Pediatric trans clinic dismisses social 'contagion' effect, tells school to 'affirm' group of 5th grade girls

ST. LOUIS (TND) — A pediatric transgender clinic at St. Louis Children's Hospital (SLCH) advised a Missouri area school official to "affirm" and "validate" a group of fifth-grade girls who all said they were trans after one of their friends came out to them first.

Parents' rights nonprofit Parents Defending Education uncovered email communications from October 2021, between a school official working for the Parkway Schools district located outside St. Louis and a staff member from SLCH's Washington University Transgender Center.

The short story is that one of the students in the 5th-grade class is coming out as Trans. She has told several of her friends and now several of them are also saying they are trans," the Parkway Schools official wrote in an email to SLCH's transgender center. "We do not want to discourage them if this is the case, but we're also suspecting there could be other reasons they are doing this than that this is actually the case."

In response, SLCH's pediatric transgender clinic told the school official that it was "normal" when an individual "realizes who they are," shares it, and others "realize they are similar."

Depending on who you ask, this is common, but also in varied ways," SLCH's transgender center added in its response to the school official. "There are schools of thought that have 'documented' this as an issue of significance, in that a student coming out as transgender, becomes a 'contagion.' This language isn't affirming and the few studies on phenomenon are, in my personal and professional opinion, invalid."

The Parkway Schools official who reached out to SLCH's transgender center responded that the information was “very helpful” and asked for any additional resources that might help them navigate the situation.

Following up, the transgender center at SLCH said its "Adolescent Medicine specialist," Dr. Sarah Garwood, wanted to reiterate the best thing that the school officials could do in this situation was "affirm, validate and allow for the exploration."

The utter lack of curiosity about the underlying causes of such a trend among ten-year old children by medical professionals is immoral at best and an abdication of professional responsibility at worst," Parents Defending Education President Nicki Neily said. "These children and their families have been let down, both by the school and the hospital - so it's little wonder that trust in these institutions have declined precipitously over the past few years."

SLCH's transgender center is currently under investigation by Missouri GOP Senator Josh Hawley, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, the state Social Services Department and state licensing agency over claims it has rushed to give kids puberty blockers and hormones without informed consent, according to The Associated Press.

Just last week, a former case manager at SLCH's transgender center wrote a scathing expose, blowing the whistle on what she called "morally and medically appalling" care she witnessed on the job.

READ MORE: "Former children's gender clinic worker slams 'morally, medically appalling' care"

The National Desk (TND) reached out to both SLCH and the Parkway Schools district for comment but did not hear back. If a response is received this story will be updated.