Report Debunks ‘Born That Way’ Narrative And ‘Transgender’ Label For Kids

Aug 25, 2016 by Jill

By Mary Rice Hasson and Theresa Farnan, The Federalist:

A stunning new report on sexuality and gender exposes the shaky science behind the LGBT “born that way” narrative and the push to label young kids as “transgender.” The report comes as the health-care industry, pressured by the Obama administration, imposes new protocols pertaining to “sexual orientation and gender identity” grounded in faulty science and often dismissive of parents’ rights and children’s well-being.

The report, “Sexuality and Gender: Findings from the Biological, Psychological and Social Sciences,” is co-authored by two psychiatric experts affiliated with Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Dr. Paul McHugh and Dr. Lawrence Mayer. Published by The New Atlantis (a journal of technology and society) and dedicated to “the LGBT community” and “children struggling with their sexuality and gender,” the report aims to prompt further research to help provide the LGBT population with “the understanding, care, and support they need to lead healthy, flourishing lives.”

“This report is about science and medicine, nothing more and nothing less,” the lead author, Mayer, writes. A “sober assessment of the science” led the authors to decry the “great chasm” between “public discourse” and “what science has shown” about sexual orientation and gender identity, particularly among children. Indeed, the report indicates that many of our prevailing cultural narratives and health-care practices regarding the LGBT population have little or no sound scientific basis.

Here Are the Key Findings

The full report deserves to be read in its entirety. Several years in the making, it’s a careful, nuanced analysis of the weight of scientific evidence on sexual orientation, gender identity, and LGBT mental health. The report doesn’t shrink from findings perhaps more palatable to progressives than conservatives or vice-versa, and the authors are quick to point out existing gaps in the research. They conclude with a call for more high-quality research and “an ongoing public conversation regarding human sexuality and identity.”

That said, the report’s conclusions clearly challenge many progressive LGBT talking points. Major findings are summarized below. (Note: all quotations are from the report.)

Read here