The new assistant health secretary will follow policies that are consistent with this administration and will provide much humor throughout the world.

The United States Senate has approved President Biden's nominee for U.S. assistant health secretary.  Dr. Rachel Levine will be the first openly transgender federal official confirmed by the U.S. Senate.  Opposition to Levine centered on his performance as Pennsylvania's health secretary and not on his obvious psychiatric problems.  The American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) does not explicitly state that "gender non-conformity is ... in itself a mental disorder."  Its designation is evolving.  At one time, homosexuality was considered a mental disease.  Perhaps if this trend continues, heterosexuality will be classified as a disease.

Photo credit: Gov. Tom Wolfe (cropped).  CC BY 2.0 license.

Gender confusion has been promoted by the media and the educational system.  Good Morning America hosted an 11-year-old "drag kid" known as "Desmond Is Amazing."  His performance, a suggestive dance, was met with thunderous applause.  The hosts described him as "courageous."  Examples of school promotion of transgender policies are too numerous to mention.  Feminist Camille Paglia asserts that androgyny has "become a fashion."  Levine has been praised and given support for his "grace in the wake of transphobic bigotry over the course of the past year."  Some in the transgender community have hailed him as a role model.

Senator Rand Paul attempted to get a definitive answer from Levine about his policy.  Paul pointed out, "Genital mutilation has been nearly universally condemned.  According to the W.H.O. (World Health Organization), genital mutilation is recognized internationally as a violation of human rights."  He continued, "Dr. Levine, you have supported both allowing minors to be given hormone blockers to prevent them from going through puberty as well as surgical destruction of a minor's genitalia, like surgical mutilation."  Paul then asked, "Dr. Levine, do you believe that minors are capable of making such a life-changing decision as changing one's sex?"  Levine avoided the question by responding, "Transgender medicine is a very complex and nuanced field."  Paul persisted, "Do you support the government intervening to override the parents' consent to give a child puberty-blockers cross-sex hormones and/or amputation surgery of breasts and genitalia?"  Levine repeated his non-answer: "Transgender medicine is a very complex and nuanced field."

Levine will be in a position to influence policy at the Department of Health and Human Services.  He has been a strong proponent of "sex reassignment" for minors.  He has endorsed puberty-blockers to gender-confused children throughout puberty, followed by "sex change" surgery at 18.  While this surgery is usually performed on adults, Levine claims "there are exceptions."  

Every senator who voted to confirm Levine is now on record as supporting childhood "sex changes."  Levine's position on this subject is in line with the Democrat party and the administration.  One of the president's first actions after being sworn in was to sign an executive order announcing the policy to "prevent and combat discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation, and to fully enforce Title VII and other laws that prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation."

Sen. Paul pointed out that "hormonal interruption of puberty can permanently alter and prevent secondary sexual characteristics" and that "the American College of Pediatricians reports that 80 to 95 percent of pre-pubertal children with gender dysphoria will experience resolution by late adolescence if not exposed to medical intervention and social affirmation."  Paul declared, "In the gender dysphoria clinic in England, 10% of the kids are between the ages of three and ten."  It is becoming increasingly apparent that this movement is targeting children.  Sixties radical Jerry Rubin explained, "We are stealing the youth of America right out of the kindergartens and elementary schools."  Beatnik Allen Ginsberg commented, "We'll get you through your children!"

A public school district outside Columbus, Ohio, has spent more than $134,000 in legal fees to obtain a permit to install gender-neutral bathrooms in its new facilities.  The school district attempted to do this without informing parents.  An ultimate goal of progressives is to have males compete in female sports events.  This would involve them showering with their female teammates.  This sounds absurd — or does it?  There was a Twitter argument suggesting that young girls should be protected from seeing male genitalia in a girls' restroom or locker room.  One asked, "What do you tell a 12-year-old girl who doesn't want to see a penis in the locker room?"  CNN's Chris Cuomo responded, "I wonder if she is the problem, or her overprotective and intolerant dad.  Teach tolerance."

John Dietrich is a freelance writer and the author of The Morgenthau Plan: Soviet Influence on American Postwar Policy (Algora Publishing).  He has a Master of Arts degree in international relations from St. Mary's University.  He is retired from the Defense Intelligence Agency and the Department of Homeland Security.  He is featured on the BBC's program "Things We Forgot to Remember:" Morgenthau Plan and Post-War Germany.