>> Cheryl: ASSISTANT HEALTH
AND HUMAN SERVICES SECRETARY
RACHEL LEVINE IS GETTING SERIOUS
BACKLASH FOR COMMENTS MADE THIS
PAST MAY.
THE RECENTLY RESURFACED VIDEO
SHOWS LEVINE, A TRANSGENDER
WOMAN, DEMANDING BIG TECH
COMPANIES SENSOR MISINFORMATION
ABOUT GENDER AFFIRMING
PROCEDURES FOR CHILDREN.
WATCH.
>> THERE IS SUBSTANTIAL MISS
INFORMATION ABOUT GENDER
AFFIRMING CARE FOR TRANSGENDER
AND GENDER-DIVERSE INDIVIDUALS.
THE POSITIVE VALUE OF GENDER
AFFIRMING CARE FOR YOUTH AND
ADULTS IS NOT IN SCIENTIFIC OR
MEDICAL DISPUTE.
WE NEED TO USE OUR CLINICIANS
VOICE TO COLLECTIVELY ADVOCATE
FOR OUR TECH COMPANIES TO CREATE
A HEALTHIER, CLEANER INFORMATION ENVIRONMENT
TO BE ON
THOSE COMMENTS NOW GETTING
BLASTED ON TWITTER.
ONE PERSON TWEETING, "WHEN
FASCISM COMES TO AMERICA, IT
WILL BE UNDER THE GUISES OF
HEALTH AND SAFETY."
AND THEY SANG, "YOU’RE NOT
ALLOWED TO CRITICIZE RACHEL
LEVINE OR OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA
PLATFORMS.
YOU WILL BE BANNED."
AND PROTECT, WITH THE GOVERNMENT
LABELS MISINFORMATION, YOU CAN
GENERALLY JUST CALL INFORMATION.
DR. SIEGEL, IN THAT VIDEO,
SECRETARY LEVINE SAYS THE
POSITIVE VALUE OF GENDER
AFFIRMING CARE IN YOUTH AND
ADULTS IS NOT IN SCIENTIFIC OR
MEDICAL DISPUTE.
HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT WHEN
SCIENCE AND MEDICINE ARE
CONSTANTLY EVOLVING AND
CHANGING, CONSTANTLY BEING
DEBATED AND IMPROVED?
>> Dr. Siegel: I ALSO WANT TO
HEAR WHAT DR. NESHEIWAT HAS TO
SAY ABOUT THIS, BUT I JUST DID A
REPORT, TWO REPORTS, ACTUALLY,
FOR OUR INVESTIGATIVE UNIT.
WE LOOK INTO THIS ISSUE.
GENDER DYSPHORIA ISRAEL COME UP BUT THE QUESTION
IS WHAT YOU DO ABOUT IT AND
WHEN.
AND THAT’S ABSOLUTELY IN
DISPUTE, BECAUSE IF YOU TAKE A
12-YEAR-OLD OR 13-YEAR-OLD AND
YOU ARE DOING PUBERTY BLOCKERS,
WE DON’T KNOW THE LONG-TERM
EFFECTS OF THAT.
WE DON’T KNOW THAT IT AFFECTS
THE BONES.
THERE’S AN ISSUE WITH FERTILITY.
AND THEN WE COVERED THE QUESTION
OF PEOPLE WHO DECIDE LATER ON
THAT THEY WANT TO DETRANSITION.
IF YOU DO A MASTECTOMY, THAT’S
ABSOLUTELY INTO DISPUTE.
WHO IS DOING THAT, AT WHAT AGES
ARE BEING DONE, AND HOW CERTAIN
IS THE PERSON RECEIVING THAT
CARE THAT THEY WANT THAT?
AND IF THEY DECIDE LATER THEY
DON’T, IT’S NOT EASY.
VERY, VERY DIFFICULT.
