Okay, But Why Are So Many People Talking About Trans Kids?

There’s a lot to be stressed about right now. We’re seeing the dissolution of our democratic norms and ideals before our very eyes.

But extremists don’t want us thinking about democracy. They want us thinking about the 5 trans kids who wanted to play soccer this year.

Just so far this year, over 900 anti-trans bills are under consideration across the country. The majority apply to kids, particularly in school. Some of the laws are frankly terrifying, like one in Florida that requires genital inspections for any kid suspected of being trans. Genital. Inspections. Of Kids.

But even anti-trans organizations can’t find more than five trans kids playing on girls’ sports teams. And at the college level, NCAA president Charlie Baker said that there are fewer than 10 transgender athletes who currently compete in college sports. That’s less than 0.002 percent!

There’s a lot of well-meaning concern for trans kids out there, but doctors are not giving children gender-affirming surgery. A Harvard study in 2019 found zero cases of gender surgery in kids under the age of 12. And for the small number of teenagers who were given surgery (2.1 per 100,000 teens), the vast majority are breast reductions for boys who aren’t trans. 97% of gender-affirming surgeries on minors are for boys who were born as boys and identify as boys and just want a smaller chest so they can continue to feel like boys.

Somehow that statistic rarely comes up when politicians are out there making speeches and passing bills against trans kids. By scaring people with fake information, politicians can drum up support while passing laws that actually harm Americans – not just trans kids, but all of us.

If you’re feeling burned out on bad news, or even burned out on empathy, we understand. But this Pride Month, we have to let trans kids know we’re paying attention and we care.

For a transcript of this episode, please email comms@redwine.blue.

You can learn more about us at www.redwine.blue or follow us on social media!

Twitter: @TheSWPpod and @RedWineBlueUSA

Instagram: @RedWineBlueUSA

Facebook: @RedWineBlueUSA

YouTube: @RedWineBlueUSA

Transcript

Okay, But Why Are So Many People Talking About Trans Kids?

CLIP: Jamie: “Dempsey is my daughter. She is so many things, trans just happens to be one of them. But she’s sassy and smart and kind and she's a diva, actually. She’s quite a diva. And what I’ve been hear her lately speak to is how she feels when she leaves the house that people view her as a monster. She doesn’t understand, cause she’s like, ‘I’m just like everyone else, I’m just born a little different.’ A kid shouldn’t have to fight for her right to exist.”

Narrator: Transgender people, and trans kids in particular, have been in the news a lot in the past few years. Transgender just means that you don’t feel comfortable with the gender that you were assigned at birth. Many trans people say they’ve known all their lives, and some only realize who they are later in life. Some, like Dempsey, are told they’re boys but are absolutely certain they’re girls. Some are girls who realize they’re actually boys. And some realize that neither gender really feels right.

If this is still all pretty new to you, don’t worry, you’re not alone! But trans people have existed for all of human history. Some historians think the Roman emperor Elagabalus, who dressed in a feminine manner and preferred to be called “Lady” instead of “Lord,” to have been what we now consider “transgender.” And across the world, many cultures have a third gender, even in the present day – like māhū in Hawaii and Two-Spirit in Ojibwe culture.

So… if trans people have always been there, why does it seem like we’re talking about them more these days?

Well, for one thing, the visibility of some high-profile trans people has inspired others to embrace their truth. That’s not to say kids are being inspired to become trans – discrimination and violence are still tragically common. No one is out there choosing a more difficult life. To be clear, it’s not that being trans is inherently difficult – it’s the rest of society that makes it difficult, from gendered children's toys to public bathrooms to hate crimes. But most trans people still say they felt they didn’t have a choice. This is just who they are. And many, like Dempsey, knew when they were way too young to understand what a celebrity or a trend even is.

Once someone realizes they’re trans, there are a few different directions they can go. They can transition socially by changing their name, their hair or clothes, or what pronouns they use (like “him” or “her”). Or they can transition physically, through hormones or surgery. These are all examples of gender-affirming care. Often people think that “gender-affirming care” only means surgery, but it can be as simple as just using a different name. Even medicines that use hormones to block or delay puberty are completely temporary – if a kid stops taking them, their puberty will start again.

There’s a lot of well-meaning concern for trans kids out there, but doctors are not giving children gender-affirming surgery. A Harvard study in 2019 found zero cases of gender surgery in kids under the age of 12. And for the small number of teenagers who were given surgery (2.1 per 100,000 teens), the vast majority are breast reductions for boys who aren’t trans. 97% of gender-affirming surgeries on minors are for boys who were born as boys and identify as boys and just want a smaller chest so they can continue to feel like boys.

