <a href="https://t.co/YtcOg9Xuwe">pic.twitter.com/YtcOg9Xuwe</a>
&mdash; Matt Fortin (@mattfortintv) <a href="https://twitter.com/mattfortintv/status/1594690163099447296?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 21, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Mount Lafayette Sign at Summit, Franconia Ridge Hiking Trail

Body Of 20-Year-Old Female Student Found In New Hampshire Mountains On Her Birthday

General

New Hampshire

A new <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/article-abstract/2797439" target="_blank" rel="noopener">study</a> of nationwide hospital databases found that at least 1,130 adolescents between 2016 and 2019 received “gender-affirming” chest surgeries in the U.S.
The study, published in JAMA Pediatrics, saw a 389% increase in adolescents (ages 12-17) obtaining chest surgeries from 2016 to 2019. An overwhelming majority (1,114) of the adolescents seeking this surgery were female (98.6%), and just 16 were male (1.4%).
“To our knowledge, this study is the largest investigation to date of gender-affirming chest reconstruction in a pediatric population,” the paper’s authors wrote, who are each affiliated with Vanderbilt University Medical Center. “The results demonstrate substantial increases in gender-affirming chest reconstruction for adolescents.”
But <a href="https://twitter.com/LeorSapir" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Leor Sapir</a>, a fellow at the Manhattan Institute, <a href="https://www.city-journal.org/floridas-reason-and-compassion-on-gender-medicine" target="_blank" rel="noopener">believes</a> the study significantly underestimates the number of adolescents who have received gender-related chest surgeries, as it only contains hospital-based data and not private surgery centers. The data was collected from the Nationwide Ambulatory Surgery Sample (NASS), an out-patient hospital surgery database in the United States.
“JAMA included only procedures performed in hospitals, not by plastic surgeons in private settings,” said Sapir. “Because these procedures yield around $10,000 per patient, many mastectomies take place outside of hospitals in surgery centers owned by plastic surgeons themselves.”
&nbsp;
<div id="attachment_463321" style="width: 714px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-463321" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-463321 " src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Screen-Shot-2022-11-11-at-4.06.40-PM.png" alt="" width="704" height="598" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/11/Screen-Shot-2022-11-11-at-4.06.40-PM.png 1341w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/11/Screen-Shot-2022-11-11-at-4.06.40-PM-300x255.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/11/Screen-Shot-2022-11-11-at-4.06.40-PM-678x576.png 678w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/11/Screen-Shot-2022-11-11-at-4.06.40-PM-768x652.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 704px) 100vw, 704px" />Image provided by JAMA Pediatrics</div>
The ages of the pediatric patients ranged from 12 to 17, with 42 (5.5%) of the recipients between 12 and 14, 131 (16%) aged 15, 291 (34.5%) aged 16, and 365 (44%) aged 17.
Race and ethnicity were collected from hospital records only in 2019, the authors note. The vast majority of patients were white (77.9%), followed by Hispanics (12.2%), blacks (2.7%), Asian or Pacific Islanders (2.5%), and Native Americans (0.5%). About 4% were categorized as &#8220;other race.&#8221;
The median total charges for chest reconstruction were $29,886 ($21,285–$45,147), a number that was adjusted for inflation, the authors note. Most of the chest surgeries (61.1%) were covered by private health insurance, 16.5% used public health insurance including Medicaid, 15.8% paid out of pocket, and 6.7% indicated “other.”
Most adolescents included in the analysis lived in a densely populated area, with 68% living in a county with over one million residents, 21.9% lived in a moderately densely populated area, and only 9.8% lived in a county with less than a quarter million residents. Over half of those who obtained chest surgeries had a family annual income of over $82,000.
Psychiatric comorbidities for patients were listed, which included anxiety (21.1%) and depression (16.2%), but this is likely a significant underestimate since these numbers were much lower than the <a href="https://www.endocrine.org/news-and-advocacy/news-room/2020/transgender-teens-have-high-rates-of-depression-suicidal-thoughts" target="_blank" rel="noopener">high rates</a> of depression typically seen among trans-identified teens. It is therefore likely that mental health data in the hospital database were not comprehensive.
In July, the same four authors, with the addition of two others, published a separate <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35863009/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">study</a> on adults who received “gender-affirming” chest reconstruction surgeries. Their results, also using NASS outpatient hospital data, found that 21,293 individuals obtained chest surgeries between 2016 and 2019, a 143.2% increase. The large majority of chest surgeries were performed on female patients, with 82.1% receiving double mastectomies; 27.9% of trans-identifying males received breast augmentations.

