On Monday, April 17, the Dartmouth Republicans hosted an event with Chloe Cole, who, while not yet a household name, may well be familiar to those who follow conservative media. Over the past few months, Ms. Cole has been featured on numerous outlets to share the story of her medical gender transition and destransition. She has arguably become the most visible “detransitioner” in the country, having appeared alongside such varied figures as The Daily Wire’s Matt Walsh, psychologist Jordan Peterson, and even Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene.
The April 17 event started with a bang, as a crowd of approximately 50 demonstrators assembled outside of Moore Hall for a transgender-rights rally. Several organizations—including the Spare Rib feminist publication, the Dartmouth Radical, and even the Palestinian Solidarity Coalition—advertised the protest to campus through email. If you are perplexed by the relationship between Palestine and transgenderism, don’t be: The two are somehow connected through the prism of intersectionality. Doors to the event did not open until 10 minutes prior to its start time, forcing many attendees to wait outside in the rain with the demonstrators. The protest consisted of melodramatic testimonies and vague platitudes as the crowd cheered for everything and anything—including a male-presenting individual who roared about having “she/her” pronouns. Division between protesters and event attendees was clearly demarcated by hair dye. Finally, attendees were granted refuge from the cult when Safety & Security officers allowed them entrance into the building.
At the front of Filene Auditorium, Cole was joined by emergency medicine physician Dr. Carrie Mendoza as well as Dartmouth Republicans President Chloe Ezzo ’22, who facilitated the discussion. Ms. Cole’s remarks focused largely on her experience in the medical system as a youth with gender dysphoria, while Dr. Mendoza’s remarks pertained largely to concerns about a dearth of scientific support and data in the medical field of gender care.
In the discussion, Cole spoke of how she began experiencing discomfort with her gender at the age of 12. She said that she had been diagnosed with ADHD, experienced discomfort with her body, and struggled with socialization. According to Cole, her therapist automatically affirmed her identity as a boy without sufficient regard for other underlying conditions. As her psychological issues persisted, Cole progressed further on her gender transition by beginning medical treatment. At the age 13, she told the audience that she was prescribed puberty blockers and testosterone, and at the age of 15, she underwent a double mastectomy. She asserted that medical practitioners had failed to warn her and her parents of potential consequences and had indicated that gender transition regret rates were less than 2%.
Despite ultimately opting to reverse her gender transition, Cole continues to experience effects that are irreversible—including a deepened voice, the inability to breastfeed, and fertility uncertainties. Currently, she is the plaintiff in a medical negligence lawsuit against healthcare giant Kaiser Permanente, in which lawsuit she is represented by the law firm of Dartmouth alumna and former Review Editor-in-Chief Harmeet Dhillon ’89.
Dr. Mendoza’s comments in the discussion reflected her belief that there is a lack of evidence to support the current status quo for gender dysphoria treatment, branded by activists as “gender-affirming care.” She explained that statistics repeated in the mainstream media which purport the necessity of transgender medicine rely on unverifiable, self-reported data. Further, she emphasized that medical-records systems currently lack the code inputs to record detransition cases, which prevents accurate data collection. She also spoke of historical instances of unethical hormone experimentation in medicine, including Nazi experimentation that attempted to use testosterone to reverse homosexuality.
The above account summarizes both panelists’ contributions from a discussion that lasted more than two hours and, to be frank, was at times quite circular. While Cole’s story—which she told in very graphic detail—is both concerning and tragic, I do think that it is important to consider the broader implications and purpose of her platform. I also believe that it is important to exercise a healthy level of skepticism whenever an individual emerges and fits almost perfectly on one side of a raging national debate.
To fully address these questions, the primary objective of Ms. Cole’s activism must be clear—specifically whether she seeks to prevent access to transgender medical care by minors or by everyone, including adults. Solely advocating the former in order to protect children would appear to be a compelling position that is in line with the opinion of a slim majority of the American public. It also aligns with the scholarly position of a growing number of European health institutes and bodies that are restricting access to youth gender care. Promoting the latter, however, does not align with the broader American public but is, rather, more reflective of a perspective to be found on the religious right. Cole addressed this point in a question-and-answer period that followed the discussion, initially suggesting that she feels transgender medicine should be available to adults over the age of 18 after thorough psychiatric screening. However, she continued her statement by emphasizing that she does not believe in genuine gender dysphoria.
I followed up by asking Cole about her declaration that the issue of protecting children from irreversible transgender medicine should be apolitical. If that is so, I asked, then why is it that Republicans have been overwhelmingly the most receptive to her platform?
Despite her demonstrated capacity for articulate speech and levelheadedness, Cole was visibly surprised by the question. She paused and then passed the microphone to Dr. Mendoza, who claimed that Republican opposition to bureaucracy extends to the medical bureaucracy of youth gender care. It was an interesting analogy, but due to the national expansion of Big Pharma under both Democrat and Republican administrations, I did not find this explanation compelling. When the microphone did return to her, Cole hesitantly admitted that Republicans tend to be more religious and that Genesis stipulates that God created man and woman.
The purpose of my probing was not and is not to impugn either Cole or Christianity but to better understand what, and perhaps who, motivates Cole’s platform. After all, establishing oneself as America’s most prolific detransitioner in a matter of months and then promptly embarking on a national speaking circuit is no easy individual task, especially for an 18 year old. In fact, it requires a large team. The seemingly off-limits nature of this conversation topic and Cole’s discomfort admitting that her platform may advance goals of the Christian right was notable. Often, the left will accuse conservatives of having a hidden agenda; the only solution to that is transparency.
I also noted anecdotes that seemed to endorse Christian-right perspectives beyond the topic of transgenderism. For example, when asked by an audience member about her future plans, Cole said that she wants to fight against pornography and for the preservation of the roles of men and women. She explained that, in her view, modern society has conditioned men and women to assume roles for which they are not equipped. Such remarks may be reasonably considered to reflect objectives in Cole’s platform beyond simply the protection of youth from irreversible gender treatment.
Chloe Cole delivered a graphic, moving personal testimony as a victim of medical malpractice. Her story amplifies concerns about children receiving cross-sex medical treatments before they are mature enough to make such irreversible decisions. Still, those who listen to Cole as a national figure should be cognizant of the broader agenda she echoes. While protecting the innocence of children is important and should certainly be an apolitical message, Cole’s message seems far more multilayered than is advertised. In a political arena in which everyone is looking for a hero, it never hurts to ask questions.
Thank you for a thoughtful and non-attacking-article.
The fact that GOP supports Cole does not diminish Cole’s experience. What is troubling, in fact, is that Cole’s story is reported only on conservative media and that her experience has been harnessed to the culture war on both sides.