美国国家公共电台 NPR--Vanderbilt's pediatric transgender care clinic is one of several under assault

Vanderbilt's pediatric transgender care clinic is one of several under assault

Transcript²

Some clinics paused gender¹-affirming surgeries for minors³ due to pushback from critics. Conservative activists⁵ say they want to protect kids. Parents of teen patients say the care is saving lives.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

In this country, a lot of discussion in the fall election centers on transgender kids. It's not the main issue, but it's there in laws passed by some legislatures and in the rhetoric⁶ of many candidates. This morning, we'll hear how that issue is experienced by one teenager in Tennessee. Here's Blake Farmer of our member station WPLN.

BLAKE FARMER, BYLINE⁷: People used to call Adams a tomboy. His mom never liked that, but he certainly is adventurous⁸. At a wooded park in Nashville, he stumbles upon two young deer lying in the tall grass.

ADAMS: The mom went down there.

ELIZABETH: Oh, yeah, I see. Look. I wonder if they're brothers or sisters.

FARMER: For the last few years, gender has dominated life for 14-year-old Adams and his mom, Elizabeth. We're only using their middle names because they fear harassment⁹. Adams was assigned female at birth.

ADAMS: Like, if I could choose not to be trans, I probably would. Like, if I...

ELIZABETH: (Laughter). It would be easier, wouldn't it?

ADAMS: Yeah. If I could choose to just be a cisgender girl, I probably would.

FARMER: Adams came out to his mom a few years ago. As puberty began, his body started fighting his brain, growing breasts and menstruating. So Elizabeth began working to get him into a local pediatric transgender care clinic at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. It took nearly a year to get an appointment and another year of consultations¹⁰.

ELIZABETH: A little selfishly, I'm kind of holding back because I know once the testosterone is started, we start puberty all over again. And I'm not handling round one real well.

FARMER: But she's given Adams the green light for hormones¹² once they can get their therapist to sign off. What Elizabeth's not quite ready for is any kind of surgery. Adams is still on the young side to be eligible¹³ for what's known as top surgery - in his case, removing the breasts he binds¹⁴ to his chest every day.

ELIZABETH: I don't want to be close-minded and say it's just a phase 'cause I don't think it is. But I just - surgery just seems drastic to me right now.

FARMER: In the end, though, Elizabeth says her son feels like he's in the wrong body, and that feeds into his depression. He's already confronted some scary times.

ELIZABETH: I want to ease that for him. I mean, that's what I would say to a parent who's terrified and who's wanting to shut these clinics down. I would say, it's scary, but in the end, it's going to save your kid. I mean, the suicide rate is off the charts for trans kids.

FARMER: But the hope they find in gender-affirming care now faces some fierce resistance in Nashville and a growing number of cities and states. An anti-trans activist⁴ put out a supposed expose that claimed Vanderbilt was butchering children, despite Vanderbilt following the medical standards of care. But conservative politicians quickly picked up on the misleading report, demanding the clinic halt all surgeries and threatening other regulations. Then came the radio ads targeting liberals.

(SOUNDBITE OF POLITICAL AD)

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: They push girls to take testosterone so they grow facial hair.

FARMER: There's now a political rally planned for this week, which has attracted some of the state's top elected officials. Vanderbilt has agreed to pause surgeries, though the medical center revealed just how few occur on minors - roughly five a year and never on genitals. Vanderbilt would not make anyone available for an interview, but the clinic's director, Dr. Cassandra Brady, has said they are more cautious than clinical guidelines even recommend. She told state lawmakers just last year that the clinic goes above and beyond with parental¹⁵ consent.

CASSANDRA BRADY: So that means if parents are divorced and one disagrees and one agrees, then that child cannot have the hormone¹¹ or hormone-blocking therapy.

FARMER: The situation for Elizabeth and Adams is a little more straightforward¹⁶. Sadly, Adams' father died from an accidental drug overdose a few years ago. But she's been cautious.

