transgender

The ‘Trans’ Fad is Dying – Long May it Rest

It’s no longer as much in fashion to be sexually confused.

According to a new survey from The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), the percentage of undergraduate students in the United States identifying as other than their actual male or female sex has dropped from 6.8% in 2022 and 2023 to 3.6% in 2025.

Long suspected as being a social contagion as opposed to an inherent genetic or biological construct, the dramatic drop confirms what many of us have believed – the “trans” movement is a destructive fad.

So, what’s behind the shift?

“This is the biggest indicator yet that we aren’t just winning politically but the entire culture is shifting and waking up to the horrors of gender ideology,” wrote de-transitioner Chloe Cole on X. “Let’s finish the job! Every de-transitioner should sue their doctors for every penny they have.”

Elon Musk agreed.

“Yes, time to restore sanity and truth,” he responded. “What a terrible lie to tell a child they have the ‘wrong’ body.”

The new data also found that freshmen were less likely than seniors to fall for the delusionary labels – additional indication that the “trans” movement is akin to fading fashion trends like wide-legged jeans – only with deadly consequences.

Some have speculated that the drop is driven by a constellation of factors, including a corresponding decline in mental illness and depression, along with a successful or at least increasingly effective campaign against the woke propaganda infiltrating schools and social media.

While the trend is promising and revealing, it once again exposes the heartbreaking torture that far too many young people have endured and encountered over the years, often at the hands of adults who knew better but who refused to confront the cultural insanity.

“It’s horrific what they put me through when I look back on some of the things they told me and my parents,” Cole acknowledged. ‘Would you rather have a living transgender son or a dead daughter?’”

That manipulative and destructive line of defense and justification has enslaved thousands of young people in recent years.

Earlier this year, President Trump signed an executive order banning the surgical mutilation of children. In June, the Department of Justice announced plans to target medical professionals and institutions experimenting on sexually-confused children with the use of drugs, hormones and surgeries.

Attorney General Pam Bondi stated:

There is a radical ideological agenda being pushed throughout every aspect of American life – from TV programming and Hollywood film production to children’s books and elementary school classrooms – that teaches children to deny biological reality.

Gender ideology, masked as science, teaches that children should process adolescent stress and confusion as a case of mistaken identity and that the solution is not to root out and eliminate the underlying condition but to acquiesce in it permanently through life-altering chemical and surgical intervention.

It can’t be coincidental that the significant drop in “trans”-identifying youth corresponds with the arrival of a president who unapologetically affirms the biological reality of just two sexes – male and female. Unconcerned with offending the deluded, Trump’s use of the bully pulpit to declare common sense has a cumulative effect on culture.

Highly impressionable young people, especially, are hungry for guidance and leadership. They are poorly served when their confusion is affirmed, enabled, and compounded by the lies and lunacy of radicals who make things up and try and destroy and redefine God’s perfect and exclusive creation of male and female.

Image from Getty.

Oregon High Schoolers Walk Out Over Boy in Girls Locker Room

Dozens of students and parents participated in a walkout at an Oregon high school last week to protest school policy allowing boys to use girls bathrooms and locker rooms.

The student-led event took place at Roseburg High School on October 8. Boys and girls alike left their seventh period class to join a crowd of supportive adults outside. They lined the street outside the school, waving signs proclaiming girls’ right to privacy.

“Honk to support our girls privacy,” one sign read.

“This all ends when enough of us say no,” proclaimed another bright orange marker.

Shannon Miller helped her daughter, Kyleigh, organize the walkout after Roseberg allowed a transgender-identified boy to change in the locker room.

Shannon told journalist Rick Dancer she met with the high school’s principle after learning two boys had been using the girls bathroom and locker rooms. The administration agreed to ask both male students if they would be willing to use the school’s private changing stalls and gender-neutral bathrooms.

One student agreed. The other continued using girls facilities.

The school told Shannon nothing else could be done because Oregon law prohibits discrimination based on gender identity in public schools. The administration suggested Kyleigh and other young women uncomfortable with boys in their bathrooms and locker rooms use the private facilities instead.

