Valid arguments, but he writes it in such an inflammatory way that it's hard to take seriously. It would have been nice if he had been able to start a dialogue with the Atlantic/Jesse Singal, but his emails/tweets are so rude/unprofessional. It seems clear to me he didn't want a dialogue. I think there's a better way to approach this.
I'm not so confident. I don't know what Singal has written before - maybe it's been quite bad - but this piece seems overall pretty pro trans. There are whole passages dedicated to how trans people seeking medical support during their transition had mistreated in the past (and reference to how they still are), and Walker understates the number of trans adults featured in the article. Singal writes "So-called reparative therapy has harmed and humiliated trans and gender-nonconforming children... such therapy is now viewed as unethical" - he appears to either be a genuine ally or a very sly critic.
I mean, there's weird stuff in the Atlantic article - the parents of the first girl say that they cut off her internet access except for Instagram, which sounds draconian to me and receives no author commentary. "When she was 17, Max, who was still dealing with major mental-health issues, was scheduled for surgery" is inflammatory phrasing, even if literally true. It's a quote from the American Psychological Association, but "This intense focus on immediate needs may create challenges in assuring that adolescents are cognitively and emotionally able to make life-altering decisions" doesn't ring true to me.
All that said, Walker's piece doesn't really seem like it's written for me, instead a venting of frustrations, and a rallying cry for people with more context than I have.
Valid arguments, but he writes it in such an inflammatory way that it's hard to take seriously. It would have been nice if he had been able to start a dialogue with the Atlantic/Jesse Singal, but his emails/tweets are so rude/unprofessional. It seems clear to me he didn't want a dialogue. I think there's a better way to approach this.
I found this to be a more reasoned/accessible argument for why Singal's article was wrong/misguided: https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2018/06/i-detransitioned-but-not-because-i-wasnt-trans/563396/
I'm not so confident. I don't know what Singal has written before - maybe it's been quite bad - but this piece seems overall pretty pro trans. There are whole passages dedicated to how trans people seeking medical support during their transition had mistreated in the past (and reference to how they still are), and Walker understates the number of trans adults featured in the article. Singal writes "So-called reparative therapy has harmed and humiliated trans and gender-nonconforming children... such therapy is now viewed as unethical" - he appears to either be a genuine ally or a very sly critic.
I mean, there's weird stuff in the Atlantic article - the parents of the first girl say that they cut off her internet access except for Instagram, which sounds draconian to me and receives no author commentary. "When she was 17, Max, who was still dealing with major mental-health issues, was scheduled for surgery" is inflammatory phrasing, even if literally true. It's a quote from the American Psychological Association, but "This intense focus on immediate needs may create challenges in assuring that adolescents are cognitively and emotionally able to make life-altering decisions" doesn't ring true to me.
All that said, Walker's piece doesn't really seem like it's written for me, instead a venting of frustrations, and a rallying cry for people with more context than I have.