chest

New Data Emerges Of 1,100+ Adolescent ‘Gender Affirming’ Mastectomies

New Data Emerges Of 1,100+ Adolescent 'Gender Affirming' Mastectomies

Medical Research

Tennessee lawmakers have filed a bill to ban the controversial practice of pediatric medical gender transition in the state. 
Tennessee Majority Leaders William Lamberth and Jack Johnson, both Republicans, introduced the Protecting Children from Gender Mutilation Act on Wednesday, November 9, which would effectively bar doctors from prescribing puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and performing gender-related surgeries on minors for the purpose of medical transition. It would also allow patients and their families to sue for damages and let the courts impose an additional $25,000 penalty for each violation.
“This bill is about protecting children,&#8221; said Johnson. &#8220;Under no circumstances should minors be allowed to undergo irreversible elective procedures to mutilate body parts and intentionally harm their reproductive systems. This practice comes with lifelong health complications that children are not capable of understanding.&#8221;
The Republican leaders committed to writing the bill in September after Daily Wire host Matt Walsh released a viral video of a doctor at a Nashville university hospital referring to gender-transition procedures as &#8220;huge money makers.&#8221; 
Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-vanderbilt-pediatric-gender-clinic-pausing-transgender-surgeries-on-minors" target="_blank" rel="noopener">paused</a>” all gender transition surgeries on children in October after Tennessee State representatives sent a letter to VUMC officials, urging them to “halt all permanent gender transitioning surgeries on minor children.”
The reporting on <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hospitals-clinics-are-promoting-services-to-gender-nonconforming-kids-here-are-47-of-them" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pediatric gender clinics</a> and &#8220;gender-affirming&#8221; care, which effectively puts children in the driver’s seat to dictate the terms of their own sex change, has raised nationwide awareness and serious ethical concerns about the medications offered and procedures performed on minors.
None of the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/u-s-medical-groups-get-the-science-wrong-on-pediatric-gender-affirming-care" target="_blank" rel="noopener">U.S.-based organizations</a> that endorse “gender-affirming” care have done systematic reviews of the evidence, while arguably more “progressive” European countries like <a href="https://segm.org/segm-summary-sweden-prioritizes-therapy-curbs-hormones-for-gender-dysphoric-youth" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sweden</a>, <a href="https://genderreport.ca/finland-strict-guidelines-for-treating-gender-dysphoria/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Finland</a>, and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/englands-national-health-service-abandons-gender-affirming-model-of-care" target="_blank" rel="noopener">England</a> have. After reviewing the evidence for the use of puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones in treating pediatric gender dysphoria, health authorities in all three countries have decided to abandon the “gender-affirming” model, finding the costs outweigh the benefits.
Florida additionally <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/florida-medical-boards-vote-to-ban-medical-transition-for-minors" target="_blank" rel="noopener">approved a rule</a> last week prohibiting minors from receiving gender transition surgeries, puberty blockers, and cross-sex hormones, making it the first ban in the country instituted by a state medical board.
“Interfering or destroying the healthy, normal reproductive organs of a child for the purpose of altering their appearance is profoundly unethical and morally wrong,” Lamberth said. “Tennesseans across our state have demanded an immediate call to action.&#8221; 
&#8220;Through the passage of House Bill 1/Senate Bill 1, Tennessee will protect vulnerable children who cannot give informed consent for adult decisions they aren’t ready for,” Lamberth added.
The Protecting Children from Gender Mutilation Act would also create a private right of action, allowing a minor or the parent of a minor who sustained injuries due to medical transition to sue for damages. Additionally, it would enable a child to bring a civil cause of action against a parent if that parent helped to facilitate their child&#8217;s medical transition.
The bill would allow courts to impose a $25,000 penalty per violation and the state attorney general to bring an action against a healthcare provider for knowingly violating the law within 20 years of the offense. The proposed bill would require the state attorney general to establish a process for reporting violations of the law.
The bill makes an exception for providing hormones and/or surgeries for children born with chromosomal anomalies or congenital defects that result in developmental sex conditions. The 113th Tennessee General Assembly is scheduled to convene on January 10, 2023.

