Divorced parents Jeff Younger and Anne Georgulas don’t have a lot in common anymore—including, as most Americans know by now, their young son. Anne wants their seven-year-old to be able to wear girl’s clothes and eventually take puberty blockers to change his identity. His father, Jeff, Governor Greg Abbott (R-Texas), Donald Trump Jr., Texas legislators, and concerned parents everywhere disagree.
For a lot of people, the case of this second grader is about a lot more than one family—it’s about our culture at large. In a world where self-expression seems to trump kids’ health, well-being, common-sense, and safety, the Younger family story is a scary sign of where America is headed if more people don’t stand up and speak out. Fortunately for this young boy, everyone from the Texas governor to the state’s lieutenant governor are doing exactly that. Not only is the state department of Family and Protective Services looking into the case, but other high-profile conservatives are determined to #ProtectJamesYounger.
As far as Texas State Rep. Matt Krause (R) is concerned, the time has come to take action—not just for this boy, but for thousands of kids across the country who are too young and too confused to make this dangerous choice. Monday, on “Washington Watch,” he talked about why he plans to introduce legislation that would protect children from harmful drugs like puberty blockers. “I think you’ve hit the nail on the head a couple of times when you reemphasize this is a seven-year-old child,” he told me. “I don’t know hardly any other area in culture today where we allow seven-year-olds to make such momentous decisions, especially life altering ones, irreparable ones if things go wrong.”
And if the media thinks conservatives are the only ones who feel this way, they’re wrong, Matt says.
“You know, honestly, I don’t even think this is a partisan issue at this point. I’ve talked to others who disagree with me on many issues, who have a different ideology on a lot of political issues with me, but they even said, ‘At seven years old, you can’t make these decisions and know exactly what you’re asking me to do.’ And on top of that, you certainly shouldn’t do it any time in a situation like this where the two parents have different ideas. It would be one thing if both parents felt one way and the child felt the same way—even then, I think it’s harmful and we shouldn’t do it. But in this instance, you have a child who doesn’t really know what he wants to do here. One parent pushing one way and the other parent trying to stop that. That should not happen here in Texas. Nobody should have to go through that situation again. When you get older, if that’s what you want to do. I understand. But we’re not going to allow that for young children…
While the radical Left tries to frame this as the next bathroom debate, leaders like Matt understand that this isn’t just a case of social conservatives trying to stir things up. “What this is, is a common-sense realization that this should not be happening in Texas. It doesn’t matter whether it’s an election year, whether it’s a battleground state, or whether Texas is going to coast into being a red territory again. It doesn’t matter. It has nothing to do with the politics. It has to do with the policy.” Unfortunately for the leaders of the state, the legislative session just ended. Matt regrets not addressing it then, but vows that his colleagues won’t make that mistake the next time around. “Now we need to take steps to make sure we don’t miss that opportunity again.”
