This could be read as being akin to the “All Lives Matter” response to “Black Lives Matter”. While other countries have committed atrocities, many have taken accountability for them head-on: look at the Truth and Reckoning Commission in South Africa, look at the ban of Nazi logos in Germany. Compare that to the US where efforts are underway to white-wash (literally) the history of slavery under the guise of making white people feel “uncomfortable”. Look at how widespread and unashamed Americans are to fly the Stars-and-Bars. We have come a long way, but have a long path ahead.
If anything you did the same exact thing by broadening it from Texas to America. The past couple responses are fairly off topic, even though I agree with the fact that “ We have come a long way, but have a long path ahead.” this topic is specifically about the safety of students at the vex worlds event, not about what change should be brought about or what is right or wrong.
I’m just wondering, where did you get this quote from?
I cannot find this specific quote. I even searched the letter and couldn’t find that quote what-so-ever. How can we confirm that this isn’t satire, and actually a legitimate statement as the only place with the quotes are on robotics forums (VEX and FRC) and nowhere else, (even in the documents presented) as what I can find?
The only locations I can find relate to news headlines, and nowhere else:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/02/23/greg-abbott-gender-affirming-care-child-abuse-directive/
whereas the actual letter, if you read it, actually states certain procedures as child abuse, not “any form of affirming care.”
You’re right, that’s not a direct quote from Governor Abbott’s letter, and I should have checked that it was before putting it in quotation marks. That was my mistake, and I apologize for it. The remaining content of my post isn’t changed by the errant quotation marks, however. Please consider this an official retraction of the quotation marks, (and an eyeroll that they’re the part of this that upset you).
Since you apparently felt the need to repost this to Chief Delphi to make sure everyone is aware of how misguided you are about transgender care, I might as well post this here too.
Can I ask which procedures that are a part of gender-affirming care for minors aren’t considered child abuse as a part of this? Because all of the ones that I can think of (hormone replacement, hormone blockers, surgery) are still explicitly considered abusive. It also explicitly requires people who interact with youth (doctors, teachers, nurses) to report the fact that any of these have happened. I really don’t see what form of “affirming care” is left out of this.
I do agree that quoting something (especially a paraphrase) out of the blue without background knowledge or context is bad, but without going going to go into detail:
Those “certain procedures” basically cover all recognized treatments of gender dysphoria other than therapeutic approaches, which are usually not enough.
If you want to go into details, there’s several guidelines from UCSF, WPATH, and more that I don’t remember off the top of my head
That was not what the initial quote implies. It states “any form of affirming care” which can be easily read as to anything related to any assistance to someone who is trans.
To simplify the note, the letter is written to say that transgender surgery/procedures done to children in Texas may not be tolerated. This is extremely different than a statement that implies intentional and discriminatory aggression to all trans people who enter the state of Texas even post-transition.
Yes, it is a grey line as there are some people who support transition surgeries for children while others do not. But if someone were to change the OP’s statement to a legitimate quote from the letter, then the initial question would be “where is the agression to transgender people” as compared to “let’s raise pitchforks.”
Yes. That is my point here. “Care” implies medical procedures, which this essentially disallows all form of. Any attack on trans youth is an attack on trans people as a whole. Nobody under 18 is getting bottom surgery, but this is far more than just that, forcing trans youth to go through a puberty that doesn’t align with their gender which is actual child abuse. This is not a matter of opinion on a “grey line”. This is a matter of life and death for transgender youth.
If they are a minor, and they are post-transition, and that transition involved basically any form of the widely accepted medical treatments involved in that process, then there is intentional and discriminatory aggression on the part of the state government, because their state law is saying that their parents have committed child abuse.
That is the aggression towards transgender people, in labelling the widely accepted treatments as child abuse, and therefore labelling the parents of any transgender person undergoing or who have undergone virtually any form of affirmative care as child abusers.
I understand now. That is incredibly good insight and makes complete sense.
Good point. I agree.
@DanMantz, a concerned student asked me to tag you and post this link to an active case in which a Texas parent is being investigated for providing gender-affirming care for their 16-year-old child. Texas Investigates Parents Over Care for Transgender Youth, Suit Says - The New York Times
All these people saying RECF should immediately cancel Worlds are minimizing the non-trans people. Chances are high that if VEX canceled their venue for Worlds right now, they would either not be able to get a new one or only be able to get one for half the people, twice the price, or some other negative condition, which would hurt non trans people since they would have to raise twice the money, not go, or something. And also I wish all these people would stop oscillating between saying the problem is trans people feeling unsafe and being unsafe. And also I wish someone would point out it would detract from the robotics vibe of VEX Worlds to draw lots of attention to political or cultural issues.
