By Ray Cardello for February 2, 2023 Season 16 / Post 4

Damn, I hope so. If you live long enough, you see many social phases come on strong, only to fade away to make room for the next fad. Fifty years ago, when I was walking the corridors of my high school, transgender was a word decades away from being invented, and even gay was a rarity. Back in the late sixties and early seventies, being a hippie or flower child was on its way out, and grunge had not yet taken hold. Back then, we had the pressures of the war in Vietnam and social unrest at home. One thing we did have going in our favor was we still had face-to-face interaction and the support of friends we could see and touch. Fifty years is a long time, but I am not sure we have progressed in some areas, and interpersonal relationships may be failing us.

We have become a plugged-in society. iPads, iPhones, Androids, and earbuds have replaced conversation. See someone walking their dog and talking to the dog? Nope, they are on their cell. See two people sitting in a restaurant having a quiet moment? Nope, they are both texting. Cards and letters have been replaced by SMS or DMs. We are slaves to our electronics, and our best friend is now a touchscreen. It is sad, but it is also taking a toll, and that is with our children.

I was speaking with a close friend over the weekend. He is a high school teacher, and I drive a high school bus. The conversation got around to the number of trans students, and I was shocked when he replied that it was a number far higher than you could fathom. He felt that though these kids were in various stages in the process, they all had one thing in common. They were “fringe” kids. They were not into sports or extracurricular activities. They were loners who lacked a support group. They doubted themselves and were seeking their true identity. What a mess. These kids need help.

I asked about the motivation of teachers or counselors to get involved to coach these kids but cut the parents out of the loop. He felt their motives were sincere, and they were not doing it out of power but compassion. I listened and wanted to understand because this did not align with my thinking. He was convincing and may have changed my perception.

My concern, however, goes to school boards taking the initiative to shield school personnel from parents. There appears to be a movement to encourage the process, which in many cases, leads kids to seek body-changing surgery without parental consent. These are minors for whom schools cannot administer aspirin without consent but are now aiding in the sexual mutilation of minor children. Who can justify this?

Well, apparently, a group of teachers and counselors in Midcoast Maine can. When Amber Levigne discovered a breast binder in her 13-year-old daughter’s bedroom, her daughter divulged it was given to her by teachers at her school. Amber’s daughter told these educators that she was meant to be a boy. They agreed to help her transition but insisted that the young girl not inform her mother of the efforts to grant her wish to become a boy. The Maine legislature is acting on the matter but not in the way they should.

Maine is prepared to adopt a state law that protects teachers and counselors against legal repercussions and allows them to keep these situations secret from the parents. The State of Maine is complicit in these vile acts against minor children. They are driving a wedge between children and parents. To what end and for what motivation? It does not matter. These people, and now the government, must be stopped.

There will be much more to come regarding the school or state’s role, but logic and moral compass support the parents in this battle. We must force this issue and win battles, and the war, on our children. There can be no more important reason to fight back.