The Associated Press published an unusually revealing article [updated link] about a 13-year-old US Army dependent named Jenn Brewer — who is actually a male, but is attempting a pre-puberty “transition” to female under the military’s healthcare system:

The Pentagon announced in June an end to the military’s ban on transgender service members. The ripple effect of the new health benefits extends beyond active-duty military to include roughly 7 million retirees and children of service members, like Jenn.

The change puts support for Jenn’s mental and physical well-being during her transition within reach, but the new coverage also comes with controversy.

The National Center for Transgender Equality says the new policy doesn’t go far enough, with a key operation – gender-reassignment surgery – covered only for active-duty personnel.

The article indicates activists are already fighting that policy, intending to force the military healthcare system to pay for dependents and retirees who want to surgically change their gender appearance.

There is no doubt that one of the toughest times in life for any person is adolescence — and for any current adult, the reasons should go without explanation.

While adolescents and teenagers should be nurtured in love through these struggles, it is a disturbing implication that 13 year olds should be allowed or even encouraged to make permanent, physical changes to their bodies. Many young adults Brewer’s age will change their mind a dozen times before they even enter college regarding what they “want to be when they grow up.” Though some claim it is controversial, those who question their gender as adolescents will likewise change their mind as they mature, potentially more than once.

(The article also ignores the potential repercussions for military doctors who, for moral or religious reasons, refuse to recommend a patient receive artificial medical support for a “chosen” gender.)

Like many teenagers, Brewer is clearly going through a period of mental and emotional struggle. For example, he says he wants to identify as a woman — and he apparently has a girlfriend he met at a gay pride event.

Further, many — if not most — teenagers will also be at least tempted to do other things that are wrong.  Such things might include, broadly speaking, smoking, drugs, premarital sex, underage drinking, etc. Just because a teenager feels the need to do these things does not mean they should be allowed to do these things.  And when parents prevent their child from doing these things, they are similarly not wrong for doing so.

Therein lies another disturbing trend in today’s society. This article on Brewer will be met with sympathy in the least, and potentially even proactive support for the teenager’s “choice” to identify as a different gender. If a nearly identical article had focused on parents trying to help their teenager work through the struggle by getting him the necessary help to correctly understand his identity as a male, the parents would almost certainly have been derided as backward bigots. Worse, in some locales their efforts may actually have been considered illegal.

The only difference, though, would have been the social acceptance of neosexuality — and the social hostility toward religious beliefs that fail to conform to these new sexual norms.

Think about the ramifications of a society that forbids you to rear a child and shape his behaviors consistent with your religious and moral standards.

Then realize how close we are to that today.

Image via the Jacquelyn Martin/Associated Press.

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