I've spoken to a mother whose school-aged daughters' circle of friends, five biological girls, all identify somewhere between trans and nonbinary. The teachers

I've spoken to a mother whose school-aged daughters' circle of friends, five biological girls, all identify somewhere between trans and nonbinary. The teachers encourage and reward it. So do most of the parents. Among these girls it's uncool to accept the body and sex you were born with. I've read stories of similar clusters in other deep-blue cities and school districts. I believe we're seeing a massive Clever Hans effect among children whose mentors have deep moral anxiety. They grew up during the final battles and ultimate victory of the LGB rights movement, and desperately wish to avoid being seen "on the wrong side of history." Driven by this anxiety, they aggressively pursue gender-affirming care for their children. They do this even in cases where the child's discomfort may more likely result from depression, autism spectrum disorders, the normal effects of puberty, or other conditions unrelated to gender dysphoria. Their children will bear this moral panic's lasting fallout. The effects of puberty blockers are lifelong and largely unknown. The effects of mastectomies and testosterone injections are irreversible. The real shame will be felt by those who knew, but said nothing, because they didn't want to lose their personal comfort or social networks. The evidence of most trans children desisting in adulthood is clear. "For decades, follow-up studies of transgender kids have shown that a substantial majority-- anywhere from 65 to 94 percent-- eventually ceased to identify as transgender": https://www.kqed.org/futureofyou/441784/the-controversial-research-on-desistance-in-transgender-youth https://www.kqed.org/futureofyou/441784/the-controversial-re... The detransitioner phenomenon has been covered since 2017 (this article got Katie Herzog harassed and fired from The Stranger; she now runs a successful podcast with writer Jesse Singal): https://www.thestranger.com/features/2017/06/28/25252342/the-detransitioners-they-were-transgender-until-they-werent https://www.thestranger.com/features/2017/06/28/25252342/the...