Dr. Alexis Chavez: South Dakota law puts transgender youth lives at risk to forward a fear-mongering agenda

NBC "News" ^ | January 30, 2020 | By Dr. Alexis Chavez

[Oldeconomybuyer]

Denying transgender patients best-practice medical care is dangerous and harmful. Yet, state legislators in South Dakota, Florida and South Carolina have introduced legislation that would criminalize medically necessary care for transgender minors.

Gender-affirming care clearly demonstrates positive effects on mental health outcomes and overall psychological well-being, along with decreased suicidality. The proposed bill in South Dakota would make the provision of this lifesaving care a class 1 misdemeanor, threatening doctors with imprisonment. The bill, House Bill 1057, passed in the Statehouse by a vote of 46-23 late Wednesday. It now heads to the state Senate.

As the medical director at the world's largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ youth, I can tell you that these bills not only contradict reality and majority medical opinion in the United States - they would also put young lives in jeopardy.

We all agree that our nation’s youth deserve to be protected. In order to thrive, young people should be loved and provided for, with the care and support that they need - not used as political pawns to forward a fear-mongering agenda. We must listen to medical professionals, educate parents and legislators on the health of transgender youth, and correct the misinformation circulating on this issue. Affirming transgender youths saves lives.

[Oldeconomybuyer]

Dr. Alexis Chavez is the medical director for The Trevor Project, the world’s largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ young people.

[cuban leaf]

So, looks like you can be a doctor and still be really stupid.

[DoughtyOne]

I pity the poor kids trying to grow up in what has become the nightmare of our education psychology and government climates these days.

Hell, I’d be suicidal just having to deal with their immorality.

[PGR88]

The direct cause of various pathologies of LGBTQ people (suicide, addiction, violence from other homosexuals) is their own sexuality and behavior.

Its like trying to prevent lung cancer while encouraging people to smoke as much as they want.

[brianr10]

I thought Johns Hopkins stopped doing these because they were still committing suicide anyway.

[shelterguy]

“””””””So, looks like you can be a doctor and still be really stupid.””””””””””””

She is a psychiatrist. A lot of them are nuts.

[marktwain]

It is a pure opinion piece.

No data or facts.

[Reily]

I think Hopkins found it actually increased the tendency for suicide.

[circlecity]

"I think Hopkins found it actually increased the tendency for suicide."

It absolutely did. That's why the Hopkins surgeon who pioneered sex change surgery gave it up because it increased rather than decreased the mental issues of his patients.

[fireman15]

When “best practice” means performing physical alterations to a person with a mental disorder... maybe its time to start examining the cognitive abilities of the “doctors”.

[lepton]

Gender-affirming care clearly demonstrates positive effects on mental health outcomes and overall psychological well-being, along with decreased suicidality

---

It initially does, as it not only reduces stress between their environment and their delusion, but both affirms them as special and gives them a sense of control over others. Then, when it becomes clear that the underlying issue has not been addressed, and especially if they’ve gone through surgical modification, it becomes much, much worse.

[libertylover]

We all agree that our nation’s youth deserve to be protected.

Yes, they need to be protected from the likes of this writer and others who deny the truth but who have power.

[Telepathic Intruder]

"according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, LGBTQ youth are more than four times more likely to attempt suicide than their peers, and up to 50 percent of all trans people have made a suicide attempt."

But physically mutilating them is the "cure"? No, there is some other reason they are mentally unstable than not getting their pee pee chopped off.

[lepton]

She is a psychiatrist. A lot of them are nuts.

---

Most of them sought out the profession *because* they are nuts. There are numerous enough studies clearly showing it that even within the profession it is broadly accepted. The only real argument is whether their own mental health issues are helpful.

[rktman]

Beekins van lines operates there I believe.

[Gay State Conservative]

Suicide is all too often the final chapter when one adopts a breathtakingly delusional attitude toward life.That's also true when one’s *parents* adopt such an attitude toward their son or daughter.Maybe this dame should be working to convince the world that boys aren't girls and that girls aren't boys.

[dfwgator]

I too agree that having a sex-change will make one more suicidal, because inevitably they are disappointed with the results, after building up in their minds for years that it will “fix everything.”

[noiseman]

Anyone else notice that Dr. “Alexis” Chavez has an Adam’s apple? “Alexis” is a dude (not that this is surprising or anything, given the context).

[JimRed]

Is Ms. Alexis a former Alex?

[ChildOfThe60s]

It initially does, as it not only reduces stress between their environment and their delusion, but both affirms them as special and gives them a sense of control over others. Then, when it becomes clear that the underlying issue has not been addressed, and especially if they’ve gone through surgical modification, it becomes much, much worse.

Well put and right on the money.

With the left, the reason they do what they think is a good deed is to make themselves feel better, not to actually help the recipient of their perverted largesse.