Open Letter: ‘Transgender Rights’ Threaten Liberty and Put Children at Risk

In a call for decency, liberty, and safety, the Center for Urban Renewal and Education’s Star Parker and other conservatives published an open letter to the country’s cultural and political leaders about so-called transgender rights. An excerpt:

“The movement for ‘transgender rights’ in the United States is in need of serious scrutiny, as our federal and state governments are taking this controversial notion too far. The very concept of ‘transgender’ is of recent origin and uncertain meaning. Instead of the detailed and skeptical attention any such novelty should receive, transgender ‘rights’ are now being inscribed into federal civil rights statutes with potentially dangerous consequences, including the exploitation of children.

“We believe that there is a profound need to examine the basis of ‘transgender rights’ before framing any public policy aimed at sheltering these rights at the expense of the privacy and safety of the public. We are also concerned about the risks of harm such policies may pose to vulnerable young people who may suffer from aberrant psychological conditions. And, we are mindful that the call for transgender rights is, in some instances, part of a larger movement aimed at a fundamental transformation of marriage, family, sexual relations, and ‘gender identity’ in our society, not to mention biology.”

The letter’s signers call this policy radical and a profound expansion of federal power, one that also bypasses the U.S. Congress.

“‘Transgenderism’ itself is rare and frequently pathological, as it is associated with high suicide rates and other psychological dysfunctions,” the letter states. “Some young people, however, are vulnerable to both ‘body dysmorphia’ and to related conditions. By turning these vulnerabilities into a right to choose one’s own ‘gender,’ the advocates of transgenderism pose a significant danger to the health and safety of the people they propose to help.
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 “We urge you to join us in opposing this grave threat to children and this abject rejection of law-making by self-government, that manner by which America’s founders intended our constitutional system to function. “

Signers include Dan Forest, North Carolina Lt. Governor; Peter Wood, President, National Association of Scholars; Harry C. Alford, President/CEO, National Black Chamber of Commerce; Dr. James Dobson, Founder and President Dr. James Dobson’s Family Talk; Amy Ridenour, Chairman, The National Center for Public Policy Research; and Trayce Bradford, President, Texas Eagle Forum.

Also see Star’s appearance on EWTN about this issue.