ELIZABETH: Even if it was the process to just say, yep, sign me up, I can't imagine any parent would just jump into it headfirst, no matter how open they may be.

FARMER: As teenagers tend to be, Adams is ready to get going, even though he acknowledges his young brain is not great at fully¹⁷ processing long-term consequences.

ADAMS: Everyone's just like, oh, well, why don't you just be a girl again? And then, like, I went through that phase before, like, a couple of years ago. I went through that phase just like, oh, maybe I'm just a girl, and I'm just - it was just - it was the worst year of my life...

ELIZABETH: Oh, baby.

ADAMS: ...When I did that.

FARMER: Elizabeth is genuinely concerned about the health and safety of her son and of all trans teens if politicians make gender-affirming care off-limits.

For NPR News, I'm Blake Farmer in Nashville.

1 gender   

n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。
• Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 minors   

n.未成年人( minor的名词复数 )；副修科目；小公司；[逻辑学]小前提v.[主美国英语]副修，选修，兼修( minor的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The law forbids shops to sell alcohol to minors. 法律禁止商店向未成年者出售含酒精的饮料。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He had three minors this semester. 这学期他有三门副修科目。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

5 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 rhetoric   

n.修辞学，浮夸之言语

参考例句：

• Do you know something about rhetoric?你懂点修辞学吗？
• Behind all the rhetoric,his relations with the army are dangerously poised.在冠冕堂皇的言辞背后，他和军队的关系岌岌可危。

7 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

8 adventurous   

adj.爱冒险的；惊心动魄的，惊险的，刺激的　

参考例句：

• I was filled with envy at their adventurous lifestyle.我很羨慕他们敢于冒险的生活方式。
• He was predestined to lead an adventurous life.他注定要过冒险的生活。

9 harassment   

n.骚扰，扰乱，烦恼，烦乱

参考例句：

• She often got telephone harassment at night these days.这些天她经常在夜晚受到电话骚扰。
• The company prohibits any form of harassment.公司禁止任何形式的骚扰行为。

10 consultations   

n.磋商（会议）( consultation的名词复数 )；商讨会；协商会；查找

参考例句：

• Consultations can be arranged at other times by appointment. 磋商可以通过预约安排在其他时间。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Consultations are under way. 正在进行磋商。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

11 hormone   

n.荷尔蒙，激素，内分泌

参考例句：

• Hormone implants are used as growth boosters.激素植入物被用作生长辅助剂。
• This hormone interacts closely with other hormones in the body.这种荷尔蒙与体內其他荷尔蒙紧密地相互作用。

12 hormones   

n. 荷尔蒙，激素 名词hormone的复数形式

参考例句：

• This hormone interacts closely with other hormones in the body. 这种荷尔蒙与体內其他荷尔蒙紧密地相互作用。
• The adrenals produce a large per cent of a man's sex hormones. 肾上腺分泌人体的大部分性激素。

13 eligible   

adj.有条件被选中的；(尤指婚姻等)合适(意)的

参考例句：

• He is an eligible young man.他是一个合格的年轻人。
• Helen married an eligible bachelor.海伦嫁给了一个中意的单身汉。

14 binds   

v.约束( bind的第三人称单数 )；装订；捆绑；（用长布条）缠绕

参考例句：

• Frost binds the soil. 霜使土壤凝结。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Stones and cement binds strongly. 石头和水泥凝固得很牢。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 parental   

adj.父母的；父的；母的

参考例句：

• He encourages parental involvement in the running of school.他鼓励学生家长参与学校的管理。
• Children always revolt against parental disciplines.孩子们总是反抗父母的管束。

16 straightforward   

adj.正直的，坦率的；易懂的，简单的

参考例句：

• A straightforward talk is better than a flowery speech.巧言不如直说。
• I must insist on your giving me a straightforward answer.我一定要你给我一个直截了当的回答。

17 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。