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On Thursday, Stacie-Marie Laughton, a former New Hampshire state representative and the nation's first transgender -identifying lawmaker, was arrested for allegedly distributing child pornography. Laughton has faced prior charges for stalking, credit card fraud, and making a bomb threat.

The case is connected to a childcare center in Massachusetts , involving children who are believed to be as young as age three. A woman who worked at the daycare and who has been romantically linked to Laughton allegedly took photos of the children during diaper changes, sending them to Laughton over the course of 2,500 alleged text messages.

Although mainstream messaging promotes the idea that transgender women are at an inordinately high risk of being sexually victimized, the reality is, many are themselves perpetrators of child predation and sexual abuse. This is not to say that most trans people are predatory and abusive, but to claim that these incidents never occur, or are statistically unremarkable, is simply untrue.

I can't speak to the specifics of this case, but for trans women, there are generally two reasons why they choose to transition. They are either sexually attracted to men and want to attract masculine partners, or they have a paraphilia, which is an unusual sexual interest, called autogynephilia. Autogynephilia involves sexual arousal at the thought of having a woman's body and partaking in behaviors that would be considered stereotypically feminine. Examples of such behavior can include breastfeeding, wearing make-up, and sitting when using the washroom.

From a scientific standpoint, if a person has a paraphilia, they are more likely to experience multiple paraphilias. So, it isn't unusual for someone with autogynephilia to present with additional paraphilias like pedophilia, voyeurism (that is, a sexual interest in peeping), exhibitionism (exposing oneself), or sexual sadism (deriving pleasure from someone else's suffering). As for gender dysphoria, it is frequently paired with co-morbid psychopathology, including personality disorders like antisocial personality disorder, and criminality.

It isn't uncommon for male sexual offenders to enlist the help of a female partner when grooming victims or committing an offense, because women are more readily trusted in the presence of children. Frankly speaking, a potential motivator for transition in men is easier access to children. In my opinion, this is another reason why so many in recent years have decided to identify as women or "nonbinary," and why they are so enthusiastic about pushing radical gender theory on kids.
Dr. Debra Soh is a sex neuroscientist, the host of The Dr. Debra Soh Podcast, and the author of The End of Gender: Debunking the Myths About Sex and Identity in Our Society.