Indian-American Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy during the GOP’s second debate for the 2024 US presidential election said that he believes that “Transgenderism, especially in kids, is a mental health disorder.”
He took to X, formerly Twitter, to share a video of him making the statement during the debate. In his statement he said, “Transgenderism is a mental health disorder. We have to acknowledge the truth of that for what it is.” He also stressed on parental rights on knowing about a child’s prospective transitions, saying, “Parents have the right to know.”
Talking further about gender dysphoria, Ramaswamy said, “It is not compassionate to affirm a kid’s confusion. That is not compassion. That is cruelty.” He cited the cases of two people in their 20s who now regret having undergone double mastectomy and hysterectomy. One of the two people he mentioned, he said, “will never have children”.
Calling allowing children to undergo transitions “barbaric”, Ramaswamy said he will ban procedures he called “genital mutilation”.
Linking gender dysphoria and suicide
Vivek Ramaswamy has said that over 50% of kids with gender dysphoria have considered commiting suicide. He added that even with such figures the politicians have rejected a law which would require schools to tell parents about their children’s prospective transitions. “Parents have a right to know about their kids: that shouldn’t be controversial. Ban genital mutilation and puberty blockers before age 18. Treat gender dysphoria as a mental health disorder. Time to empower parents again,” Ramaswamy tweeted.