Multiple students say the private bathrooms are located in an auxiliary building and require a teacher to unlock the doors.

Roseburg High’s argument about upholding Oregon law is a cop-out.

True, the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) claims state antidiscrimination law protects students’ “right” to use bathrooms and locker rooms consistent with their subjective gender identity, rather than their biological sex. It warns preemptively ordering transgender-identified students to change in a private area could be considered discrimination.

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, one of the most left-leaning appellate courts in the country, affirmed ODE’s interpretation of Oregon law in 2020.

But policies and verdicts like these defy federal guidance on Title IX, which requires federally funded educational programs to segregate sports, bathrooms and locker rooms by sex. The federal government is working to withhold federal education funding from Oregon and several other states with laws that contradict Title IX.

Less than two weeks ago, the U.S. Departments of Education and Health and Human Services ordered Minnesota to revise policies allowing boys to compete in girls sports in public schools, noting, “To the extent state law conflicts with Title IX, federal law preempts state law.”

The Department of Education launched an investigation into ODE for Title IX violations in July.

Shannon and Kyleigh Miller say Roseburg High’s position proves women have fewer rights in Oregon than transgender-identified men.

“[The school] is telling me the state law says that those who identify as the other gender have essentially more rights than Kyleigh … and every other girl in Oregon — or boy, if this was flip-flopped,” Shannon told Dancer.

“I take that to mean these transgender-identified students’ right to be comfortable and to feel safe and to have privacy is more important than the rest of the students’ at Roseburg High.”

Students at the walkout seemed similarly fed-up with the school’s inaction.

“We just want to create a safe environment for all of us,” one student told a reporter. “When [boys] come into the [girls locker room] … it creates a dangerous place for us [girls], because there’s no one in those bathrooms making sure we are going to be safe.”

Locker rooms had similarly lax supervision, another student claimed.

The students demonstrated enormous courage to stand up for themselves in a school, district and state that routinely labels girls with expectations of privacy “transphobic,” “bigoted” or “discriminatory.”

Their participation is even more impressive given the school allegedly tried to quash the walkout. Students say the administration threatened to cancel homecoming and hand out detentions and suspensions.

Video of an administrative meeting following the walkout shows an adult reading written remarks from a student who wished to stay anonymous for fear of retaliation.

“[Admin at Roseburg] made it pretty clear they felt the need to scare children today about the walkout,” the adult commented.

The anonymous student’s story is at once ridiculous and heartbreakingly familiar. She doesn’t want to wear her nice school clothes to weight training, but she also doesn’t want to change out in front of a boy.

“Why do grown adults keep putting young girls in one of the most awkward, uncomfortable, unbearable situations?” she asks in the letter, concluding:

If [I] can’t even hold a guy’s hand because [I’m] too scared, then having a guy be in [my] locker room watching [me] dress in a bra and underwear scares [me] even more.

The brave students who participated in the Roseburg High walkout deserve the highest praise for taking a risk in service of what is right. Advocates for biological reality everywhere should be taking notes.

Additional Articles and Resources

California Students battle to Protect Girls’ Private Spaces in Schools

Yes, Girls Care When Boys Take Their Trophies

Minnesota Allowed Boys to Compete on Six Girls Teams, Federal Investigation

Transgender Ideology is Inherently Destructive

Transgender Ideology is Inherently Destructive, Part 2

Why the Move to Re-Pathologize ‘Trans’ Identity is Important

Genspect, a grassroots educational organization standing in direct opposition to gender ideology, is calling for what they call the “re-psychopathologization” of “transgender” identities. It is an important move for which they are getting expected pushback.

Yes, re-psychopathologization is an uncommon word in most people’s vocabulary, but it simply means reestablishing “trans” identity, not as something to be celebrated and affirmed, but as a psychological state of ill-health to be compassionately treated clinically in the mind of the individual.