The Tennessee state flag waving along with the national flag of the United States of America

Tennessee Introduces Legislation To Ban Trans Treatments For Minors

Puberty blockers

Chest reconstruction surgeries performed on minors across the United States increased by approximately 400% during a three-year span, according to a new <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2797439?guestAccessKey=a85ea7b3-150e-42d8-b9b0-34000f2d681e">report</a>.
The Journal of the American Medical Association, an international peer-reviewed general medical journal, published that researchers from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, reported that 1130 chest mutilating surgeries were performed on children younger than 18 years old from 2016 to 2019.
Of those encounters, 1114 were mastectomies, while 16 were augmentation mammaplasties — bringing the annual number of child mutilations during the reported years to a 389% increase.
&#8220;To our knowledge, this study is the largest investigation to date of gender-affirming chest reconstruction in a pediatric population,&#8221; the study noted. &#8220;The results demonstrate substantial increases in gender-affirming chest reconstruction for adolescents.&#8221;
The report noted, “reconstructive genital surgery is typically not performed in adolescents, but masculinizing chest reconstruction (e.g., mastectomy) and feminizing chest reconstruction (e.g., augmentation mammaplasty) may be performed in outpatient and ambulatory surgery settings.”
According to the report, some of the children who underwent the surgeries during the study had psychiatric conditions, such as anxiety and depression. And about 20% of the children were using so-called gender-affirming hormone therapies.
Daily Wire host Matt Walsh recently obtained footage showing a Vanderbilt doctor emphasizing the money such surgeries can bring in. “Chest reconstruction” surgeries — which can be performed on minors — can generate $40,000, and “female-to-male bottom surgeries” can produce $100,000. Another Vanderbilt doctor called religious objections “problematic” and said that medical professionals who refuse to perform such surgeries should face “consequences.”
Video and archived webpages from the medical center detail a doctor’s promotion of the “big money maker” transgender therapies and surgeries and apparent threats against medical professionals who dare object for religious reasons.
“It’s a lot of money,” VUMC Clinic for Transgender Health’s Dr. Shayne Sebold Taylor said at one Medicine Grand Rounds lecture, the video reveals. “These surgeries make a lot of money.”
The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tennessee-looking-at-child-gender-transition-legislation-after-vanderbilt-transgender-videos-released/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Vanderbilt Pediatric Gender Clinic</a> has since agreed to pause all gender transition surgeries on minors, but insiders with the clinic told The Daily Wire they fear transgender surgeries on minors would eventually resume unless laws were established banning such operations.
Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) recently sent a letter to the Federal Drug Administration calling for an investigation of the pharmaceutical companies conducting clinical trials using puberty blockers on children.
Blackburn has joined other Tennessee officials in calling for an investigation into Vanderbilt University Medical in the wake of Walsh’s reporting.
“It is just very sad that we would hear from medical professionals as they were putting profit in front of children,” Blackburn told The Daily Wire.
A recent report from Grand View Research said the industry surrounding transgender surgeries saw a $1.9 billion valuation last year and is forecast to expand at a compound annual growth rate of more than 11%, bringing the industry to $5 billion by the end of the decade.
Studies indicate that as many as 90% of young people who claim a transgender identity but are not encouraged to socially or medically transition will no longer call themselves transgender in adulthood.
According to the JAMA Pediatrics study, at least 35 state legislatures have introduced more than 100 bills that limit or prohibit access to “medically necessary gender-affirming care for transgender and gender-diverse youth, resulting in poor mental and physical health outcomes,” adding approximately 300,000 adolescents between 13 and 17 years of age identify as transgender.
Ben Zeisloft and Amanda Prestigiacomo contributed to this report.

Side view of Plastic surgeon operating patient for breast implant at operating room. They are in surgical gown. Plastic surgery and beauty business.

