We recommend that those at VDOE who are considering policies for the treatment of transgender students should familiarize themselves with a book by Abigail Shrier entitled Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters. Based on thousands of interviews she documents the epidemic of young teenage girls suddenly exhibiting "rapid onset gender dysphoria" following intense social media immersion or as part of a friend group with other members suddenly claiming to be transgender, without previous signs of gender confusion. "These are the same girls that would have been anorexic. They would have been bulimic. They are high anxiety, very precocious girls but they don't really fit in." Confused, lonely, misguided and vulnerable, they find that if they declare themselves to be transgender they see a big improvement in their social status. They are praised online, gain attention, new friends and their teachers hold them up as being courageous.  They can self-diagnose as transgender and get access through Planned Parenthood to testosterone. This begins a dangerous, life altering path.

This "craze" needs to be discouraged, not encouraged in the school system by making it "cool" to be transgender.