Do you remember what you scribbled on your first Christmas list?
My husband, Chris, asked for Pittsburgh Steelers' clothes.
I asked for a Baby Alive, a doll that debuted in 1973. She had packets of baby food that you could mix, tiny diapers and baby bottles that came with a pink top. I was 6. That doll became my sidekick.
And, while Baby Alive made a splash, it was the American Girl doll that genuinely caught fire.
Did you or your little sister have one? Did you get a Bitty Baby or perhaps Samantha, Kirsten, or Molly, the original dolls, along with their books?
The company, founded by Pleasant Rowland, launched American Girl on May 5, 1986, after Rowland visited Colonial Williamsburg, the world’s largest living history museum, and shopping for dolls for her 8- and 10-year-old nieces.
Dissatisfied with the Cabbage Patch Kids and Barbies being offered (she referred to the former as “scrunchy vegetable dolls” and disdained the latter as too sexual for young girls), she envisioned a new doll that blended “education and entertainment.”
Today, it seems, the bloom is off the rose.
A toy once passed down between aunties and their nieces or mothers and their children has been swamped by trans activists and infected with gender Marxism.
The American Girl company produced a book called the Smart Girl's Guide.
Now that once practical book that tackled changing bodies and personal hygiene most appropriately has veered wildly off track.
The Daily Wire’s Megan Basham tweeted this, from the UK’s Daily Mail:
“American Girl is accused of 'stripping away all innocence' in a book that teaches children as young as THREE how to change gender by asking doctors for puberty blockers.
A Smart Girl's Guide: Body Image advises girls as young as three years old on how to change their gender by asking doctors for puberty blockers
A passage in the book suggests: 'If you haven't gone through puberty yet, the doctor might offer medicine to delay your body's changes.'
It also provides a list of resources for organizations the children can turn to 'if they don't have an adult they trust.'
Parents have since slammed the book's contents as 'deceptive and dangerous.'
The 96-page book - billed as a 'guide' - is marketed to girls between three and 12.”
It’s interesting that American Girl’s founder, Pleasant Rowland, thought Barbies were too sexual for young girls. And yet, what she started became what she sought to avoid.
Abigail Shrier wrote about the transgender craze in her book, Irreversible Damage.
In the introduction, she offers a definition and then concludes with a surprising bit of information.
“Gender dysphoria - formerly known as ‘gender identity disorder’- is characterized by a severe and persistent discomfort in one’s biological sex. It typically begins in early childhood - ages two to four - though it may grow more potent in adolescence.
"But in most cases - nearly 70 percent - childhood gender dysphoria resolves. Historically, it afflicted a tiny sliver of the population (roughly .01 percent) and almost exclusively boys.
"Before 2012, no scientific literature existed on girls ages eleven to twenty-one ever having developed gender dysphoria.”
We went from no scientific literature to a plethora.
We went from innocent childhood books and toys to a great American brand, among others, wilting to the Trans agenda and producing a book that encourages young women NOT to turn to the parents that bought the guidebook in the first place, instead sending them to outside organizations who could help.
What now?
Now the good ship Lollipop sailed a while ago. And on it, she carried my Baby Alive, Chris’ Steelers gear and your daughter’s American Girl doll.
What can we do?
First, raise your voice. Reach out through social media or by snail mail to the company. Also, I’m not much for boycotts, but I will not buy American Girl products in the future. And, during this gift-giving season, find out what companies you can support.
Then, check in with your kids or grandkids during Christmas break.
Ask when they last discussed their pronouns with adults at school.
This issue is ubiquitous. You may be surprised.
Consider reading Abigail Shrier’s book.
It’s informative, distressing, but ultimately, encouraging.
Finally, dive into the word of God.
What does He say about gender confusion?
Check out Genesis and the first wedding, Mark 10 and Romans 1.
Also, Toby Sumpter has a fantastic sermon on the subject.
Ultimately?
This is still HIS world.
And He will not be mocked.
Which is why we must be involved in culture.
“If anyone causes one of these little ones-those who believe in me-to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.” - Matthew 18:6.
The trans activists won’t soon give up.
Neither should we.
Amie Beth Shaver is a speaker, writer and media commentator. Her column appears every Wednesday in 1819 News. Shaver served on the Alabama GOP State Executive Committee, was a candidate for State House District 43 and spokeswoman for Allied Women.
The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of 1819 News. To comment, please send an email with your name and contact information to Commentary@1819News.com.
