Sometimes I wonder what it’s like to be a blissfully ignorant white man, unaware of the limitations of his own capabilities, but then I look at said type of idiot and I realize that those idiots are the worst. Which brings me to today’s topic: Elon Musk and Jordan Peterson (who, as far as I can tell, has made a name for himself as having the thinnest skin possible, and then crying about it, literally) are on Twitter calling for anyone who provides trans kids with gender-affirming care to go to prison. Hey everyone! The mediocre white men are here to tell us all how to live, so gather ’round and listen to what they have to say. Or don’t—I recommend you don’t because they’re hateful morons, but I’m going to tell you about the s*it they were spewing anyway:
OK, so first and foremost, Musk and Peterson are deeply stupid in the worst way. It’s clear they think they are thought leaders and very erudite (Elon, Jordan: if you’re reading this and we know you are because you most definitely have Google Alerts set for your name, erudite means “having or showing knowledge that is gained by studying.”) From the way that Musk worded his bestest boy in the world proclamation, the braces I got as a child would be illegal under his fantasy billionaire rule because guess what? Those braces made “irreversible changes” to me that were deemed medically necessary by my dentist (I had to get bottom teeth pulled to fit my jaw, and those suckers are long gone.) However, we all know that’s not what they’re talking about. They just want to be cruel bullies for no reason because it gets them the attention they so desperately crave. And, just as importantly, gender-affirming care for children doesn’t impact them at all, so they can have nasty opinions on it and it doesn’t affect them.
Like the sad weirdo who said something mildly funny in class, Musk got a laugh and then decided to double down on it by responding to hate accounts and agreeing with their stances—like this random BS, where he agrees that Pride month needs to be about “LGB” and take out the “TQ+.”
Any asshole can create a Twitter account and talk shit online. This is the internet; there is a high likelihood that you’ll be able find hateful people who agree with your ignorant opinions. It’s incredibly depressing. Remember, Musk is a man so desperate for approval and attention that he created a burner account and kept begging for more followers. There is something wrong with him, but unfortunately, his mega-wealth shields him from consequences and gives him an international platform to continuously punch down on other people. In this case, that’s anyone who actually cares about the well-being of trans kids.
Naturally, when the manbaby tyrant who bought his way into Twitter and the crybaby who got kicked off the platform for deadnaming Elliot Page (until Musk let him back into the clubhouse) decide to talk about things they know nothing about, other people notice and are there to call them out on their terrible, harmful takes:
This is exhausting. Neither Elon Musk or Jordan Peterson have a medical degree. (Peterson has a PhD in Clinical Psychology, which is a liberal arts degree. It’s also fun to note, because I’m sure it bruises his ego, that he is not listed as a notable alumnus from McGill University where he got his BA and PhD. You suck, Peterson! Everyone knows it but you!) These two are just assholes with cruel opinions.
First and foremost, what constitutes a necessary medical treatment is between a patient and their doctor. We all know that conservatives are desperate to insert themselves into that equation, and unfortunately, they have been relatively successful so far. This is not about “saving the children” because if it actually were, they would want to make sure no child ever goes hungry and would be lobbying Congress to reinstate the monthly Child Tax Credit. Which, of course, they are not. Conservatives just want to terrorize children and anyone who cares enough about them to give them the care they need. Calling for the imprisonment of anyone who actually provides care to children is much easier than reading a peer-reviewed medical study. It’s also extremely fascist.
If you’re looking for actual statistics on gender-affirming care for children, journalist Erin Reed from the Tweet above breaks it down for you, per Erin in the Morning:
Gender affirming care for transgender youth is lifesaving and has proven to lower their suicide rates by 73% according to a landmark study in 2022 published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. There are several other studies that have found similar positive impacts of gender affirming care, such as a study in the Journal of Adolescent Health showing a reduction of 40% over the last year. A recent report published by the Louisiana Department of Health studying Louisiana Medicaid recipients stated that regret rates for gender affirming care were less than 1% and that the care significantly improved the mental health and suicidality of trans youth. The science is so overwhelmingly in favor of gender affirming care that the University of Cornell published a listing of over 50 articles that prove the positive impact of this care.
Predictably, neither Musk nor Peterson can justify their stance with a reason other than they simply don’t like it, and I guess no one taught them to mind their own business?! These two are bullies with a pulpit, and their opinions are horrible and harmful. But when has that ever stopped them, or anyone like them? To summarize: Musk and Peterson remain awful, and gender-affirming care for trans kids saves lives.
(featured image: Michael Gonzalez, Getty Images)