Somehow, that statistic doesn’t come up very often when people talk about gender-affirming care.

But it doesn’t stop politicians from making laws about it. In 2024, over 700 anti-trans bills were proposed – everything from regulating bathrooms and sports to laws prohibiting gender-affirming care. And just so far this year, in 2025, over 900 anti-trans bills are under consideration across the country. The majority apply to kids, particularly in school, like laws that keep trans kids from playing sports. Some of the laws are frankly terrifying, like one in Florida that requires genital inspections for any kid suspected of being trans. Genital. Inspections. Of Kids.

Given how frequently we hear about laws like this, you might guess that hundreds or even thousands of trans kids are competing on sports teams. But the real number is less than ten. Even Save Women's Sports, an organization that wants to stop trans kids from competing in sports, could only find five transgender athletes competing on girls' teams. And when it comes to the college level, NCAA president Charlie Baker said that there are fewer than 10 transgender athletes who currently compete in college sports. That’s less than 0.002 percent!

Then there was this, from West Virginia Governor Jim Justice.

CLIP: Reporter: “Can you give me one example in your state of a transgender child trying to get an unfair advantage in sports? Just one example? You signed a bill about it.”
Gov Justice: “No, I can’t really tell you one. But I can tell you this, we all know what an absolute advantage boys would have playing against girls. We don’t need that.”
Reporter: “But sir, there are no examples of this happening. Why would you take your time to do this? Let’s talk about other things I can give you examples of in your state. According to U.S. News and World Report, West Virginia ranked 47th in healthcare, 48th in the economy and 50th in infrastructure. If you cannot name me a single example for me of a child doing this, why are you making this a priority?”

Narrator: She asks a very good question. Why is this such a big political issue when there are so many real issues we’re dealing with? If we want to protect kids, let’s work on our infant mortality rates. Or our youth mental crisis. According to a study by Delaware Public Health, 35% of trans kids attempt suicide, which is horrifying. But when they’re allowed to socially transition and use their preferred name, they’re 65% less likely to attempt suicide. The politicians who are passing these laws say they’re trying to protect kids, but they’re doing the exact opposite. These decisions should be made by families and doctors, not the Governor of West Virginia.

The Supreme Court just issued a ruling on United States vs. Skrmetti, upholding Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors. But puberty blocking medication is temporary, and a Harvard study found zero examples of gender-affirming surgery on children. 
With all of the attacks on democracy, why is this what politicians and the Supreme Court are spending their time on? These decisions should be made by families and doctors.



So again, why are politicians making this such a big deal? Why are there 900 anti-trans bills being debated across the country right now?

It’s a distraction. If a politician’s constituents are focused on school bathrooms and kids’ sports, maybe they won’t notice that our maternal mortality rates are going up or that three billionaires own more wealth than the bottom half of all Americans combined. It’s an issue that many people don’t know that much about unless they have a friend or family member who’s trans, and that means they’re more likely to believe misinformation.

By scaring people with fake information, politicians can drum up support while passing laws that actually harm Americans – not just trans kids, but all of us. Cuts to Social Security and Medicare, tax cuts for billionaires, book bans, women dying because of bans on life-saving reproductive care, deploying the National Guard against American citizens… that is what they’re trying to distract us from. That’s why they’re talking about transgender kids. Not because they’re new, not because they’re dangerous, but because extremists want to confuse and distract us. 

Anti-trans laws aren’t just bad for trans kids or trans adults. They’re bad for all of us. So let’s make sure our politicians know we’re not falling for their lies.

CLIP: Jamie: “It’s not really about whether you agree that transgender people do or do not exist. They exist. What it really is is showing that we’re just a normal family with regular struggles and regular challenges just like everyone else. My daughter is just a normal kid living her life.”

Sources

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/jul/10/transgender-stories-people-think-we-wake-up-and-decide-to-be-trans

http://www.glbtqarchive.com/ssh/elagabalus_S.pdf

https://hsph.harvard.edu/news/gender-affirming-surgeries-rarely-performed-on-transgender-youth/#:~:text=The%20study%20found%20no%20gender,TGD%20individuals%20prior%20to%20puberty.

https://translegislation.com/

https://www.newsweek.com/how-many-transgender-athletes-play-womens-sports-1796006

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/gender-dysphoria/in-depth/pubertal-blockers/art-20459075

https://today.yougov.com/politics/articles/41556-americans-misestimate-small-subgroups-population

https://www.msnbc.com/top-stories/latest/republicans-transgender-panic-fact-check-rcna187030

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8389767/#r2