Today, @approject published my report on the ideology and interests behind transgenderism. The amount of money involved is staggering; the number of powerful individuals involved is many and includes Republicans and Democrats🧵1/ americanprinciplesproject.org
My report is a broad but concise overview of the issue based on five Ws and one H: who, what, when, where, why, and how. The sheer immensity of what I call the “transgender leviathan” is, in some ways, unprecedented relative to the size of the group it claims to represent. 2/
There are so many PACs and NGOs and donors involved that it might be easier to create a list of power entities that aren’t involved. This is not an exhaustive report, but it does provide a snapshot of the problem. 3/
There are generally two motives driving the normalization of transgenderism: ideology and interest, or those who are true believers and those who see transgenderism as an avenue for increased profit and power. 4/
However, regardless of motive the result is the same: a society that lives by lies, the undermining of the family, and a radical reimagining of the relationship between the individual and their body and the citizen and state. 5/
Transitioning has created an extremely profitable market with lifetime consumers. The global market valuation for sex reassignment surgery is expected to exceed $1.5 billion by 2026, according to an analysis by Global Market Insights. 6/
To get an idea of just how profitable this is, consider the case of Elle Bradford, who began male-to-female transition as a teen and, notably, was encouraged by YouTube videos to undergo the process. 7/
Bradford paid around $30,000 for “gender confirmation surgery” and roughly the same amount for facial feminization surgery, plus a breast augmentation surgery that runs between $5,000 and $10,000. 8/
Hormone therapy costs at least $1,500 per year, in Bradford’s experience, who plans to be a lifelong user, as is common with transgenderism. The drugs are incredibly expensive. They also act as accelerants. Most people who start them move on to surgeries.
Take Lupron. 9/
Take Lupron. 9/
Lupron is the puberty blocker most widely used on children for the early stages of gender transitioning. Each monthly injection costs between $1,100 to $2,500 for patients without insurance. The estimated cost out of pocket for a three-month kit of Lupron is about $9,500.84. 10/
Financial records show that Lupron has generated more than $5 billion in domestic net revenues since 2013. 11/
It’s hard to say how much of that can be attributed to transgenderism alone, but Lupron Depot Pediatric is the puberty blocker most widely used to transition children, and AbbVie, Lupron’s manufacturer, aggressively promotes the drug. 12/
According to the National Institute on Money in Politics, AbbVie has hired 169 different lobbyists in the last decade across 31 states. Among its top payees is Ballard Partners, a lobbying firm with close ties to the Republican Party. 13/
AbbVie has also donated to candidates like State Sen. Scott Wiener, a San Francisco Democrat who publicly promotes BDSM and suggested as an idea for a bill: “Offering Drag Queen 101 as part of the K-12 curriculum. Attending Drag Queen Story Time will satisfy the requirement.” 14/
AbbVie gives to people in the medical field, too.
ProPublica’s Dollars for Docs database—which tracked payments to doctors and teaching hospitals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies—is helpful.
Consider the case of Dr. Peter A. Lee. 15/
ProPublica’s Dollars for Docs database—which tracked payments to doctors and teaching hospitals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies—is helpful.
Consider the case of Dr. Peter A. Lee. 15/
In 2009, Lee told the Chicago Tribune about the benefits of puberty that Lupron deprives users of: “In women, you are talking about bone density, and in both sexes, cardio health in addition to sexuality and reproduction.” 16/
But in 2010, Lee published a study about Lupron being used on children that omitted two serious side effects: a bone disorder and a disease-caused fracture.
According to ProPublica’s database, Lee received $322,469 between 2013 to 2018 from AbbVie to talk about Lupron. 17/
According to ProPublica’s database, Lee received $322,469 between 2013 to 2018 from AbbVie to talk about Lupron. 17/
Newer data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Open Payments site show that between 2019 and 2020, Lee received $86,544 specifically in connection to Lupron Depot Pediatric. 18/
It’s worth noting that in 2001, TAP Pharmaceuticals, the joint venture that initially produced Lupron, paid $875 million to settle a fraud case in which the company was accused of scheming to provide doctors with kickbacks for prescribing the drug.
Hmmmmm. 19/
Hmmmmm. 19/
But this is still just the tip of the iceberg. 20/
To illustrate both the bipartisan nature of the issue—Republicans and Democrats are complicit—and the linkages between corporations, lobbyism, and NGOs, we have to return to Ballard Partners. 21/
In 2021, the Ballard signed a lobbying agreement with Freedom for All Americans, a Washington-based nonprofit pushing for the passage of the Equality Act, which would enable the federal government to infringe on individual liberties in the name of anti-discrimination. 22/
Sounds like stuff only Democrats would be into, right? If only.
Trent Morse, who served as President Trump’s liaison to the Department of Health and Human Services, works at Freedom for All Americans. 23/
Trent Morse, who served as President Trump’s liaison to the Department of Health and Human Services, works at Freedom for All Americans. 23/
To be sure, Democrats are the biggest beneficiaries of giving related to LGBT issues like transgenderism. In the 2020 election cycle, Open Secrets data show groups in this space spent $6.9 million supporting Democrats and only $79,800 on Republicans. 24/
There is a lot more here. This report is the biggest project I’ve worked on. I will add more to this thread later (if Twitter is still around) but if you want to see more now, you can read it on the @approject website. 25/ americanprinciplesproject.org
Loading suggestions...