Parents with Inconvenient Truths about Trans

So, The Rider News decided to run a May 8th article titled “Student’s October suicide causes discussion on campus welfare checks.” I’ll leave the link in the comments for anyone who wants to bask in the wisdom of their “investigation.” And who do they spotlight as one of the main voices on how to prevent tragedies like this? Drumroll… Adam Duggan. Yes—that Adam Duggan. The same Adam who dumped my daughter, left her alone, and “found” her four days later on the floor of room B306 in Kroner Hall. Oh, and let’s not forget—he was actually in her dorm on Friday, opened the door, reached in to grab something by the entrance, and left. No “Hey, are you okay?” No glance around the room. Nothing. For all we know, Ilene might have been alive then. But sure—let’s listen to him on suicide prevention. Adam’s résumé sounds impressive—full tuition scholarship, pep band member, black belt in Taekwondo, LGBTQ “ally,” and the Diversity Center’s go-to peer for student support. Uses they/them pronouns, of course. In the article, Adam says: “I knew of a few classes that [Raven] had missed… but I would say if the university had noticed you’re missing that many classes that early on, there should have been some sort of check-in.” Right—because it’s obviously the university’s job to notice a student is in crisis, not the person who was dating her and admits he saw her mental health decline for months. And when asked if they told university officials about their concerns? “Duggan said they did not share concerns about Syed with university officials.” Brilliant. You see the signs, you say nothing, and then later you give interviews on how the school should have acted. Critical thinking skills? Not exactly your strong suit, Adam. But yes, keep patting yourself on the back for being a “supportive ally.” Here’s what changed in those months you noticed her worsening, Adam: testosterone. Hormones that worsen depression—something I’ve been saying all along. But in true Rider fashion, the conclusion isn’t to question the hormones or the ideology—it’s to double down on enforcing pronoun policies. Because clearly, if everyone had just said “he,” my daughter would still be here. And then there’s Dean of Students Christine Mehlhorn—cheerleader for gender-inclusive bathrooms and housing—who oversees the Student Welfare Committee, the very group tasked with early intervention for at-risk students. If she was involved in Ilene’s housing placement because of “mental health concerns,” then she was also responsible for checking on her. She didn’t. But instead of being held accountable, she still has her job, still pushes the same ideology, and I’m sure still cashes a comfortable paycheck. The article says Mehlhorn and Director of Public Safety Matthew Babcock “could not state” whether anyone actually checked on Ilene—blaming “privacy laws.” But Babcock brags about how they “use every resource” to find at-risk students and see them in person. Apparently “every resource” excludes walking four days down the hall to check on a student they knew was vulnerable. Four days. That’s how long the people who were supposedly responsible—Adam, his peers at the Diversity Center, the dean, public safety—did nothing. Four days of failure, now followed by lectures in the student paper on “how to prevent this from happening again.” If this is what Rider calls “student welfare,” maybe they should just rename it the “We’ll Write About It After You Die” Committee.

My mother passed away today. She didn’t get to see my daughter since the abrupt gender transition in September 2022…