In today’s Orwellian world, surgery that slices off or mutilates a child’s genitals, thereby negating his or her gender, is styled “gender affirming.” Crazy as it may seem, the mania to carve up children has seized control of Minnesota’s legislature. Today the Minnesota Senate passed a “trans refuge” bill that had already passed the House and will soon become law.
The language of the law is, in my view, opaque, but it is generally understood to mean that a troubled or mentally ill minor can come to Minnesota to have his or her genitalia mutilated, where such surgery would be illegal in the state where the child resides (e.g., North Dakota). Bill Glahn writes:
HF 146 would enable out-of-state children to receive such treatment in Minnesota, even over the objections of one or more parents.
It is clearly true that the bill permits sex change surgery on a child who lives in another state, notwithstanding the objections of one of the child’s parents, where the surgery would be illegal where the child lives. I think–although the bill’s language is unclear–that if a child, e.g., hitches a ride to Minnesota with a “trans” activist, he or she can have genitalia mutilated without the consent of either parent.
This is extraordinarily radical legislation, and also extraordinarily unpopular. In our Thinking Minnesota poll, we found that only 22 percent of Minnesotans approve of sex change operations on minors, while 67 percent think such surgeries should be illegal. We can only imagine what the numbers would be if we added the condition that at least one of the child’s parents opposes the sex change. No doubt this is why the legislation is protected by a cone of silence:
The twitter account Covid Clarity notes the lack of local media attention to the bill:
She’s correct. A Google search of the terms “Minnesota trans refuge” and “Minnesota trans sanctuary” produces no news results for the past month.
As for not popular with the public, our exclusive Thinking Minnesota Poll finds that 67 percent of Minnesota voters oppose sex change operations for children.
There has been plenty of national coverage of laws similar to North Dakota’s. There has been national coverage of laws similar to Minnesota’s passed in Washington state and California.
But in Minnesota? Crickets.
Extreme left-wingers, led by Governor Tim Walz, have seized the wheel and are driving Minnesota into the ditch. Meanwhile, the press follows a simple rule. Reporters consult polls, or just put their fingers in the wind. If what the Democrats are doing is popular, they give it extravagant coverage. If it is unpopular outside their fringe base, the press covers it up.
In the Senate earlier today, Democrats were warned that cheering and emotional demonstrations would be out of order as the “carve ’em up” bill was being voted on. So they waited until the tally was done before breaking into shouts and cheers of joy at the prospect of out-of-state children being mutilated in Minnesota, contrary to the wishes of their parents. But the Senate’s official feed went dark, so that the disgusting display was invisible to whatever handful of viewers had tuned in to the proceedings.
Genital mutilation? I am so old, I can remember when liberals opposed it. Now, it is a point of left-wing pride.
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