The trend of “trans children” and so-called gender affirming care appears to be falling out of favor – and not a moment too soon. Recent scientific studies show that this warped practice does nothing more than destroy children and harm families.
1819 News recently reviewed the book, “And the Dragons Do Come,” written by University of Alabama professor Sim Butler. The book documents his six-year-old son Mac’s identification as a girl, and Butler’s subsequent efforts to have Mac’s gender transition recognized. Butler’s book documents this journey in a state which has rejected gender ideology, laying blame everywhere except on himself:
The book, ‘And the Dragons Do Come,’ criticizes lawmakers, medical professionals and child advocates who have worked to protect children from the harmful effects of gender ideology and irreversible medical procedures that have been banned in 27 states and several European countries.’
Butler’s story counters that of Gareth Amaya Price, whose son Simon also experienced gender confusion. Price, a Massachusetts father, refused to affirm Simon’s gender dysphoria, enduring hostility and hatred on multiple fronts to protect Simon, knowing that going down this rabbit hole would bring irreversible damage to his son.
‘The hate of your child is a heavy burden to bear, but sometimes you have to, because you’re doing it for the love of your child as he will be for years and decades to go forward.’
In the end, Simon came to understand what his father had protected him from. ‘I never went to the gender clinic because my dad never let me,’ he said. ‘I hated him for it, but I’m very lucky he didn’t let me go.’ “Today, he [Simon] recognizes that his father’s refusal is the reason he’s alive, healthy, and whole.
Butler, on the other hand, plowed through roadblocks to transitioning his son. According to 1819 News, Butler and his wife changed their son’s name to a more feminine one, starting Mac on puberty blockers – with horrifying results:
The first time Butler's son received puberty blockers at the Children's Hospital at UAB, he ‘passed right out,’ collapsing like a ‘noodle’ in the hall. That, however, wasn't a deterrent. The family continued to seek pharmaceutical interventions for puberty.
Butler knew that chemical efforts to stop natural puberty meant sterilization and damage, yet he persisted.
‘I'm left to ponder if my daughter will regret, years from now, not being able to contribute sperm to an embryo or carry a child, because the best care available to treat her gender dysphoria comes with the side effect of sterilization,’ he said.
The fact that a UAB Gender Clinic doctor facilitated this delusion is malpractice, if not flat out evil. “[W]e can help pause boy puberty and start girl puberty,” Dr. Morissa Ladinsky told Mac. Ladinsky reportedly treated over 200 children with “gender-affirming care,” telling Mac, “You still have some boy parts, your body is going to go through boy puberty” … “Do you want a beard like your dad?”
Our tax dollars once funded this madness. Thankfully, the Trump administration blocked government funding to clinics performing gender reassignment procedures for minors and many hospitals have shuttered these programs. The U.S. Supreme Court also affirmed a state’s right to pass laws protecting children in United States v. Skrmetti (2025), upholding Tennessee’s ban on chemical and medical gender transition procedures for minors. The rush to transition minor children has slowed with these moves but still needs to be fully eradicated.
A new report by Eric Kaufmann, professor of politics at the University of Buckingham, may further its demise. Kaufmann surveyed students on U.S. college campuses over three years, finding that transgender identification among Generation Z is in sharp decline, cut in half in only two years.
Kaufmann’s study reported improved mental health as the main factor in this change. Kaufmann also identified it as a fad that had reached its conclusion.
This report seems to be another nail in the coffin of the trans madness, the first one being the personal testimonies of young people like Chloe Cole, Prisha Mosley, and Simon Price, who were sucked in by the gender lies and suffered permanent damage. They are a damning indictment to the destruction this trend has left in its wake.
Finally, on Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services published “Treatment for Pediatric Gender Dysphoria: Review of Evidence and Best Practices,” a peer-reviewed study outlining the medical dangers from attempts to change a child’s biological sex. The report “finds that the harms from sex-rejecting procedures — including puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgical operations — are significant, long term, and too often ignored or inadequately tracked.”
U.S. Health and Human Services Sec. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. also calls out the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics for “peddl[ing] the lie that chemical and surgical sex-rejection procedures would be good for children,” going on to say: "They betrayed their oath to first do no harm, and their so-called ‘gender-affirming care’ has inflicted lasting physical and psychological damage on vulnerable young people. That is not medicine — it’s malpractice."
Price protected his son by refusing to allow him to walk this path of destruction and now has a whole son who embraces his male identity. Yet it may be too late for Mac Butler. In 2022, Alabama passed the Vulnerable Child Protection Act, causing Butler to move his family out of the state to complete Mac’s transition. 1819 News reports that Butler has guarded his now transgendered child’s privacy, fearing attacks. If this decision was so right and the boy is better after this transition, then why did he not contribute Butler’s oh-so-critical book?
If nothing else, Butler’s book is a cautionary tale. However, the Prices’ story is a tale of bravery. Price did not listen to society or his son; he fought for him. This gives hope to parents who are fighting for their children, providing a safe and sane solution to Butler’s dark and fearful path.
Jennifer Oliver O'Connell, As the Girl Turns, is an investigative journalist, author, opinion analyst, and contributor to 1819 News, Redstate, and other publications. Jennifer writes on Politics and Pop Culture, with occasional detours into Reinvention, Yoga, and Food. You can read more about Jennifer's world at her As the Girl Turns website. You can also follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Telegram.
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 [email protected].
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