As Mia Hughes, research analyst and author of the groundbreaking WPATH Files, explained at the September Genspect conference in Albuquerque, the “monster” in gender ideology is not necessarily the doctors performing experimental, body-modifying medicine on young people. The actual culprit is “an idea; the false belief that being transgender is innate, healthy and something to celebrate.” She stated this “is what is causing all the devastation.” And as a result, she explains, “to be absolutely clear, an entire field of medicine [“gender affirming care”] was built on a false belief; a fiction created by a political movement to serve its own agenda.”

Thus, no one is transgender.

As Focus on the Family has explained, “transgender’ means many different things … and nothing.The American Psychiatric Association explains transgender is “a non-medical term that has been used increasingly since the 1990s as an umbrella term” for anyone who rejects their biological sex believing their mind can be sexed differently than their body. There is no scientific discovery establishing this assumption.

These facts are why Genspect explains, “Re-psychopathologization means restoring transgender identities to their proper place in psychiatry – as conditions of the mind requiring careful therapeutic attention, rather than celebrating them as healthy identities.”

They also explain the term re-psychopathologization is “not an accident of phrasing, nor an unfortunate choice of words.” Nor is it an uncompassionate statement. Genspect hold it “is a deliberate and necessary response to the catastrophic decision made by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) in 2010 to “‘de-psychopathologize’ transgender identities.” That effort to depathologized “trans” identity in clinical practice continues today in examples here, here, here and here.

Genspect correctly holds that you cannot successfully and compassionately treat a condition if you hold an incorrect belief about the thing itself. They explain re-psychopathologization “is a call to restore clarity, compassion, and safeguarding by recognizing that transgender identification is not innate or biologically determined, but an all-consuming pathological belief heavily influenced by culture.”

They see this an essential act of restoring clarity in medicine as “psychiatry must address pathological beliefs rather than collude with them.” It is also a way to restore genuine compassion for people, as those “caught in this cultural wave are innocent victims who need help and support, not experimental body modification in the name of a political ideology.”

Why Now?

Genspect launched its de-psychopathologization effort because “it is now clear that the experiment of ‘gender-affirming care’ has failed.” This is evidenced in many recent factors. One is this year’s June 18thU.S. Supreme Court decision in United States v. Skrmetti which rejected the idea that access to experimental “trans-affirming” procedures is a constitutional right. Second, countries such as Denmark, Sweden, Finland, France, and England have reviewed the evidence and moved away from allowing drug and surgical experimentation on children in the name of gender ideology. Third, people are increasingly learning of the harms gender policies are having on women, here, here, here and here, as just a few examples.

Genspect explains, “It is time to recognize transgender identification for what it is: a pathological belief requiring careful psychiatric attention, not celebration and widespread medicalization.”

This understanding is more medically and scientifically accurate. As such, it will serve mothers and fathers, children and the clinicians who serve them better.

Related Articles and Resources

If you or someone you know is struggling with transgenderism or other sexuality issues, and you don’t know where to turn, Focus on the Family is here to help.

Focus offers a one-time counseling consultation with a licensed or pastoral counselor free of charge thanks to generous donor support. If you would like to request a consultation with Focus’ Counseling Department, call 1-855-771-HELP (4357) weekdays from 6:00 AM to 8:00 PM (Mountain Time) or complete our Counseling Consultation Request Form.

New Research Shows ‘Transgender’ Identity Dramatically Driven by Immaturity

‘Transgender’ Means Many Different Things — and Nothing

American Academy of Pediatrics Captured by Gender Ideology; Mainstream Professionals Are Calling Them Out

Transgenderism and Minors: What Does the Research Really Show?

What Does it Mean to Be Trans, Anyway?

Do Not Fall for the ‘Affirm Them or They Will Die’ Lie

New Research Confirms Previous Findings: Most Gender Confused Kids Desist

The Shifting Ground of ‘Gender-Affirming Care’

How the “Trans” and Gender Redefinition Issue Attacks the Family

How to Respond to “Trans” and Gender Ideology? Simple: Live Not by Lies

Are Sex and Gender Different Things?

No, Trans Rights Are Certainly NOT Human Rights

The Embarrassing Crack-Up of the LGBT Project

Yes, Transgenderism is a False Belief System

Image from Shutterstock.

