Fox News host Tucker Carlson and anti-trans author Abigail Shrier misinformed about best practice medical care for transgender people, despite Carlson admitting that he has “very little idea of what it means, medically,” to be trans.
Notably, neither Carlson nor Shrier have medical degrees or have ever practiced medicine, but both do have histories of fearmongering about medical care for trans youth. Shrier, who has equated being trans to having anorexia, engaging in self-harm, being involved with witchcraft and “demonic possession,” wrote an entire book misinforming about best practice medical care for trans youth.
During the February 9 edition of Tucker Carlson Tonight, Shrier claimed that “these teenagers who come in at 18 and, yes, far below 18 depending on the state ... very often they never see a doctor.” She later fearmongered about “permanent” effects of best practice medical care like drugs used to delay puberty, which are viewed as safe, effective, and lifesaving.
In reality, best practice health care for trans youth is widely supported by medical professionals and yields long-term mental health benefits. Furthermore, young trans and gender-diverse children are not undergoing treatments or surgery until they are older -- rather, as social work professor Katherine Kuvalanka told The Washington Post, “The only interventions for young children is affirmation and acceptance for who they are.”
Moreover, research shows that affirming families and communities can be lifesaving for young trans people. According to Reuters, a 2016 study in the journal LGBT Health found: “For transgender or gender non-conforming individuals, as rejection from family members increases, so does their likelihood of suicide attempts or substance abuse.”
Shrier’s misleading rhetoric came as Carlson himself admitted that “most people, including me, have very little idea of what it means, medically” to transition, and he suggested that doing so “is a long-term commitment between the patient and the health care provider.”