The Cass Review proved the obvious: transgender medicine is a fraud. Now exposed to the lunacy, the average American is primed to oppose transgender madness.
Note by Author: In this series we are examining the decade from when Time magazine declared the transgender tipping point in 2014 and the arc of the movement through today. Part 1 outlines the meteoric rise in popularity and public acceptance of the transgender movement in the US. Part 2 traces the roots of public defiance of gender ideology back to one well known author who was willing to defy cancel culture by speaking out. Part 3 discusses the reversal of policies in Europe and America’s consumer-led revolt. Part 4 discusses the recent victories that have resulted from rising opposition, including protection of women’s sports, medical malpractice lawsuits, and more.
JK Rowling wasn’t the only one causing a disturbance. Throughout Europe the wheels were coming off as medical bodies began questioning the meteoric rise in the number of trans-identifying youth and the efficacy of medicalization, which led to policy changes and restrictions on so-called gender affirming care.
Starting in July 2020, Finland was the first of a number of countries that moved away from treatment protocols for “gender affirming care” as defined by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), citing insufficient evidence to justify prioritizing medical interventions over psychological support. After Finland, Sweden, and the UK conducted systematic reviews of the risks and benefits of gender affirming care, the unraveling continued as several European countries placed restrictions on medical treatment for minors.
The UK’s review, commissioned by the National Health Service (NHS), was conducted by Dr. Hillary Cass, a renowned former president of Britain’s Royal College of Pediatrics and Child Health. Known as the Cass Review, it was the largest and most comprehensive review of its kind. Nearly 400 pages long, it took four years to complete and in the end it did more to seal the fate of gender affirming care than any amount of trans activism could reverse.
Like many European countries, the UK’s Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS) at the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust saw the number of referrals skyrocket and staff case loads reach overwhelming proportions. As a result, children were being fast-tracked onto a path of medicalization without proper psychological evaluation, which led a number of staff to resign for moral objections.
Whistleblowers revealed that underlying mental health conditions were also being ignored and it was clear to many that the services offered by GIDS were more ideologically-driven than evidence-based. After the release of the Cass Review’s interim report in 2022, the government announced the closure of GIDS, the world’s largest pediatric clinic, in favor of two regional centers that would re-establish the priority of psychological support and a holistic approach to treatment.
Upon the release of the final Cass report in April 2024, the UK took the safeguarding of children a step further and announced the use of puberty blockers would not just be restricted, it would be banned for anyone under 18 for safety reasons.
The Cass Review proved the obvious: transgender medicine is a fraud. Now exposed to the lunacy, the average American is primed to oppose transgender madness.
Meanwhile, the United States ignored the rumblings and roll backs of gender affirming care in Europe and it was business as usual for the burgeoning transgender medicine industry. Unlike Europe, the public outcry in the US was driven more by consumer opinion than a call for stricter medical oversight.
The revolt was consumer-led and it started with Bud Light, which in April 2023 lost billions in marketshare and saw it’s stock plummet 20% after a social media ad starring transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney backfired. The viral video caused such a stir that music star Kid Rock created a response video in which he used an assault rifle to annihilate multiple cases of beer. Kid Rock’s attention-grabbing stunt had the equivalent effect of JK Rowling’s tweets – he tapped into what the general public was feeling and empowered others to voice their dissent.
Shortly after, the pushback for transmania was directed at Target when the company rolled out its pride-wear clothing for infants and children in celebration of the upcoming Pride Month. The line included pride-themed onesies and toddler leggings and a “tuck-friendly” bathing suit for gender confused boys, which immediately landed Target in the crosshairs of the conservatives.
The outrage was so severe that even woke Target was willing to risk offending the LGBT community by relocating the pride-themed displays away from the front of the store. For many it was too little too late as Target’s complicity in the campaign to indoctrinate children resulted in a consumer boycott. The company’s stock experienced a dramatic decline from the debacle some called Bud Light 2.0.
Elon Musk contributed to the public’s awareness of the dangers of gender ideology by streaming the Matt Walsh documentary What is a Woman on Twitter in June 2023 on the film’s one-year anniversary, which coincided with the beginning of Pride Month. Hailed as the documentary they don’t want you to see, it was slated to be free for 24 hours but its overwhelming popularity caused the company to extend the gratis showing for several days. Before it was all said and done, the groundbreaking exposé was viewed more than 177 million times and a pair of high-level Twitter employees quit their jobs in protest of Musk’s decision to stream it on the platform.
Now with the lunacy of gender ideology exposed for all the world to see, with corporate America put on notice, and the likes of JK Rowling and Kid Rock putting their star power behind their outrage, the average American felt vindicated and primed to join the uprising against transgender madness.
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