WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Independent Women Features (IW Features), the grassroots storytelling and original journalism arm of Independent Women, released part two of detransitioner Claire Abernathy and her mom Carrie Abernathy’s story. IW Features previously shared part one of their story on April 28 when they detailed how they were sold the lie of so-called “gender-affirming care,” and how it permanently impacted their lives.
Part two of their story dives into how parents can also be victims of radical gender ideology, highlighting how well-intentioned policies to protect children from the harms of transition can have unintended consequences. In Claire and Carrie’s case, a 2022 directive from Governor Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton classified so-called “gender-affirming care” for minors as child abuse under existing Texas law, leading Carrie to fear that she might lose custody of her daughter.
“A colleague called me and asked, ‘I have a child in my class that I think that their parents are affirming them. Do I have to make a report?’ And I’m like, ‘I’m not sure,’” Carrie, who worked as a school teacher at the time, told IW Features. “I ran it up the chain, and it came back, ‘Yes, that if you think that a child is being affirmed in transition, you need to make that report.’”
“And that was when I realized that means that pretty much everybody that I work with is in the same boat. They have to report me or else they could also be charged criminal charges,” Carrie said.
The two-part documentary is part of IW Features’ “Identity Crisis” series, which launched in 2022 to tell the stories of detransitioners and their loved ones, exposing the crippling dangers of gender ideology and its toll on America’s youth.
Kaylee McGhee White, editor-in-chief of Independent Women Features, said: “Carrie and Claire Abernathy’s story is an important reminder that parents can be victims of gender ideology just as much as vulnerable children. Gender activists lie to children and parents alike to make them believe that an affirmation-only approach is the only solution to a child’s confusion. That’s why policies aimed at cracking down on gender ideology should always be geared toward the true culprit: the industries that pushed gender ideology onto children in the first place.”
Neeraja Deshpande, policy analyst for Independent Women, said: “The gender medicine complex lies to parents, emotionally blackmailing them by telling them that their children will kill themselves if not allowed to transition. The psychological manipulation that is standard practice in pediatric gender medicine not only destroys children—it destroys entire families.”
Andrea Mew, managing editor of Independent Women Features and documentary producer, said: “In part two of Claire and Carrie’s story, IW Features is shining a light on the heartbreaking reality facing so many parents: coerced into affirming under threat of suicide, then vilified for doing what medical professionals insisted was the only option. Why are we punishing parents, instead of the predatory industry pushing these interventions?”
“Identity Crisis: Real Stories About Escaping Gender Ideology” features stories from detransitioners, experts, and parents fighting to protect children and teens from the irreversible harms of gender ideology. From ‘top surgery’, nipples peeling off, clitoral growth, trapped milk ducts, and hairy bodies, Identity Crisis documentaries bring to light the graphic stories of young adults now reckoning with the physical and emotional scars of gender ideology.
- Johns Hopkins Professor Says Granddaughter Prisha’s Trans Diagnosis was ‘Medical Malpractice’
- Soren’s Story | How One Detransitioner Found Peace Outside of Medicalization
- Washington Therapist and Whistleblower Fired for Calling Out Reckless Treatments Against Youth
- Prisha’s Story Pt. 1 | Mentally Ill Teen Betrayed by Health Professionals Who Recommended Testosterone and ‘Top Surgery’
- Prisha’s Story Pt. 2 | A Detransitioner’s Pregnancy Journey
- Isabelle’s Story | The 20-Year-Old Detransitioner Taking on the American Academy of Pediatrics
- Cat’s Story | Detransitioner Loses Natural Singing Voice After ‘Gender Affirming’ Care
- Daisy’s Story | After ‘Top Surgery’ & Hormones, Female Detransitioner Decided She Wanted to Be A Mom
- Cristina’s Story | Meet the Detransitioner Suing Planned Parenthood
- Detransitioner Speaks Out About Irreversible Damage After “Disastrous” Misdiagnosis
- Controversy Erupts in California School District Over Radical Gender Ideology in Classrooms
- This Therapist Network Helps Gender-Confused Children Through Counseling, Not Surgery
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