Adolescent Chest Reconstruction Surgeries Increase Nearly 400% in US: Report

Child Abuse

After insiders at <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/vanderbilt-university" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Vanderbilt University Medical Center</a> told The Daily Wire that they fear transgender surgeries on minors would eventually resume, host <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/matt-walsh" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Matt Walsh</a> affirmed why states need to create laws to ban such practices.
Walsh said during an interview Wednesday with Fox News host Tucker Carlson that places like Vanderbilt have become a &#8220;hub&#8221; for the sexual mutilation of children, which recently stopped the procedures following a videotape uncovered by The Daily Wire host exposing the practices. However, a recent report from three sources at the institution said the moment the public relieves pressure — the &#8220;liberal-led&#8221; university would continue to push them through.
&#8220;They will if they can get away with it, which is why we can&#8217;t rely on these institutions to police themselves,&#8221; Walsh said.
Walsh called on lawmakers to create legislation prohibiting doctors from performing procedures classified as so-called “gender-affirming care.”
&#8220;There have to be laws now — and I think most Americans, when they hear about this, are shocked to find out that there aren&#8217;t already laws banning doctors from doing cosmetic double mastectomies on teenage girls or sterilizing and castrating kids.&#8221;
United States Assistant Secretary for Health Rachel Levine has recently made headlines after slamming laws that would dictate when children could begin receiving &#8220;a range of medical treatments and evaluations … of people who are transgender and transgender youth.&#8221;
&#8220;And we do not need state laws and actions that dictate principles of transgender medical care by us pediatric experts,&#8221; Levine <a href="https://newschannel9.com/news/nation-world/rachel-levine-slams-laws-dictating-when-children-can-begin-transgender-medical-therapies-biden-administration-trans-lgbtq" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.
However, Levine has faced backlash from medical professionals that have challenged the idea that &#8220;treatments and evaluations&#8221; like puberty blockers or cross-sex hormones are medically necessary and safe for minors.
Florida&#8217;s Department of Health has stated that conducting those procedures on minors lacked &#8220;conclusive evidence&#8221; and could lead to potential &#8220;long-term, irreversible effects.&#8221;
Puberty blockers, known as gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) substances, received a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/fda-officials-warn-of-brain-swelling-vision-loss-in-minors-using-puberty-blockers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">warning</a> from U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officials earlier this year, saying the drug could cause brain swelling, loss of vision, and serious risks for children being injected with the hormone.
Officials said a plausible association between using puberty blockers and pseudotumor cerebri, which displays symptoms similar to a brain tumor, was identified in six young girls between the ages of five and 12. Symptoms in the patients included visual disturbances, headaches, and vomiting. Other effects GnRH agonists caused were an increase in blood pressure, brain swelling, and abducens neuropathy.
Institutions like Vanderbilt would be free to resume gender surgeries on children if a law weren&#8217;t in place.
But Walsh has charged supporters to fight for the protection of children&#8217;s health, to call on state legislators to implement laws and guardrails preventing institutions from performing irreversible procedures.
&#8220;The fact that Vanderbilt was even willing to put a pause on these procedures is an example of pressure from the Right, causing a left-wing institution to cave at least temporarily, which is significant in its own right,&#8221; Walsh said. &#8220;But of course, we&#8217;re not going to just rely on them to continue on their own.&#8221;
On Friday, Walsh is hosting the &#8220;Rally to End Child Mutilation&#8221; in Nashville, Tennessee, at the state Capitol. Speakers will include Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), state Senator Jack Johnson, and state Rep. William Lamberth. Former congresswoman, Democratic Party member, and presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard has also recently joined the list of speakers for Friday&#8217;s rally.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Join <a href="https://twitter.com/MattWalshBlog?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MattWalshBlog</a> this Friday at 4pm for the Rally to End Child Mutilation.
Let us know you&#39;re coming! RSVP here: <a href="https://t.co/Mp2gBrBniv">https://t.co/Mp2gBrBniv</a> <a href="https://t.co/lwFpnCjlb7">pic.twitter.com/lwFpnCjlb7</a>
&mdash; Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire/status/1582901489999446017?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 20, 2022</a></blockquote>
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‘We Can’t Rely On These Institutions To Police Themselves’: Matt Walsh Affirms Why Nation Needs Laws Banning Castrating Children

Matt Walsh Affirms Why Nation Needs Laws Banning Castrating Children

Rachel Levine

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