Happy Friday!

And it’s a Happy Birthday to The Stream! (Almost) Tomorrow marks the eighth anniversary of the official launch of The Stream. Since then, we have posted over 52,000 stories. Two-thirds of them written by John Zmirak and Dr. Michael Brown. Perhaps I exaggerate. We’ve seen over 91 million page views, with our writers heard by tens of millions more in assorted radio appearances.

Most importantly, we have brought together Catholic and Protestant, mainline and charismatics, Messianic Jews and Born-Again New Agers, scholars of the highest order, housewives with the deepest Godly wisdom. Pastors and pilots. High-ranking politicians to patriotic refugees. Somber scholars and, yes, a humble comedy writer still awed by the Godly wisdom, knowledge and wit that surrounds him.

So many unique voices brought together in unity, sharing a passion to see this country righted and aligned with God’s purposes. A small band determined to connect with our brothers and sisters in the Body to illuminate the issues facing our nation, and offer hope we shall get it done in the face of a disintegrating culture that tells us a) It’s hopeless and b) shut up.

Fat chance of that happening. This year promises to bring exciting improvements to The Stream and we’re gonna keep pushing to do what we do in as many platforms as possible. (Well, my idea of using skywriting was a hard pass.) But as always, if you have ideas, suggestions, gripes, please let us know at contactus@stream.flywheelstaging.com. After all, we’re here to serve you. This is your service.

As we kick off year nine, thank you so much for your support, your sharing, and definitely your prayers. We love you all.

Transgender Mind Benders: New England Journal of Medicine Article Supporting Gender Affirming Care Actually Does the Opposite

The Stream was co-founded by Rev. James Robison and Dr. Jay Richards. Jay is now over at the Heritage Foundation focusing on the existential threat that is the transgender cult. I recently asked him, “Did you ever think even three years ago that you would be spending your days having to convince people that chopping off healthy breasts of young girls is a bad thing?”

If you have an interest in this issue, and aren’t following Jay on Twitter, @DrJayRichards, you must.

You’ll learn stuff like this: A new study in the New England Journal of Medicine trying to support “gender affirming care” actually destroys one of the myths being sold by the “gender affirming care” cult: That if you don’t allow your kid to “change” sexes, transition, have the surgery and the chemical castrations, they will commit suicide.

Lyman Stone in a remarkable thread lays out how the study’s own data shows “suicides in a cohort of transitioning youths receiving gender affirming care were 37 times as high as the background population rate for same-age Americans.” Read how Stone turns the study into confetti.

New study finds that suicides in a cohort of transitioning youths receiving gender-affirming care were were 37 times as high as the background population rate for same-age Americans. https://t.co/xx3jjKesDp

— Lyman Stone 石來民 🦬🦬🦬 (@lymanstoneky) January 25, 2023

Trans Cult Leader Admits Social Contagion Helping Drive Spike in Kids Claiming to be Transgender

The dramatic spike in kids claiming to be transgender isn’t because human biology has suddenly been thrown out of whack. No alien virus has infected humanity to start erasing gender, turning the distinction between the sexes into gobbly-goo. (Though that would make an interesting sci-fi movie.) What we’re seeing is the impact of grooming, conditioning, peer pressure … or, if you prefer, “social contagion.” And one of the loudest voices in favor of mutilating children in the cause of gender “affirmation” admits it.

Dr. Marci Bowers is President of World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH). Bowers has done over 2,000 vaginoplasties and pushes for medical intervention for youth claiming to be transgender. The male-born Marci admitted to The New York Times, “There are people in my community who will deny that there’s any sort of ‘social contagion’ — I shouldn’t say social contagion, but at least peer influence on some of these decisions,” Bowers said. “I think that’s just not recognizing human behavior.”

As Post Millennial notes, this isn’t first time Bowers has admitted the surge of teenage girls identifying as boys was a social trend.

“I think there probably are people who are influenced. There is a little bit of ‘Yeah, that’s so cool. Yeah, I kind of want to do that too,’” Bowers said in an interview with Abigail Shrier, author of Irreversible Damage.