Gender Ideology Activists Don’t Experience the Consequences of Their Actions, Rowling Observes

People who advance gender ideology rarely experience the practical consequences of their activism.

Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling expertly articulated this point last week in an X post addressing tension between herself and actress Emma Watson, who played Hermione in the Harry Potter movie franchise.

Watson is among the professional and personal allies Rowling has lost for refusing to accept that men can “identify” as women.

“I wasn’t a multimillionaire at fourteen,” Rowling wrote in the post. “I lived in poverty while writing the book that made Emma famous.”

“I therefore understand from my own life experience what the trashing of women’s rights in which Emma has so enthusiastically participated means to women and girls without her privileges.”

Watson publicly distanced herself from Rowling in 2020. Days after Rowling publicly articulated her position on gender ideology, Watson took to social media and declared:

Trans people are who they say they are and deserve to live their lives without being constantly questioned or told they aren’t who they say they are.

“I want my trans followers to know that I and so many other people around the world see you, respect you and love you for who you are,” Watson followed up, implying Rowling’s belief in science meant she didn’t — or couldn’t — respect the inherent dignity of people experiencing sexual identity confusion.

Rowling refused to address Watson’s ongoing comments for five years until Watson professed to “love and treasure” her on the Jay Shetty podcast in September.

“Adults can’t expect to cozy up to an activist movement that regularly calls for a friend’s assassination, then assert their right to the former friend’s love,” Rowling explained.

But the crux of the author’s post focused less on the women’s personal relationship and more on the crucial fact that Emma Watson will likely never face the real-world impacts of her activism.

“Emma has so little experience of real life she’s ignorant of how ignorant she is,” Rowling began, continuing:

She’ll never need a homeless shelter. She’s never going to be placed on a mixed sex public hospital ward … Her ‘public bathroom’ is single occupancy and comes with a security man standing outside the door.

She further asked:

Has [Watson] had to strip off in a newly mixed-sex changing room at a council-run swimming pool? Is she ever likely to need a state-run rape crisis center that refuses to guarantee an all-female service? To find herself sharing a prison cell with a male rapist who’s identified into a women’s prison?

Watson isn’t alone; many of the most vocal gender ideology proponents will never experience the real-world consequences of their chosen ideology

The politicians who allow men to live in women’s prisons do not have to share cells with violent offenders, like female inmates in Washington do.

The school administrators who equate sex-segregated bathrooms and locker rooms with “sexual harassment” will never have to change in front of a member of the opposite sex.

The coaches who groom girls to help integrate boys onto girls sports teams will never take second place to a male athlete in a high school championship.

Believers should take two points away from Rowling’s argument. First, activists should always concern themselves, not just with the intentions or aspirations of a given ideology, but the practical consequences of implicating them.

Second, we should be fundamentally wary of powerful people who espouse beliefs that do not affect them personally. There is political and social incentive for leaders to uncritically push whatever view they deem “empathetic.”

But true kindness requires more than nice-sounding lip-service. It necessitates the hard work of determining policy impacts and opposing those that harm people — even if it’s unpopular.

Additional Articles and Resources

Male Offenders Harm Dozens of Female Inmates in Women’s Prison

Violent Male Offender Beats Up Female Inmate in Women’s Prison

Federal Investigation Finds Loudoun County Violated Boys’ Title IX Rights

Yes, Girls Care When Boys Take Their Trophies

DOJ’s Lawsuit Describes California Department of Education’s Infuriating Treatment of Girls

California Interscholastic Federation ‘Gender Diversity Toolkit’ Reveals Extent of Radical ‘Transgender Participation

J.K. Rowling Attacked For Saying Male Rapists Aren’t Women – No Matter How They ‘Identify’

J.K. Rowling Defends Women Against Transgender Agenda, Gets Attacked

Praising J.K. Rowling’s Unwavering Courage and Clarity on the ‘Trans’ Issue  

J.K. Rowling Explains Why She – a Liberal – Is Opposed to Gender Ideology

J.K. Rowling Calls Trans Procedures on Children ‘Worst Medical Scandal in a Century’

J.K. Rowling Speaks Out Against Transgenderism and Cancel Culture, ‘It’s Going to Have to Be Me, Isn’t It?’

