From PennLive:
The Republican candidate for governor of Pennsylvania this week falsely claimed that the prestigious children’s hospital in Philadelphia was “grabbing” homeless and foster children and “experimenting on them with gender transitioning.”
It was the latest in a series of extreme and false statements by Doug Mastriano, who made the comments during an interview with a right-wing network that features Steve Bannon and a steady stream QAnon conspiracies.
This is what he did.
Start with this. The Gender and Sexuality Development Program at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia:
The Gender and Sexuality Development Program offers psychosocial and medical support for gender nonconforming, gender expansive and transgender children and youth up to age 21 and their families. Our multidisciplinary team includes specialists in gender identity development from Social Work and Family Services, Adolescent Medicine, Endocrinology, and Behavioral Health. We work with your family to best meet the needs of your child or youth who is transgender or gender nonconforming. We also provide consultation and training for providers and organizations interested in learning how to better serve the needs of gender nonconforming youth.
And more here:
Transgender children and youth can feel different, alone, misunderstood or unsupported, resulting in negative physical and emotional outcomes. Also, many transgender children and youth are fully supported by their parent, schools and churches, which results in healthy and happy families.
The Gender and Sexuality Development Program at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) can help families in all of these situations. We offer psychosocial and medical support for gender nonconforming, gender expansive and transgender children and youth up to age 21 and their families. Our goal is to support children, youth and their families so they can live healthy and happy lives.
Mix that with this tweet:
CHOP Gender Clinic co-founder, Nadia Dowshen, says their clinic receives referrals from foster care and homeless shelters. @SecretaryLevine is a supporter of the CHOP clinic. Rachel explains that you don’t need parental consent to treat emancipated minors with puberty blockers pic.twitter.com/FBrDQenAl5
— Megan Eileen (@MegBeileen) September 29, 2022
Note the phrases "receives referrals from foster care and homeless shelters" and "emancipated minors" in that description.
And this is how Doug spins that necessary and helpful information:
Mastriano then took the opportunity to falsely claim: “He’s standing aside while the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia is grabbing homeless kids and kids in foster care, apparently, and experimenting on them with gender transitioning, something that’s irreversible.”
In St Sen (and now GOP cand for PA Gov) Doug Mastriano's reality "receiving referrals from foster care and homeless shelters" somehow becomes "grabbing homeless kids" and performing gender experiments on them. The clear implication is that it's all involuntary.
Real reality is very different. Some transgender kids are referred to the clinic by homeless shelters/foster care and if they are underage and are seeking treatment and are emancipated from their parents, they can receive it.
Doug Mastriano is lying to the public, in public. Again.
