I grew up as a California liberal and voted Democrat in every election. In 2021, I changed my voting registration to Independent and consider myself "politically homeless." I have many friends who are conservative and they are lovely people. You can read more about my political journey here.
I'm an Investigative Reporter covering the sex and gender beat for The Daily Wire. Working for a conservative publication allows me to write about the topic most important to me. The Daily Wire has incredibly high editorial standards and a thorough fact-check process and I enjoy working for them. You can find my work here.
There are some gender critical feminists who are anti-porn, anti-sex work, anti-surrogacy and unwilling to work alongside trans adults who oppose the medical transition of minors. I do not share these beliefs, I am more of a libertarian in the sense that I believe adults for the most part should do what they want.
Minors are not able to fully comprehend nor consent to the permanent effects of medical transition. I have friends who are transgender adults. Like me, they believe medical transition is a decision for adults to make. Exercising caution when it comes to children is not an unreasonable position, especially when it comes to the sterilizing effects of medical transition.
My beliefs about religion are heavily influenced by the books I’ve read by a few of my favorite authors: Sam Harris, Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins.
I studied biology in college, and was particularly interested in parasitology and evolution. I read every book on skepticism and debunking pseudoscience I could find. I did not end up pursuing a career in science, however I utilize what I learned to help debunk the pseudoscience of gender identity.
In college, I was a respite caregiver for special needs children and young adults. I have illustrated three children's books.
I was late-diagnosed with Asperger's. Because traits present differently in girls, and autism was thought to be a "boys' disorder," many girls often don't receive a diagnosis until later in life, if at all. You can learn more about autism in women here.
If you want to reach me DM on twitter or email: buttonslives@gmail.com
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The pseudoscience of “gender identity” hails from the most intellectually bankrupt sectors of the social sciences. Gender identity ideology posits that everyone has a “gender identity” that is separate from their body. Gender ideologues are Cartesian dualists, viewing the relationship between one’s body and gender identity similar to how many religions view bodies as being vessels for a separate immaterial soul.
Gender ideologues believe that you, your gender identity, can literally be “born in the wrong body” or “misaligned” with the body, and their solution to correct the “mismatch” is by altering the body through drugs and surgeries.
A mismatch is identified based on stereotypes, such as when a girl likes sports and the color blue, some conclude she must actually be a boy, instead of simply a girl with stereotypically masculine interests and preferences.
Rather than teach children to embrace their individuality, gender ideologues reinforce stereotypes by insisting that if girls like boy things, they must really be a boy—and if boys like girl things, they must really be a girl.
These gender nonconforming kids are told they were “born in the wrong body” or their “gender identity” is misaligned with their body, and that the body can be “corrected” to match the gender identity with puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and surgeries.
Evidence shows that "social transition" (adopting a new name and pronouns) sets children down an iatrogenic pathway to puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgeries. These medical interventions have irreversible effects and are prescribed at an alarming rate, despite what activists claim.
Evidence currently indicates that 60-90% of children who identify as transgender who do not socially or medically transition will no longer identify as transgender in adulthood, most of which generally turn out to be regular gay and lesbian adults.
Medical organizations in the U.S. that endorse the “gender affirming” model of care lack evidence to substantiate the medical treatment of trans-identified minors and depart from a growing international consensus. Read more.
None of these U.S.-based organizations have done systematic reviews of the evidence, while arguably more progressive European countries like Sweden, Finland, and England have. After reviewing the evidence for the use of puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones in treating pediatric gender dysphoria, health authorities in all three countries have decided to abandon the “gender-affirming” model, finding the costs outweigh the benefits.
Claims that scientific studies show clear mental health benefits of “gender affirming” medical treatments for trans-identifying youth are false and misleading. Read more.
There are two sexes because there are two sex cells: ova and sperm.
The sex of an individual is based on their reproductive anatomy and is determined by the type of gamete this anatomy is organized around, through development, to produce.
Males have anatomy organized around the production of small gametes (sperm), and females have reproductive anatomy organized around the production of large gametes (ova).
Some have used hermaphroditism in animals and irrelevant developmental conditions in humans to claim that sex is spectrum, but this is false.