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I’m far too old to remember what being a teenager is like. But I can only imagine that it is a pretty bloody miserable existence for many, what with the academic pressure, social anxiety and the awkwardness of puberty.
So it isn’t entirely helpful when grown men and women in legislatures across the U.S. deliberately make the lives of some of those youngsters that much harder.
Which brings me to Iowa, Illinois and Texas. Earlier this week, politicians in the Prairie State advanced a bill banning transgender girls from competing in what are deemed to be girls sports. Iowa went one step further and signed a similar bill into law. Meanwhile, it emerged that parents of trans kids in Texas had been investigated for child abuse over providing puberty blockers and other gender-affirming medical care.
Civil rights scholar Alison Gash notes that it is a boom time for such initiatives. Driven by Republicans as a way to galvanize their conservative base, 2021 was a record year for anti-trans bills – and the rate is picking up even more this year. And it’s the kids that suffer. Preventing transgender kids from accessing gender-affirming care is associated with heightened risks of depression and suicidality. Stopping them from
competing with their peers serves no real purpose other than to ostracize. As Gash notes, it leaves young transgender people with “a more uncertain and dangerous future.”
Also today:
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Matt Williams
Breaking News Editor
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Alison Gash, University of Oregon
Bills baring transgender teens from girls’ sports and moves to investigate parents of trans children for potential crimes provide an uncertain and dangerous future for many.
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Economy + Business
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Beth Gazley, Indiana University
Give with your head, not just your heart, advises a scholar who has studied donations made after disasters and other crises.
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Science + Technology
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Maggie Villiger, The Conversation
Discover the stories of five trailblazing women – Tharp, Nice, Tu, Noether and Wu – who worked in STEM during the 20th century.
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Brian Aguado, University of California San Diego
A one-size-fits-all approach may not be best for treating cardiovascular disease. Taking sex chromosomes into account could make for more effective and equitable care.
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Douglas Hannah, Boston University
3D printers got a lot of attention when DIYers leapt to action to address equipment shortages early in the pandemic, but some everyday items found in hardware stores played a big role, too.
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Environment + Energy
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Thomas S. Bateman, University of Virginia; Michael E Mann, Penn State
How well people exercise their agency will determine the severity of global warming – and its consequences.
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Education
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Kelsey Lynne Hess, Florida International University; Andrea C. F. Wolfs, Plymouth State University; Deborah Goldfarb, Florida International University; Jacqueline R. Evans, Florida International University
When researchers examined the outcomes for cases to discharge student loan debt, they found that judges are often biased against people based on their gender and other factors.
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Health + Medicine
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William Petri, University of Virginia
The CDC’s controversial recommendation changes are based on new studies showing that most omicron transmission takes place within five days of the onset of illness.
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Podcast 🎙️
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Gemma Ware, The Conversation; Daniel Merino, The Conversation
Plus, a section of a rocket is about to crash on the Moon. What scientists hope to learn from it. Listen to The Conversation Weekly podcast.
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