Transgender activists disrupt detransitioners’ event at Vermont statehouse
Everything is upside down about this....
A grassroots event at the Vermont Statehouse on March 12, 2025, intended to draw attention to the mental health needs of youth who are often misdiagnosed and treated for gender dysphoria, was ironically disrupted by “trans” activists. Many youth with autism or other underlying psychological disorders are misdiagnosed as transgender and wrongly administered puberty-blockers or even surgeries. When they regret and seek to reverse their decision, such victims of this medical malpractice are called “detransitioners.”
The event, hosted by Vermont Family Alliance (VFA) and SPEAK VT (Students, Parents & Educators for Achievement through Knowledge), sought to “raise awareness about Detransitioners and the harm done to them by the medical community” by airing two short videos, one featuring Chloe Cole and the other Dr. Az Hakeem. The groups duly reserved a room at the Statehouse, only to have their event hijacked by the loud and intentionally offensive gyrations of a small band of what can only be called deranged fanatics opposed to open discussion of these traumas. (I was in attendance and took the event videos linked below.)
VFA and SPEAK VT were not in any way attacking the transgender community. Rather, they were explicitly supporting Detransitioners and Desisters (someone who previously identified as transgender but who re-identified with his true sex prior to any medical intervention). The video of Dr. Az Hakeem, who has compassionately treated many people with gender dysphoria, explains that many youth are suffering not from gender dysphoria but autism or trauma, and that psychotherapy helps them work through this without undertaking gender transition hormones or surgeries. Dr. Hakeem reports that approximately 26% of the patients he treated were “post-operative regretters.”
In the five-minute video of detransitioner Chloe Cole’s testimony (that was not screened due to the transruption), the brave young woman strongly expresses her post-operative regret:
I am a detransitioner. Another way to put that would be, I used to believe that I was born in the wrong body, and the adults in my life whom I trusted affirmed my belief, and this caused me lifelong irreversible harm. I speak to you today as a victim of one of the biggest medical scandals in the history of the United States of America. I speak to you in the hope that you will have the courage to bring this scandal to an end and ensure that other vulnerable teenagers, children, and young adults do not go through what I went through.
Tragically, the trans activists who barbarically blocked the proposed film viewing were enabled by Vermont’s sergeant at arms, Agatha Kessler, who weakly appealed for those in attendance to “coexist” without attempting to restore civility, after allowing a boom box, a bullhorn, and the protesters in the room before the event hosts were allowed to enter (according to event organizer Renee McGuiness). Kessler then claimed she was too short-staffed to protect the public and canceled the event while the mirthful ringleader smiled approvingly.
Vermont has been at the forefront of pushing transgender therapies on minors without parental consent, even statutorily shielding health care providers who engage in what Miss Cole correctly characterizes as a medical scandal.
Puberty-blockers and hormone therapies do not have long-term studies to support their safety, and they risk causing cancer, fatty liver disease, infertility, and other traumas. For children and youth who mistakenly undertake these therapies (let alone surgeries!) because of hasty (and legally shielded) medical providers who do not thoroughly assess their mental health needs before proceeding, these therapies and surgeries are the lobotomies of the twenty-first century.
The educational event at the Vermont statehouse was not an attack on transgender-identifying people, but an effort to prevent autistic, traumatized, and vulnerable youth (especially minors) from rashly undertaking therapies and surgeries they will later regret. As VFA and SPEAK VT advertised in their event notice:
Those pushing the transgender agenda are ignoring or downplaying the increasing number of detransitioners. This group needs to have its mental and medical health needs supported. Their stories need to be heeded, as all safeguards against mistakes with transgender medical interventions are being removed. ... Detransition is not as rare as once believed. With younger children and more young adults transitioning, the number of those with regret are increasing at an accelerated rate.
The toxic attacks exhibited by the trans activists (many of whom wore masks to hide their identities) to prevent a simple, civil effort at Vermont’s historic statehouse demonstrate hate in the name of opposing hate, and a perversion of free speech liberties accompanied by celebrations of perversion. As seen in the videos of this obscene charade, Vermont’s brave forefathers (and attendees concerned for harm to children) looked on in silence as this trans travesty occurred.
Shamelessly, Vermont’s leading Democrat legislators applauded this behavior. Representative Lori Houghton publicly announced, “It’s at times like this that I’m proud to live in Vermont.” In the ultimate irony, clueless Vermont Senator Kesha Ram Hinsdale afterwards proclaimed:
We stand with trans Vermonters and their right to access the medical care, safety, and legal protections they deserve. We reject any efforts to turn their existence into a political debate. Everyone should be free to live authentically and without fear — this is the foundation of a truly free and just society. We will move forward with compassion, respect, and an unwavering defense of the freedoms that belong to all.
Educating legislators about victims of medical malpractice like Chloe Cole, who are by definition not transgender, was verboten by Democrats who exploit these minors for political debate and “turn their existence” into a living hell in the name of “safety and legal protections.” Vermont’s medical failures and Democrat degeneracy are a profound national disgrace.
President Trump is right to fight such hatefulness, to defend the children whom these people clearly do not care about and exploit as pawns. Vermont’s childish trans antics are an SOS for America’s youth — an exhibition of not love and tolerance, but tyranny and hatefulness. Cutting federal funding to Vermont until it stands up for children instead of perversion is an admirable goal, long overdue in the Green Mountains.
(Originally published at American Thinker.)
One thing that drives me crazy about the Left in general and Trans people in particular is their kidnapping of the word “activist.” It used to be that activists were people like, for example, Paul Watson who risked their butts for their beliefs. These trans protestors are just stupid and overly-coddled tantrumists who are doing PR for the medical-industrial complex and the billions they make off trans drugs and surgeries - and will continue to make for the entire lives of too many poor, misguided children.
This relates directly to a concerning trend has emerged in our culture: the cultivation of victimhood identity, particularly among younger generations. This phenomenon turns victimhood into a valuable social currency that can be exchanged for attention, sympathy, and tangible benefits.
Perhaps more troubling is how political figures capitalize on this dynamic. In Vermont specifically, representatives like Balint and Sanders consistently frame their messaging around protecting constituents from perceived threats and injustices. They cultivate victimhood, for their own political gain.
This is a harmful symbiotic relationship: individuals embracing victim status are relieved of accountability for their circumstances, while politicians who position themselves as protectors gain influence and loyalty. Yet these same political figures often have little incentive to actually resolve the underlying issues, as their power base depends on the continued perception of victimization.
The article referenced illustrates this pattern. When a young person claims to have suffered "lifelong irreversible harm" despite their limited years, they're not merely describing trauma—they're signaling an intention to permanently incorporate victimhood into their identity. This mindset presents a more fundamental challenge than whatever negative influences may have contributed to their situation initially.