SO ALL OF THAT -- AND THE IDEA
OF COMING HERE WE GO AGAIN WITH
MISINFORMATION, WE JUST DEALT
WITH THAT WITH TWITTER ALREADY.
>> Michele: TO SAY SOMETHING
IS NOT IN DISPUTE,
SCIENTIFICALLY OR MEDICALLY, I
WANT TO GET YOUR TAKE ON THAT.
>> Dr. Nesheiwat: I COMPLETELY
AGREE WITH DR. SIEGEL.
SHE IS NOT THE GUIDE, GOD OF
SCIENCE.
THEY CALL MEDICINE A PRACTICE
BECAUSE IT IS CONSTANTLY
EVOLVING.
WE NEED TO CHANGE OUR GUIDELINES
AND PROTOCOLS AS WE PROGRESS AND
LEARN MORE INFORMATION.
BUT GENDER DYSPHORIA IS A VERY
SERIOUS AND SENSITIVE ISSUE, A
VERY SERIOUS TOPIC, BECAUSE IT
HAS A VERY HIGH SUICIDE RATE AND
HIGH SUICIDE IDEATION RATE, UP
TO 42% OF THOSE WHO STRUGGLE
WITH THEIR IDENTITY THINK ABOUT
SUICIDE BECAUSE OF THE STRESS
THAT IT HAS ON THEM.
AND EVEN THEIR FAMILIES.
SO I DON’T THINK IT IS RIGHT FOR
RACHEL LEVINE TO IMPOSE HER
PERSONAL VIEWS ON ALL OF US.
INSTEAD, WE KNOW THAT SOME
PEOPLE WILL BENEFIT FROM
TRANSITIONING AND GENDER
AFFIRMING CARE, BUT WE WANT TO
DO IT THE RIGHT WAY.
THAT STARTS OFF WITH TAKING A
HISTORY AND A PHYSICAL, MAYBE
DOING BLOOD WORK, GETTING
COUNSELING AND THERAPY, NOT
RUSHING TO HORMONES AND
IRREVERSIBLE SURGERIES THAT
MIGHT HAVE LONG-TERM
CONSEQUENCES.
>> Dr. Siegel: MENTAL
HEALTH CARE IS REALLY IMPORTANT.
>> Michele: ABSOLUTELY.
CHERYL, WHEN SHE SAID WE NEED
OUR TECH COMPANIES TO CREATE A
HEALTHIER AND CLEANER
INFORMATION ENVIRONMENTS, WHOSE
INFORMATION?
>> Cheryl: SHE WANTS HER
INFORMATION.
WE JUST GOT TWITTER FILES OVER
THE WEEKEND AND THE BIDEN
ADMINISTRATION WAS SHOWN THAT
THEY WANTED THEIR NARRATIVE
ON TWITTER.
AND I’M SURE THEY ARE REACHING
OUT TO FACEBOOK AND TO
INSTAGRAM, AS WELL.
SO IT’S THEIR MESSAGE.
REMEMBER, SOCIAL MEDIA, WE HAVE
ALREADY LEARNED THAT INSTAGRAM
HAS BEEN DETRIMENTAL TO THE
MENTAL HEALTH OF TEENAGE GIRLS.
"THE WALL STREET JOURNAL"
EXPOSED INSTAGRAM FOR THAT.
SO IT’S NOT JUST TWITTER, IT’S
ALL OVER.
TO SAY THEY NEED TO HAVE THE
MESSAGE THEIR WAY, NO, YOU
DON’T.
REALLY QUICK, LET ME SAY
SOMETHING.
WHEN I WAS 12 YEARS OLD, FOR A
WHOLE YEAR I WORE BLACK AND I
LISTENED TO HEAVY METAL MUSIC
AND MY HAIR WAS CRAZY AND I
LOOKED RIDICULOUS, AND I WERE
THE STUPID SHE WAS.
AND I GREW OUT OF IT, OKAY?
I WAS 12.