This hasn’t stopped WPATH from pushing to remove all age requirements from Standards of Care guidelines or pushing doctors to, as Post Millennial puts it, “immediately affirm every child who declares a transgender identity.” Forget underlying issues such as autism or sex abuse. Forget that a vast percentage of youths claiming to be transgender grow out of it. Forget the traditional standards of care for other dysphorias impacting those under 18.

Forget that just because a teen thinks something is “cool” doesn’t mean it’s something healthy. It’s one thing to think it’d be cool to cut your hair into a Mohawk. Another to think it’s cool to cut off parts of your body. And it is obscene that there are adult medical professions not only allowing it, but profiting from it and pushing it. History will hold them in contempt, right up there with those who pushed eugenics and lobotomies.

So where are the medical professionals fighting back against this nonsense today? Funny you should ask.

Medical Association ‘Do No Harm’ Launches Nationwide Campaign to Protect Minors From Gender Ideology

The Do No Harm organization of medical professionals announced Thursday the launch of a new initiative “Protecting Minors from Gender Ideology.”

“The movement to promote ‘gender affirming care’ is profoundly dangerous and driven by ideology rather than evidence,” said Dr. Stanley Goldfarb, MD, chairman of Do No Harm. “At their core, medical professionals who support these efforts are violating the Hippocratic oath directive to ‘do no harm’ by ignoring key consequences of this type of ‘care,’ including the fact that underlying mental health concerns are usually not addressed.”

“Gender-affirming care” for kids also ignores the possibility of informed consent, and the understanding of the long-term dangers of “transitioning” prior to maturation.

Instead, Do No Harm is committed to “ensuring children who are diagnosed with, or believe they have, ‘gender dysphoria’ are treated with the utmost care, caution, and concern.”

Do No Harm is also providing model legislation for the states, “The JUST FACTS Act.” You can read the details here. And you can start pushing your representatives to get on board to stop the madness.

Harry Potter Author JK Rowling Blows Up Trans Cult Trolls

Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling invented the sport of quiddich. Lately, Rowling has been making sport of dispatching transgender activists trying to cancel her because of her vocal defense of womanhood and the reality of two sexes.

Her latest viral tweet, 14.9 million views and counting…

Men defining what a woman is, what women should and shouldn’t fear, what women should and shouldn’t say, what rights women should be fine with giving up and, of course, what constitutes ‘real’ misogyny: get a bloody mirror. That’s real misogyny, looking right back at you.

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) January 25, 2023

Also, as a general rule, it’s not a good idea to get snarky with a writer as gifted and clever as J.K. Rowling. A transgender billed as U.K.’s “first trans newsreader” found out the hard way.

Citation needed. pic.twitter.com/phsneRp9hZ

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) January 22, 2023

Progressive politicians who are down with the trans cult also feel Rowling’s burn.

A few of Scotland’s wonderfully progressive and kind politicians, posing proudly in front of banners calling for women to be decapitated and eaten. pic.twitter.com/satQhRojbA

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) January 21, 2023

J.K. Rowling’s place among literary giants is secure. Even as these trans activists try to have her canceled, even trying to remove her name from her books, kids and adults will be reading the Harry Potter books for generations to come. She will go down in history alongside the likes of J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis for the magical, wondrous world she crafted.

Kinda weird to think she may also go down in history simply for stating the obvious and standing her ground.

Along The Stream

You have to check out Jason Jones’ “Dilbert’s Scott Adams Admits He Was Wrong About COVID, But Misses the Crux of the Issue: the Cross.” As Jason says, we take no joy in turning out to be right.

Stream Senior Editor Nancy Flory talks to the PragerU Kids Director of Outreach about what parents can do to stop the Woke cult in schools.

 

Al Perrotta is the Managing Editor of The Stream, chief barista for The Brew and co-author, with John Zmirak, of The Politically Incorrect Guide to Immigration. You can follow him at @StreamingAl at GETTR, Gab, Parler, and now at TRUTH Social.