ACLU Lawyer Admits ‘Trans Them or They Die’ Warning is False

Untold numbers of parents have been manipulated into submitting their gender-creative children to experimental hormonal treatments and physically damaging surgical procedures because they were asked – with emotionally abusive language – by psychologists and medical doctors, “Would you rather have dead son or an alive daughter?”

This “choice” is a terrible thing to confront a parent with. It becomes sinister when professionals whom parents depend on for the best advice for their children make such claims with no real backing in the scientific literature.

The carefully conducted British Cass Review maintains,

Tragically deaths by suicide in trans people of all ages continue to be above the national average, but there is no evidence that gender-affirmative treatments reduce this. Such evidence as is available suggests that these deaths are related to a range of other complex psychosocial factors and to mental illness.(See page 195, note 16.22).

The Cass Review also states,

It has been suggested that hormone treatment reduces the elevated risk of death by suicide in this population, but the evidence found did not support this conclusion. See page 33, note 86.

This devious claim took another major hit in oral arguments before the United States Supreme Court in U.S. v Skrmettion on December 4, 2024.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor brought up the suicide myth in her comments first, stating, “I think some [children] attempt suicide?” Pro-trans Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar answered, “Yes, the rates of suicide are striking” (See page 31, lines 10-13 of official SCOTUS transcript).

Leor Sapir, a specialist on the politics of trans medicine, explains in City Journal, “This claim – that rates of suicide among gender-dysphoric young people are high – constitutes the trans suicide myth.”

Justice Alito sought to correct Justice Sotomayor’s assumption when questioning Chase Strangio, the ACLU attorney. Alito stated,

A lot of categorical statements have been made this morning in argument and in the briefs about medical questions that seem to me to be hotly disputed, and that’s a bit distressing. One of them has to do with the risk of suicide.

Do you maintain that the procedures and medications in question reduce the risk of suicide? (See page 87, lines 8-16).

Strangio responded,

I do, Justice Alito, maintain that the medications in question reduce the risk of depression, anxiety, and suicidality, which are all indicators of potential suicide.

Justice Alito set the trap, asking Strangio if he believed “that’s clearly established” in the literature.

Strangio responded, “I do think it is clearly established in the science and in the record” (See page 87-88, lines 25, 1-2).

Alito then referenced page 195 of the Cass Review (cited above) explaining, “There is no evidence that gender-affirmative treatments reduce suicide.”

Strangio was knocked back a bit and made a damning admission to the “trans them or they will die” canard.

What I think that is referring to is there is no evidence in some – in the studies that this treatment reduces completed suicide. And the reason for that is completed suicide, thankfully and admittedly, is rare and we’re talking about a very small population of individuals with studies that don’t necessarily have completed suicides within them (See page 88, lines 15-23).

Strangio then started parsing the differences between “completed suicides” and “suicidality” which refers to thoughts about or plans to attempt suicide.

Sapir notes,

Strangio’s pivot to suicidality is a standard tactic of gender medicine activists in public debates. They exploit public ignorance about the difference between suicidality – thinking about suicide, attempting suicide, using gestures of self-harm as a cry for help or as a form of emotional manipulation – and actual death by suicide.

Take notice: The ACLU has admitted before the United States Supreme Court that the “Would you rather have a dead son or an alive daughter?” manipulation is not supported by the scientific literature.

No parent should ever be manipulated by this … and no ethical medical or psychological professional should ever ask that question, pretending it is a clinical likelihood.

This deceptive myth has now been admitted false by the very people who have been pushing it. It was a shameful and damaging manipulaton.

Additional Resources

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

Suicidal or Stable? WPATH Activist’s Contradictory Evaluation Secures Felon Transgender Surgery

UK Bans Puberty Blockers for ‘Transgender’ Minors

U.K.’s Review of Child Gender Policy Reveals Profound Failures That U.S. Still Defends

The WPATH Files – Transgender Interventions Are ‘Unethical Medical Experiments’

Suicidal or Stable? WPATH Activist’s Contradictory Evaluation Secures Felon Transgender Surgery

Transgenderism and Minors: What Does the Research Really Show?

How to Defeat Gender Ideology, Protect Children and End ‘Trans America’

How to Defeat Gender Ideology, Protect Children and End ‘Trans America’ Pt. 2

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