SCOTUS May Hear Colorado Family’s Case: Can Schools Secretly Transition Students?

On Monday, the United States Supreme Court met privately to consider cases for the new term beginning next week. Among them is a case involving a Colorado family whose daughter was secretly transitioned by a public school district.

The case has garnered national attention in the ongoing debate over parental rights in education. The family is hoping the Court will take the case and use it to affirm parental rights against school districts that attempt to usurp the authority of fit parents to direct the care, upbringing and education of their children.

Background

The case, Lee v. Poudre School District R-1, involves complaints from two families, the Lees and the Juriches, in Colorado. They allege that the school district’s policies on gender identity intentionally excluded parents from critical decisions involving their children.

According to their lawsuit, the Lees’ 12-year-old daughter was invited to attend an “art club,” but the meeting turned out to be a Gender and Sexuality Club.

In an exclusive interview with the Daily Citizen, Erin Lee explained, “At the meeting, adults told her daughter that if she wasn’t entirely comfortable in her biological sex, she was trans. Activists informed her she was queer if she wasn’t sure who she was sexually attracted to, and they advised the kids that it was ok to lie to her parents about the meeting.”

The families argue that the school district’s policies fostered an environment that discourages disclosure to parents and even promotes secrecy. They allege that these policies and practices violate the constitutional right of parents to control the upbringing and care of their children.

Lower Court Rulings

The district court dismissed the case, finding that there was no plausible constitutional violation.  

The Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the lower court’s decision, concluding that the families did not sufficiently link the alleged harms to official district policy.

Legal Theories

The families claim the school district’s actions violate the Fourteenth Amendment’s Due Process Clause, which the courts have interpreted as securing the rights of parents to direct the upbringing and education of their children.

They argue that the Constitution presumes parents are the natural guardians of their children and that the state cannot displace them from this role without compelling justification.

The school district maintains that its policies are designed to protect student privacy and foster a supportive environment. They claim that the policies are administrative choices, and the school district has ultimately discretion over their policies.

Lee Family Remarks

Erin Lee spoke with the Daily Citizen about standing up for her family and for all the families that have had their rights infringed,

I’ve connected with so many other parents who’ve had their children, their families and their rights violated by public schools keeping secrets and encouraging their children to keep those secrets from parents. This is such a ubiquitous issue that has harmed thousands.

I feel blessed that we were able to rescue our daughter from the throes of wrong-sex confusion and protect her from the harms of chemical & surgical mutilation. This lawsuit is for our girls and our families. But it is also about every other parent who has been in our shoes.

Impact

If the Supreme Court agrees to hear this case, the implications could be far-reaching.

A decision in favor of the families could reestablish the presumption that the parents, not schools, have the right to direct their children on sensitive topics like identity and religion.

A ruling against the school district would force school districts to be more transparent about their policies.

A holding in favor of parents could also give more parents the confidence to challenge other educational debates in public schools, including curriculum content, religious accommodations, health decisions and parental opt-outs.

A decision about whether the court will take the case this term is expected on Monday, October 6.

The Daily Citizen will continue covering this developing story.

Related Articles and Resources

Erin and Jon have a documentary, Art Club, telling their story. Watch online for free.

To learn more about Erin’s advocacy for children and parents, visit her account on X or her website.

‘Art Club’ Documentary — One Family’s Escape from Gender Ideology, and the Bigger Trend Sweeping the Nation

Exclusive Interview: Colorado Parents Expose ‘Gender Cult’ at Public School in New Documentary

Focus on the Family Urges Congressional Leaders to Respect Parental Rights

Focus on the Family exists to help families, and that includes help navigating the issues of homosexuality and transgenderism. Focus offers a free, one-time counseling consultation with a licensed or pastoral counselor. To request a counseling consultation, call 1-855-771-HELP (4357) or fill out our Counseling Consultation Request Form.

Homosexuality Resources

Transgender Resources

Understanding Homosexuality

Image from Shutterstock.