David and Goliath
Guess which one we are. That’s right, we are once again getting the short end of the stick in a society that seems bent on eliminating -- or at the very least, suppressing -- our values. The latest assault comes from our sister state of South Dakota. The Goliath is Sanford Health.
Let me begin by saying I greatly appreciate Sanford Health and the care they provide. They are the provider of choice for many of us, and I daresay most of us have at least an acquaintance or perhaps family member who is part of their institution. They are effectively our friends in health care. However, sometimes it is our responsibility to speak up when friends are headed in the wrong direction.
Sanford Research Center, located in Sioux Falls, SD, has for the past couple of years, cohosted a conference on gender identity. Once again, on January 13th, they will cohost the 3rd Annual Midwest Gender Identity Summit at their headquarters. As explained by Sanford, “The purpose of this event is to review the needs of transgender patients in healthcare. This includes inter-personal communication, as well as physical and mental health needs.” The organization partnering with Sanford to host this event is called The Transformation Project. Here is the root of the problem.
The Transformation Project’s stated mission is to, “support and empower transgender individuals and their families while educating communities in SD and the surrounding region about gender identity and expression.” I have no issue with supporting and empowering individuals, but for what reason is the critical question, particularly for kids (yes, they are individuals too). I am happy to support and empower children to stay in school, not use illegal drugs, or attend their church youth group; not so much to buy into the concept that they need to decide whether to take hormone blockers, when that decision can permanently affect their entire life.
Second, Susan Williams, their Executive Director, helped her 10-year-old daughter transition into a boy. Yes, the same age where top recommended toys include mosaic and clay animal sets, snail habitats, string art kits, and plush toys. There are even certain NERF™ products that aren’t recommended for children this young. So, they shouldn’t play with certain NERF™ toys, but apparently, they can make life‑changing sexuality decisions? This makes me both sad and angry.
However, their agenda goes even further. Their Reformation Project is, “is a Bible-based, Christian organization that works to promote inclusion of LGBTQ people by reforming church teaching on sexual orientation and gender identity,” and another program called Q Christian Fellowship is intent on, “cultivating radical belonging for LGBTQ+ Christians and allies.” Hmmm.
Here are other choice items on their website and in their publications.
“We believe that transgender people know what is best for them and that they are experts in their own lives.” In their world, this applies to kids as well.
“Dead naming is the act of using a transgender person’s birth name (or dead name) rather than their current chosen name, either to their face or without them present.” [Oct, 2019 issue of Transforming South Dakota, page 6.] Aside from the morbid overtones, note the phrase, “without them present.”
“Transgender and nonbinary youth who reported having pronouns respected by all or most people in their lives attempted suicide at half the rate of those who did not have their pronouns respected. [Jan, 2022 issue of Transforming South Dakota, page 40]. Seriously? You’re trying to tell me that I’m effectively killing some child by using the wrong pronoun? Passing off correlation as causation can often lead to ridiculous conclusions – in this case, nicely fitting into their narrative.
Book recommendations for kids:
Jacob’s New Dress, Sarah & Ian Hoffman
Sid Doesn’t Feel Like a Boy or a Girl!, Dylan Greenberg
The Gender Identity Workbook for Kids: A Guide to Exploring Who You Are, · Kelly Storck, Noah Grigni
Those certainly don’t sound like good things, but those are South Dakota’s problems, right? However, on the summit poster it states: “Sanford Health is an approved provider by the North Dakota Board of Social Work Examiners. 6.5 Social Work contact hours awarded (Approved Provider #56).” I guess they are our problem too.
Sanford Health has over 47,000 employees, 2,800 physicians, 5.2 million outpatient and clinic visits per year, and a presence in 8 states. They truly are a Goliath. We are kidding ourselves if even for a moment we think the impact of this will stay in South Dakota. Did you catch the word “region” in The Transformation Project’s mission statement, above?
Consider this. North Dakota has the highest number of Sanford locations, second only to South Dakota itself, and Fargo is the city with the second largest number of locations in the network. This will impact North Dakota, but the corollary is that we have influence.
We can’t leave South Dakota alone to fight this battle, but we must rise to the occasion. Please take a minute or two and contact Sanford about this conference. The conference may still take place, but let’s make sure Sanford knows that we don’t want them (or our dollars) to be part of it, and that teaming with a radical organization like The Transformation Project only promotes these dangerous and twisted procedures on children. Please ask them to just step away from their involvement in the event – that’s all we are asking.
Here is the contact information for a couple of key decision-makers within Sanford. Please remember to be respectful in all your communications, no matter how much of a lightning rod this topic may be.
Bill Gassen, President & CEO of Sanford Health
bill.gassen@sanfordhealth.org
605-333-1000
Corey Brown, Vice President of Government Relations
corey.brown@sanfordhealth.org
(605) 312-6540
Thank you for stepping up and protecting our children, not just in North Dakota, but in our family of states here in the Midwest. If we don’t try to make a difference in our own backyard, it will be a sad day indeed.