Ah, so it’s fine if transgender people feel unsafe, but heaven forbid that detract from the robotics vibe of worlds and impact you in any way? As always, the real victims are the people being minorly inconvenienced by the oppression of others.
I don’t think he meant it like that. I think that this is getting blown way out of proportion like people have mentioned vex can’t guarantee the safety of students outside of the venue. But even when it was being held in kentucky they couldn’t guarantee the safety of students. I feel like it falls onto the coaches and parents shoulders to make sure that the student is being watched over. I also agree that all of the political talk that might happen at Worlds really takes away from the robotics vibe. Vex isn’t about politics and what is right or wrong In Our socitey. Its about doing and learning about robotics and competing with people who share your passion. Just to re iterate I’m not saying what the governor did or that the feelings and safety of trans students doesn’t matter. But I am saying that this should be brought up with local authority or with your own teams that have trans students to figure out if they feel safe enough to participate or if they just need to be a little more cautious when out in public whether it be at a restaurant, store or hotel and that this should not be the rec foundations or Vexs responsibility.
No need to worry about them having to be more cautious, it’s part of day to day life of trans people. And the thread wasn’t initially made to say Vex should have to protect students outside of the venue, we all know that’s a big ask. It was made to ask the board what Vex will do during Worlds to help keep trans students safe, and to ask if they will move to virtual worlds once again to keep students safe. A pandemic killed the “robotics vibe” before, but a majority weren’t complaining because the new procedures kept people safe. I don’t know why that mindset would change when looking to keep trans students safe. Again, going virtual is only one of many possibilities, and is absolutely a last resort.
Some of those people who share that passion are trans people who may not feel safe in the venue that RECF selected. I don’t think anyone is asking for this year’s venue to change given how recently this change happened, nor for it to go all virtual. But I do think that RECF has a responsibility to uphold their own Code of Conduct, notably “Respect individual differences” and “Safety as a top priority”, and venue selection can make a huge impact on these two, especially for minorities being targeted by such hatred.
Again, the Code of Conduct applies to all, and so, yes coaches and parents have some responsibilty, so to, do students and the event planners and RECF.
Two famous quotes would seem to apply very directly here, the first from Martin Luther King, Jr.:
Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.
As well as the famous Martin Niemöller quote:
First, they came for the socialists, but I said nothing, for I was not a socialist.
Then, they came for the trade unionists, but I said nothing, for I was not a trade unionist.
…
Then, they came for me, and there was no one left to speak for me
Ah OK I see. In which case I feel that the best way for us and vex to make trans students feel safe is to treat then as our equals. I know that if for example there was an antisemitic attitude In Texas or some antisemitic laws that as a Jewish person I would feel uncomfortable if the rec foundation went out of their way to show support to only mY group of people were being pointed out and singled out for recognition by like flying the star of David at the convention center or making an announcement or whatever. I would rather they make a general announcement to just treat others the way you want to be treated and just have refs and judges watch out for bullying and discrimination in general.
Hearings are soon to see if this will be blocked statewide.
First, I want to thank the community for reaching out to the REC Foundation with your concerns and for tagging me in the thread so that I was aware of the discussion. I also appreciate the honest and respectful conversation regarding LGBQT+ acceptance, specifically transgender students’ safety, both in the RECF Community and society in general.
It is heartbreaking that any group of students may feel unwelcome or unsafe at any REC Foundation event. The REC Foundation is absolutely committed to the safety, diversity, equity, and inclusion of everyone in our community, per our Code of Conduct. We hold ourselves and our community accountable for respectful, safe, and ethical conduct at all REC Foundation-hosted or sanctioned events, including the upcoming VEX Robotics World Championship in Dallas, TX. Students from all cultures, backgrounds, and identities across the globe are always welcome.
I have always felt that our robotics community is one group of people with a shared passion for STEM and a common language of robotics and I encourage the RECF community to treat everyone as equal.
Thank you for your feedback and the opportunity to continue to learn what the REC Foundation can do to communicate our values through our programs and events.
Dan Mantz
CEO - REC Foundation
I appreciate that changing venues at the last minute is essentially impossible, so there’s nothing that can be done for this year (or, indeed, with the way contracts work, for the next few years), but going forward, will the discrimination and hatred displayed by the government of the state of Texas towards some among those this program exists to serve influence your choice of venue?
It’s disappointing that in this response you never once make a statement that even rises to the level of “I am also personally deeply saddened by the actions of the governor” or… anything that actually address the root issue underlying this thread, that the state of Texas is actively hostile to many students competing in this program.