GAH! The tragedy of articles like this is that they frame important issues in language so manipulative and poorly thought out, that people who want to dismiss it feel even more justified in doing so. Take the above for example. Are you arguing that there shouldn’t be a difference in the way we treat adults and children? Should children be allowed to consent to breast implants or a vasectomy or even lip-fillers?

Consent laws are vital, even if they’re imperfect. Preventing a child from taking puberty blockers doesn’t stop them being trans. It doesn’t prevent them from living as their preferred gender and using their preferred pronouns. It allows room for young people who are trying to figure themselves out some time before medical intervention is used.

Is it a perfect solution? No. There is no perfect solution. I’m not even trying to claim that it’s the right decision. There are too many factors involved for anybody to claim to have a one-size-fits-all answer. But portraying any viewpoint which conflicts with your own as “anti-trans” or “transphobic” stifles the conversation that these children need us grown-ups to be having.