THE CURIOUS OFTEN OPEN DOORS THEY CANNOT CLOSE

January 12, 2022

The book I will be addressing today is just one of many transgender books marketed to kids. This book is not better or worse than others in this category. These books all contain similar content but vary in their tone and style. Most of these authors truly believe that they are helping others with body dysphoria. Readers, especially the young ones, get caught up in the emotional aspects and, out of curiosity, open the door to the personal lives of transgenders depicted on YouTube. Few topics are off-limits and the kids learn about everything from hormone therapy, top or bottom surgeries, prosthetics to make them appear to be the opposite sex, sex toys, and activism.

Few parents understand what types of information the kids are absorbing. Children flit from one new idea to another. In other words, they often change their minds. Even college students often change their majors several times. Ask a child what they want for their birthday or Christmas months before the occasion and they often change their mind as the holiday nears. The toy they thought would complete their happiness a month before is often already long forgotten.

As parents, we understand that. A problem arises, however, when a child commits to something of which they have no real understanding. Perhaps it just sounds cool or trendy. Middle-school children (as I have been told by teachers), boldly proclaim that they are lesbians, transgenders, or bisexual. Are they really any of these? As they announce their new identities, others often assume that it is true. Pride enters in and many of these children feel that they are locked-in to their declarations and don’t know what to do to remove themselves from the situation. Sometimes teachers, school counselors, LGBTQ+ groups, friends, or even family get involved and begin supporting these kids in these identities. Some of these kids are receiving much-needed attention that they may not have ever been given before. Even when the doubts have set in, they continue on this path.

This is a lengthy article. I realize that. If you want to understand what happens when a child opens this door, please take the time to read this article carefully and follow the links. The books for preschoolers about transgenders are a dime a dozen these days. The fanciful illustrations and short text paint an illusive picture. What is the reality? What will a child have to do to be able to portray him/herself as the opposite sex? Is there a point when this is achieved or does this process have to continue until death?

The following will give a brief glimpse into “what is behind the door.”

 

  

 

Trans Mission: My Quest to a Beard, by Alex Bertie, was published by Little, Brown and Company in 2017. Amazon describes this book for Grades 7and up:

Alex Bertie is a transgender YouTuber from rural Dorset [England]. While still attending school at just 14, he started making videos on sexuality and gender identity, and continues to do so today with weekly uploads that reach around 330,000 subscribers.

In a nutshell, the book is about Bertie’s transition from a female-to-male transgender.

“I was categorized as a girl at birth and identified as female until I was fifteen, when I finally realized I was a transgender man. (p 4)

As expected, this is a book about a female concluding she is really a male. The book covers Bertie’s past misery and confusion, figuring out she is in the wrong body, types of binders, packers, hormones, discussions of both top and bottom surgeries, support groups, and available resources, which include “Rights and Support” with the web addresses for the ACLU, GLAAD, the Human Rights Campaign, and the National Center for Transgender Equality.

On page 77 of Trans Mission, Bertie states that “[m]ost of the young people I meet have trans YouTubers like Chase Ross or Stef Sanjati to look up to. These are people who put out appropriate, educational content for kids of a similar age to themselves.” Years have passed since Bertie wrote those words, so perhaps he may have changed his mind about that statement. However, the young readers will take this at face value and run to watch these YouTube channels.

I went to YouTube and entered “Chase Ross.” Chase is a Female-to-Male Transgender with 173,000 subscribers and 878 videos posted. Chase started hormones in June 2010 and had top surgery in May 2013.

The first video that appeared on the screen of these “appropriate, educational content” videos was posted December 22, 2021, and as of January 11, 2022 has 4,633 views. Titled “Your Rules Prosthetics Unboxing” features three silicone “packers.” Your Rules is a company that makes prosthetics for trans and queer people. When I Google “Your Rules,” a warning comes up on my screen that “some results may be explicit.”

For those who are yet unfamiliar with “packers,” Wikipedia defines them:

Packing is wearing padding or a phallic object in the front of the pants or underwear to give the appearance of having a penis or bulge. Packing is commonly practiced by trans men. People who cross-dress as male may also "pack."

The end of that video features a link to another of Chase’s videos. This December 4th video, “Freddie (Great for Butt Stuff) Review,” gives additional “appropriate, educational content” about a sex toy used for anal sex--Freddie Dildo. Chase explains the necessity of using the one that is slightly smaller for beginners. 

Stef Sanjati is the other YouTuber Alex Bertie mentioned. In 2020, Sanjati stopped producing new videos for the “Stef Sanjati” YouTube channel. This YouTube channel with 580,000 subscribers currently has 208 available videos. There is a graphic video of Sanjati’s own facial feminization surgery. Sanjati is a male to female transgender.

Facial feminization surgery (FFS) is described as:

. . . a surgery that involves the cosmetic modification of your facial characteristics.

The goal is to soften masculinized features into a shape more typically recognized as feminine. FFS is commonly pursued by transgender women or assigned male at birth (AMAB) non-binary trans people. It can appeal to cisgender women as well.

There are 1000+ videos available on these two YouTube channels that curious children can binge watch.

On page 79, Bertie tells the readers that “. . . the word ‘transgender’ opened a door that led me to find support online through videos and blogs.” Do you really think that kids are not opening this same door that Alex Bertie entered?

“I discovered whole communities of people who made me feel like I wasn’t so different and alone. Initially I found an American trans YouTuber in his twenties named Skylar who had been on testosterone for years and was going through surgery at the time. He’d also uploaded these transition timelines where he’d compare his body and voice every month to years gone by, to show his changes. Sky’s videos were a whole new world for me; I had no idea someone as young as he was could transition, or how much hormone treatment and surgery could do to help ease  dysphoria. . . .” (p 79)

I entered “Skylar transgender” on YouTube and found this Skylarkeleven channel. Skylar is a female-to-male transgender who has 111,000 subscribers. The “Three Years on Testosterone” video from ten years ago has 1,003,655 views. 

