Does DEI include Detransitioners?
Workplace 'Inclusion' Efforts Need To Acknowledge Detransition Awareness Day
The following is an email I sent to the DEI leaders of my employer, Disney, this morning. I will follow up to let you know how they respond.
To Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Leaders,
As a cast member at Magic Kingdom, I take note of the many holidays, events, celebrations, and awareness days brought to our attention through various means. In addition to religious holidays such as Easter, Hanukkah, and Ramadan, here are some dates (in no particular order) I have seen specifically called out for attention on the Disney Belong: Diversity & Inclusion site:
Women’s History Month
Bisexual Health Awareness Month
Zero Discrimination Day
International Women’s Day
Two Spirit and LGBTQIA+ Indigenous People Awareness Day
Transgender Day of Visibility
Jewish American Heritage Month
Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month
Pride Month
Disability Pride Month
Hispanic Latinx Heritage Month
Veterans and Military Families Month
Native American Heritage Month
Black History Month
National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
Aromantic Awareness Week
In addition, there have been posts on the Hub, mass emails from MK Inclusion, and bulletin boards and events around MK paying tribute to:
World Kindness Day
Lunar New Year
International Day of Persons with Disabilities
World AIDS Day
International Women and Girls in Science Day
American Heart Month
World Autism Awareness Day
Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Filipino American History Month
National Coming Out Day
I'm sure there are many more that I've missed. But there is one day for certain I know has gone unrecognized, because I have done searches all over Disney sites and found nothing: Detransition Awareness Day. I am writing to bring this to your attention and ask how Disney is planning to recognize Detransition Awareness Day, which takes place this year on March 12, 2023.
What is 'detransition'? Who are detransitioners? They are the increasing number of people who adopted a trans identity, only to later experience regret and make the decision to 'transition' back to their biological sex. A better, longer explanation can be found here:
In addition to dealing with the disruption of their lives, detransitioners have the added stress of being abandoned and demonized by the community that once embraced them. The sad truth is that the so-called 'LGBTQIA+ Community' that celebrates and advocates for trans-identified people discards them when they desist. [It is a mystery to many of us what/who the '+' stands for, but we know for sure it is not detransitioners.]
We are repeatedly told 'Everyone Belongs' at Disney. In the spirit of Inclusion, what way will Disney be showing that detransitioners belong? Will there be a rally or event at any of the Disney parks? Will a detransitioner be invited to come speak at a seminar and tell his or her story? Will information be made available on bulletin boards? Will any handouts be distributed? Will an email be sent out to employees alerting them about this important day? Will there be a post on the Hub or MyDisneyToday? Will the LGBTQIA+ Business Employee Resource Group be issuing a supportive statement recognizing detransitioners?
According to Disney's Reimagine Tomorrow site, 'At Disney, inclusion is for everyone,' and the aim is to 'amplify underrepresented voices and untold stories'. What are the plans to amplify the very underrepresented stories of detransitioners?
And as detransitioners are being abandoned by the medical community [https://thefederalist.com/2023/02/10/detransitioners-are-being-abandoned-by-medical-professionals-who-devastated-their-bodies-and-minds/], I'm also wondering what health or medical services Disney offers. Under 'LGBTQIA+ Wellness Resources' ['Our comprehensive benefits, services, and resources provide care and support for our LGBTQIA+ employees, Cast Members, and loved ones'], I see a long list of 'Gender Affirmation Benefits' but it is unclear if there are resources for those who have sought transition but are now experiencing regret. What kind of help and support is available to Disney cast members experiencing this?
There are currently over 44,000 detransitioners on the Detransition Reddit: reddit.com/r/detrans/ This number is increasing by over 1,000 monthly, and will continue to grow. In the past decade, hundreds of gender clinics have opened in the United States, with thousands of confused children fast-tracked to social and medical transition. While America doubles down, other countries are putting a halt to the gender affirmation model. Last year, the Tavistock Clinic in the UK was ordered to shut down, and a book documenting this is being released this week: Time to Think: The Inside Story of the Collapse of the Tavistock’s Gender Service for Children by Hannah Barnes. [https://www.amazon.com/Time-Think-Collapse-Tavistocks-Children-ebook/dp/B0BCL1T2XN]
Here are some articles describing how doctors and therapists are pushing gay teens and autistic kids towards a trans identity:
And this month in the US, Jamie Reed (a self-described 'queer' woman married to a trans man) who worked at the Washington University Transgender Center at St. Louis Children's Hospital, wrote a whistle-blowing report on the harmful life-altering 'care' being given to young, vulnerable, distressed patients.
Clearly, this is a crisis affecting our youth. As a global company that loudly endorses all things 'Pride' and is influential to children and young adults, Disney has a responsibility to seek out the facts of what is really going on in the trans movement.
I hope you take the time to read these links provided, as well as do your own research and examine this issue more thoroughly. It is unacceptable to dismiss detransitioners as human beings, or to be cavalier and one-minded about an issue this important. And, as a start, I hope you will take the appropriate actions to acknowledge Detransition Awareness Day. Here are some resources to help with your planning:
https://www.detransawareness.org/
A printable informational handout:
A just-released excellent documentary, 'Affirmation Generation", can be streamed free here:
Here are some testimonies from detransitioners:
This issue is personal for me. If left alone, the vast majority of children experiencing what is being called 'gender dysphoria' grow up to resolve this issue and become gay men and lesbians. As a gay man, I am concerned about the internalized homophobia that causes young people to believe they are the opposite sex, and the homophobia of society at large that is facilitating this. You can read my thoughts on this topic in these two posts:
I look forward to your response to this email, and await information on your plans to acknowledge this important day.
Gary Lucia
Merchandise Presentation Specialist
WDW Magic Kingdom Fantasyland, Tomorrowland
Does DEI include Detransitioners?
Go Gary!
Go Gary!
Go Gary!
Go Gary!
Brilliant!!!!!
I'm from The City Beautiful and we have become a hub for trans ideology. There are poor young girls everywhere you go with flat chests and sadness in their eyes. Mine happens to be amonst them.Thank you for sticking it to the source. Beautifully written good sir. Every person in the world would benefit from knowing what is in this letter.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart♡