Persuauive Speech Flashcards
(11 cards)
Intro
HOOK—We are only four months into 2022 and already there have been more than 200 anti-LGBT-Q+ bills proposed, the majority of them aiming to oppress the rights of transgender individuals.
These bills along with the latest “Don’t Say Gay Bill” passed in Florida, are showing how more people are getting skeptical of the association of children with gender identity.
THESIS—We should always consider that the rights of trans children are human rights that shouldn’t be tainted by restrictive legislation.
They reserve the right to transition, transcare, and proper support from their parents and doctors.
ETHOS—I have done research on trans rights issues for the past year and I’m confident in the information I will provide.
INCENTIVE—I urge you to listen closely to this speech if you are interested in the issues that trans kids and their parents are currently facing.
PREVIEW—We will discuss misinformed perspectives on transgender issues, and anti-trans laws. Then, we will debunk common misconceptions, and provide possible solutions. Finally, I will tell you all how you can help.
LEAD-IN—Now that we have a better understanding of the topic of the speech, let’s dive into the problems at hand.
Problems 1
If a child believes that they don’t feel like the gender they were assigned at birth, they should be able to socially transition as they please through gender expression. However, Adults are most weary of medical transitions because of fear-mongering techniques of the media. MANY people may say that children and teens don’t have the mental capacity to know how they feel, yet not many parents will think twice when their child is sure they are cisgender.
Problems 2
Arizona. Alabama, Kentucky, Indiana, and many other states have proposed bills that restrict trans children’s access to bathrooms and sports, but other bills are seriously life-threatening.
These past couple of months, 22 states have been considering bills that restrict the relationship between trans children and necessary medical intervention.
Florida and Georgia introduced the “Vulnerable Child Protection Acts” that can place a doctor or parent in prison for up to 10 years if they give a minor puberty blockers, hormones, or gender-affirming treatment.
Also, Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued a letter telling the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services to investigate the parents of transgender children for child abuse.
Problems 3
The people who support these bills may lack the proper understanding of gender dysphoria or straight out refuse to acknowledge its exists. Since they believe it’s a choice, they become concerned that teens who undergo hormone replacement therapy will regret their “decision” and detransition later on. However, research on consent to hormone therapy by Beth Clark indicates that youth aged fourteen through eighteen can demonstrate understandings and abilities characteristic of the capacity to consent to hormone therapy.
Now let’s discuss the solutions to these viewpoints.
Solution 1
Educating those who are misled is the universal solution to these problems.
A common misconception is that children as young as 5 are able to get hormone therapy and sex-change operations, but this is absolutely not the case.
They are only given puberty blockers at the ages of 10-12, in order to delay their puberty and give them time to be properly examined and approved for medical transition later on.
Puberty blockers are by no means easy to get and are only given to children who show intense gender dysphoria.
If they choose to stop taking them, puberty will resume.
Of course, everything has side effects, but that is the known risk that goes into assuring that the child won’t develop to the point of irreversibility, in case they don’t end up changing their mind.
Interfering with a medical professional and their patient is more abusive than a parent supporting their child.
Solution 2
Trans children need access to trans care.
If a child is experiencing severe dysphoria, then going through the wrong puberty can be detrimental to their mental health.
Transcare is the evaluation of these children by medical professionals who determine if they are able to go under puberty blockers.
This support system should be covered by medical insurance because gender dysphoria is a medical condition. The correlation is clear as day.
Solution 3k
Trans teens should be able to undergo hormone therapy if they are approved to do so by their doctor.
Gender dysphoria is often reduced through transitioning.
as a scientific study shows, there was a difference in overall psychoneurotic distress at the different points of assessments, with the most prominent decrease occurring after the initiation of hormone therapy.
I’d like to also point out that you don’t need gender dysphoria to be trans and it comes in varying degrees within different trans people, so we should still show support to all trans people, not discriminating on their levels of dysphoria.
Here is what you can do to stop the endangerment of trans kids.
Call to action 1
Step in when you witness transphobia.
The correction of misinformation is often the biggest deal-breaker when it comes to people changing their minds.
They say facts over feelings, so give them the facts and hope that they use that information wisely.
Of course, we won’t change everyone’s mind, but the smallest attempts will always have a chain reaction in our karmic universe.
Call to action 2
To all the future teachers in this room, I encourage you to acknowledge the existence of trans people in the classroom and create an environment where they will feel welcome.
In Abbie Goldberg’s research on treatment of transgender people in educational settings, they recommend always avoiding gendered language to help non-binary students with presenting themselves.
For example, refer to your students as children instead of boys and girls.
Also, by advocating for gender-neutral bathrooms in your school you will help your trans students to better navigate potentially revealing circumstances.
Call to action 3
I know we all hear about the suffering of other human beings and empathize, but it is more difficult for us to truly know their pain on the consistent basis they do.
We are the fortunate observers that only enter fight-or-flight mode when we are the ones in the situation.
However, we shouldn’t let our privilege go to waste when we can be actively improving their situation.
Conclusion
In conclusion, careful scrutiny of scientific fact should be done first before constructing opinions.
Trans children are human beings.
They should never be denied the necessities to relieve their gender dysphoria.
We talked about the problems, solutions, and calls to action regarding the rights of trans children.
We shouldn’t take our chances when the mental health and happiness of these kids are involved.