WHAT HAPPENS TO A 12-YEAR-OLD
WHO GETS ONTO TWITTER INSTAGRAM
AND SAYS, "OH, I CAN DO ALL THE
SURGERIES AND BE A DIFFERENT
PERSON?
GREAT!"
AND A YEAR LATER, THEY CHANGE.
>> I’M JUST TRYING TO PICTURE
CHERYL WITH THE BLACK HAIR AND
CLOTHES.
KATRINA, YOU HAVE A 5-YEAR-OLD.
>> Katrina: I DO.
>> Michele: THEY ARE VERY
IMPRESSIONABLE.
IT’S TWITTER, IT’S TIKTOK COME
EVERYWHERE.
I UNDERSTAND YOU HAD A RECENT
EXPERIENCE WITH THIS WHOLE
GENDER QUESTIONING.
>> Katrina: I DID.
ON CHRISTMAS DAY.
I HAVE A VERY SPECIAL HEART FOR
CHILDREN, OBVIOUSLY, AS A
MOTHER, BUT I HAVE A DIFFICULT
TIME DIGESTING THE FACT THAT THE
MEDIA IS NOW TELLING OUR
CHILDREN WHAT TO THINK AND WHEN
TO THINK IT.
AT FIVE YEARS OLD, HE WAS
WATCHING A CARTOON AND HE PAUSED
THE CARTOON AND SAID TO ME,
"MOM --"
HE ASKED ME A QUESTION ABOUT
BOYS UNDER TEN WHO COULD HAVE
BABIES, AND JUST THAT WHOLE
PROCESS.
AND IF SOMEONE IS BORN A GIRL.
I WAS LITERALLY SPEECHLESS,
SITTING THERE THINKING TO
MYSELF, AT FIVE YEARS OLD I
WASN’T ASKING THESE QUESTIONS.
I WAS OUTSIDE PLAYING HIDE AND
GO SEEK, PLAYING SPORTS.
THE FACT THAT THE MEDIA IS NOW
CONTROLLING WHEN WE HAVE THESE
DISCUSSIONS WITH KIDS, AND THEY
ARE DEEP QUESTIONS.
THEY ARE SERIOUS QUESTIONS.
I SHOULDN’T BE HAVING THOSE WITH
A 5-YEAR-OLD.
>> Michele: 5-YEAR-OLD
SHOULDN’T BE GETTING THIS FROM A
CARTOON.
WHERE THESE MESSAGES COME FROM
IS A LITTLE CONCERNING.
>> Dr. Nesheiwat: ABSOLUTELY.
IT’S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT
TWO-THIRDS OF THOSE WHO STRUGGLE
WITH DIDN’T TELL MY GENDER
IDENTITY, AFTER PUBERTY, THEY
ARE HAPPY WITH THE WAY GOD MADE
THEM.
MORE THAN TWO-THIRDS.
APPROXIMATELY TWO-THIRDS.
>> Michele: DR. SIEGEL, YOU
MENTIONED, WHEN SHOULD THESE
THINGS BE APPROACHED WITH THE
INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE EXPERIENCING
GENDER DYSPHORIA?
THERE’S GOT TO BE AN AGE THAT IS
TOO YOUNG, RIGHT?
>> Dr. Siegel: FOR SURE
PUBERTY IS TOO YOUNG TO TALK
ABOUT TRANSITION.
THAT IS WHERE ALL THE DEBATING
IS GOING ON.
THE MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES ARE
REALLY IMPORTANT, BECAUSE 70% OR
MORE OF THOSE WHO HAVE GENDER
DYSPHORIA HAVE MAJOR MENTAL
HEALTH ISSUES GOING ON
SIMULTANEOUSLY.
WE CAN’T SLEEP THAT UNDER THE
RUG.
WHAT IS THE DOWNSIDE OF
COUNSELING?
WHAT IS THE DOWNSIDE OF SEEING A