Last month, University of Alabama professor and program coordinator Sim Butler published his book "And the Dragons Do Come" about his son's gender dysphoria, spending a significant amount of time criticizing Alabama's lawmakers, particularly State Sen. Shay Shelnutt (R-Trussville), who sponsored the Vulnerable Child Protection Act (VCAP) bill.
"The goal of health care is and should always be centered in the Hippocratic oath, which includes 'do no harm.' If only legislators were held to a Hippocratic oath," Butler wrote.
"I first heard about HB1/SB 10 from our child's endocrinologist. We were working on a research project together that involved training young doctors about gender expression," Butler said, referencing UAB Gender Clinic Dr. Morissa Ladinsky.
When explaining how the bill made its way through the legislature, Butler attacked Shelnutt, saying he "almost immediately showed his ignorance on the subject."
He claimed that Shelnutt "made up" a definition of gender dysphoria simply because he summarized in plain terms what was happening with children across the nation: "someone thinks they should be a girl if they're a boy or thinks they should be a boy if they're a girl."
Why did Shelnutt simplify the definition and refuse to listen to the so-called "medical experts" with an agenda? According to Butler, it was "in order to vilify transgender people and their supporters."
“[This bill is] to protect our children. " That's my simple explanation," Butler quoted Shelnutt as saying, before Butler added, "Simple is too kind a word. 'Disingenuous' comes to mind. So do 'willfully ignorant' and 'bald-faced lie.'"
1819 News sent Shelnutt the pages in Butler's book that referenced him and the legislation.
SEE: UA professor details son's ‘transition’ before fleeing state for banned treatments
"In the book, he called me ignorant. Looking back, I'm proud that the Alabama legislature led the way on this issue. Most of the rest of the country has come along, so I think time has proven we weren't ignorant," Shelnutt told 1819 News in an interview.
"This bill was much needed to protect our kids. I mean, when I first found out, I thought about it. I guess I was kind of ignorant about what was going on because I had no idea this was happening with the kids. This agenda was being pushed, and we need to stop it. I mean, it's ridiculous what certain groups have been pushing on our kids," he explained.
Butler wrote that during this same time period, his son began to socially and medically transition, "To cope, I also stepped up my engagement of transgender health care from a professional angle," using his position at the University of Alabama.
His bio at UA, which was taken down following 1819 News' original story, primarily focused on his transgender research, saying: "Dr. Butler's research utilizes critical cultural rhetorical approaches to explore issues related to transgender and gender diverse (TGD) communities, health disparities, and community-based participatory research. His work delves into media representation of TGD individuals and critically deconstructs hegemonic discourses present within medical practices."
His listed publications include:
- Hope, D.A., Holt, N. R., Woodruff, N., Mocarski, R., Meyer, H. Puckett, J. A., Eyer, J., Craig, S., Feldman, J., Irwin, J., Pachankis, J., Rawson, K.J., Sevelius, J., Butler, S. (2022). Bridging the gap between practice guidelines and the therapy room: Community-derived adaptations for psychological services with transgender and gender diverse adults in the Central United States. Professional Psychology: Science and Practice
- Price, S., Butler, S., and Mocarski, R. (2021) "The world wants us dead": Stigma and the social construction of health in Pose. Critical Studies in Media Communication
- Mocarski, R., King, R., Butler, S., Holt, N., Hope, D., Meyer, H., and Woodruff, N. (2019). The rise of Transgender and Gender Diverse representations in the media: Impacts on the population. Communication, Culture & Critique. 12.3, 416-433. https://doi.org/10.1093/ccc/tcz031.
- Mocarski, R., Butler, S., Emmons, B & Smallwood, R. (2013) A different kind of man: Mediated transgender subjectivity, Chaz Bono on Dancing with the Stars. Journal of Communication Inquiry.
- Butler, S., Mocarski, R., and Emmons, B. (2012). Cocoon minorities: Understanding Rush Limbaugh's co-option of the rhetorical strategies of the disenfranchised position through homological analysis. Journal of Radio and Audio Media.
He's also sat on at least two professional panels with both agendas referencing his teaching position at the University of Alabama, and was recently promoted to coordinator of Distance Learning in Communication Studies for the Master's program after leaving the state.
1819 News asked Shelnutt how he felt about Alabama taxpayers subsidizing work that is clearly biased towards pushing a transgender agenda.
He said he didn't believe Alabama taxpayers would "agree with that."
"I have a problem with that," he said. "I don't think most of Alabama wants some state employee promoting an agenda that the majority of us know is wrong."
Besides his research, Butler has also taught a course in his department called Gender and Political Communication. This course is one of four electives available for majors, who must choose two electives to graduate.
The course description outlines the class as the "Study of the impact of gender on political communication activities. Topics include gender differences in political messages and voter orientation, masculine ideals of leadership, women's roles and advancement in the political sphere, and media representations."
"I have never felt so abandoned in my life. I'm a man of privilege, I know that, I'm used to systems working in my favor and people listening and considering what I have to say," Butler wrote about the Alabama legislation passing.
When asked to reflect on the bills that the Alabama legislature has passed over the last several years in response to radical gender ideology, including VCAP and the What is a Woman Act, Shelnutt said, "It's a shame that we have to do stuff like this."
"You'll see more," he promised.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email [email protected].
Don't miss out! Subscribe to our newsletter and get our top stories every weekday morning.