On a 2018 Skylarkeleven video, Skylar gushes over the Silver Play Button award from YouTube signifying 100,000 subscribers.

In the comments below this video, a viewer writes:

Mae Wlodarczyk 3 years ago
First of all, congrats! Second, I have to admit that this is the first videos [sic] of yours that I’ve watched. I found out about you from a book that I noticed in the library. I looked at the cover and new [sic] that I had seen it before (I’ve looked online for LGBT+ books). Today I read a few chapters, and I just wanted to thank you. As I was reading the book, I felt as though I was immersed in it. I completely forgot about my surroundings, about my family being transphobic, about everything. Reading those few chapters gave me a peace that I haven’t felt in a while. So thank you, Skylar. I really needed that.

Skylar Kergil did write a book for young adults. The original publication date of that book-- Before I Had the Words: On Being a Transgender Young Adult, was 2017. It sounds as if the Wlodarczyk was referring to Kergil’s book.

Kids do read these books and then begin watching these videos (or watch the videos and then read the books). Most parents are unaware of the books their children are reading or the content of the YouTube videos they are watching. Since this has become the child’s secret world, there is no guidance from parents; any questions asked are answered by members of this new-found community.

Chapter 8 is all about chest binding. Bertie mentions the Peecock company which makes female-to-male aids such as binders and stand-to-pee devices. How long do you think it will take kids to Google that company?

Of course, each of these books has to play the “happiness card.”

“If coming out to others, such as friends or a partner, doesn’t go well, it’s important to remember that you can’t let anyone hold you back from being happy, no matter what. If transitioning is something you need to do and you put it on hold because of someone else, you will regret it. Why live your life being unhappy just because somebody can’t deal with change? If someone is really against you transitioning and is threatening you in any way, they’re selfish and not worth it. You need people in your life who are supportive of your happiness.” (p 114)

It’s important to mention that Alex Bertie lives in England.

“I decided to go through the public National Health Service (NHS) because I would never have been able to pay for it myself for the rest of my life. Hormones would cost far more, surgery would be too expensive, and the regular psychotherapy appointments would really add up.” (p 148)

“I’m incredibly fortunate in that my surgery was free and paid for by the UK’s health care service, but I’m acutely aware that this isn’t the case for most other people around the world. I’ve heard numbers ranging from $6,000 to $10,000 for top surgery in the United States, which is why you’ll find hundreds of fundraisers online from guys looking for help. The next time you’re feeling like doing a good deed and have some spare cash lying around, please consider finding one of these fundraisers online and donating. Surgery is an impossible dream for some.” (p 195)

“Without our free UK health care service, I wouldn’t have had access to treatment for a long time, which would have seriously damaged my mental health.” (p 201)

This begs the question: If you had to pay for this on your own, would it be worth it to you? In our “we want everything right now” society, the mental health card has to be played to coerce the government, friends, insurance companies, etc., to pay up NOW. After all, the suicide rates are through the roof, and those hindering a fast and free solution to this problem are responsible for these deaths. On the other hand, those pushing for these practices to be done quickly just want these kids to transition before they change their minds.

“Gender is starting to be recognized as more of a spectrum than just as two opposite possibilities: male or female. Some people feel totally male, some feel totally female, some are a bit of both, some are 75 percent one way, and others are neither. This greater understanding is an amazing thing, and the sooner professionals in clinics are on board with it, the better the treatment options will be.” (p 155)

“All that matters is being your true self.” (p 155)

“True self” or “authentic self” are words that are thrown around like candy. These words have been so redefined that they have become meaningless. Removing or adding body parts to become one’s “authentic” self?

“These days, I believe that sexuality is fluid and that I’m going to like who I like, regardless of their gender. The word for this is “pansexual.” It allows me to say, “Hey, I don’t care if you’re a guy, girl, both, neither, or whatever—if I like you, I like you.” (p 216)

The term “pansexual” is used more frequently these days to signify the belief that there are “guys, girls, both, neither, or whatever” as Bertie mentions. Proclaiming oneself to be bisexual has become exclusionary since it only allows a preference for males or females.

On page 232, Bertie shares about buying condoms with a lesbian friend, blowing them up, and setting them free in front of a church for a YouTube video. Is there a message in that act?

On page 235, Bertie discusses future videos:

“My hope is that I help, inform, and educate anyone curious enough to watch. In December 2014, I began a series called The Quest to Alex’s Beard to document every step of my journey through the health care system to transition. I stuck to it, updating my subscribers on every appointment and letter leading up to April 2016 when I finally started  testosterone. I can’t begin to explain how amazing it felt to have so many people out there offering me support and advice during the hardest moments. The quest is definitely not over; I plan to have the series follow my journey through my further changes on T and beyond to really show what a trans person has to go through to reach happiness.” (p 233-235)

Are these books harmless? Where are they leading children? Are schools quick to reinforce these ideas, unbeknownst to parents? If you are oblivious to what your children are reading, what they are watching, what they are really being taught in school, and who is influencing them, by the time you find out the “authentic” truth, it’s going to be too late.

Let’s stop trying to be woke and wake up. Read this article carefully. Go to the links and videos so that you can understand what is happening to our children. These things are done in plain sight. Adults are just afraid to look. It’s just easier to pretend these things don’t exist.

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6

Let’s face it. We’ve turned the training of our children over to strangers. Why should we expect a different outcome?

 

Deborah DeGroff
Between the Covers: What's Inside a Children's Book?
whatsinsidechildrensbooks.com

 

 

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