"I brought Jane to our family doctor when she was sixteen because I was concerned about depressive symptoms and changes in her behavior. Jane had told me she was beginning to realize she "liked it when people thought she was a boy,” and that she thought she would make a better boy than girl. When I asked her why, she told me her head and feet were too big to be a girl’s, among other comments about her appearance. She also told me she was unsure of her sexual orientation. "
This was exactly me at 17, word for word. I was in my teens back in the 90's so fortunately there was no transitioning back then. Otherwise, I may well have been caught up in the Gender Industrial Complex. I ended up a straight women, well adjusted, although a few months ago found that I am on the autism spectrum. Sexual orientation can be explored without long term consequences but this cannot necessarily be said for gender identity. I have some masculine qualities and interests (interests in technology, tall, low voice, athletic build, large feet!) and feminine ones (fashion, accessories, and I've always insisted on wearing dresses since I was a little girl) I've managed to have a wildly interesting, and full life, even reached what some would consider success in my area of specialty. Teenage years are hard enough, we don't need to make them harder by offering girls T or surgery. I shudder to think of what would have happened to me if I was born 30 years later.
Psychology is marked by a long history of awful science. Even today most psychological studies cannot be replicated and most psychological studies are based on no more than anecdotal subjective qualitative mash ups. The new surgical procedures, physical damage and harm psychologists are foisting on our children today are simply a new iteration of the lobotomies and electroshock of the past that psychologists once believed would help depressed young people, particularly girls. A lobotomist would happily scramble a young girls brain --for a fee-- for something as insignificant as reading the wrong poetry. Now that same girl can have a mastectomy and take drugs that will render her sterile for the rest of her life. Good science is science that can be replicated. This new variant of child sacrifice is at root a very old, very primitive, superstitious brutality.
"Another alarming factor in the process was that certain health plans covered, or offered at a nominal rate, both the testosterone injections and the double mastectomy, but no coverage was given for any of the psychological assessments, screenings, counseling, and psychotherapeutic exploratory options...."
How am I not surprised by the "doctor's" diagnosis and referrals..................?
There is a “syndrome” in which people believe that they must remove a limb. You cannot reason with them, they truly believe that is does not belong on their body and they seek doctors out who will perform an amputation. This is a psychiatric disorder and must be treated as such. Any doctor who would amputate would be considered a “quack.” There are many similarities with teens who present with gender dysphasia. They truly believe that their breasts, vaginas or penises must go in order for them to feel whole and “normal”. While this may be the case with some, it is in actuality rare. These children, and they are children, need intense psychological assessment along with counseling to get to the root of their problem. Maybe it is true gender dysphasia, but maybe it is not. The trans community is very blasé in saying, “just put the kid on puberty blockers, they are reversible!”. This could not be further from the truth. These powerful drugs, when taken inappropriately or for too long, can have serious and often permanent side effects, not the least infertility.
You should be proud of yourself for staying strong in your convictions that there might be an alternate cause for Jane’s supposed gender dysphasia. We are sliding down a very slippery slope here, when the child dictates the course, and we need to reassess and let the adults make the decisions.
Seems to me that these "doctors" are more interested in the "courage and bravery" awards that will be bestowed upon them, the publicity of which will be directly correlated to the number they admit into the transgender population.
Power and money - same as always and with everything.
This is heartbreaking, but not surprising, to read. I’m glad Jane had someone advocating for her long-term health and that her dysphoria resolved once her ASD and PCOS were identified and treated. I work in the mental health field treating adults, but I really think that many factors can influence gender dysphoria including trauma (especially sexual), bullying, other psychiatric disorders (mood/anxiety disorders, ASD), online culture, the list goes on and on. Just because someone presents with gender dysphoria doesn’t mean they shouldn’t receive comprehensive, thoughtful assessment. I think many of my colleagues are doing an utter disservice to patients by treating blockers/hormones like a “magic bullet” that will fix all the mental distress and anguish these folks experience. Thanks for sharing your story.
I am female and had gender dysphoria off and on from age 5 to 30. I'm nearly 50 now and most people just see a typical middle aged woman. I don't care either way. Ironically, I had "therapy" as a teenager that ignored my depression and anxiety and even trauma, and focussed on the fact that I was not typically feminine in dress, mannerisms, or interests. When I began dressing more typically feminine and wearing make up and chasing boys, therapy was considered complete, though I was still depressed, anxious and traumatized. I always resented this experience -- but you know what, that terrible experience was better than being told I was definiltey male and should medically transition.
Thanks for the article. There is such a rush to make life altering changes in young people that may not be in their best interests, but rather in furtherance of a social/ political agenda.
What kills me about this story, and many like it, is that if you want weight loss surgery, be it the lap band or gastric bypass, you are given a battey of test and a comprehensive phychological exam to see if you understand the risks and effects. And that is just a weight loss surgery. Not a major DNA-type altering surgery.
I don't know that I wouldn't succumb to less than civil urges if I had a child that was used by the system as was yours. I cannot imagine your frustration.
Thank you for sharing your story. Im cdn and quite appalled at our medical community...esp having seen what has transpired during the last 2 years. What a wake up call it has been.
Thank you for sharing this important experience. The better informed parents are to these practices the more they can make informed decisions on behalf of their children.
WPATH 8 is candid on this point: "Given the lifelong implications of medical treatment and the young age at which treatments may be started, adolescents, their parents, and care providers should be
informed about the nature of the evidence base. It seems reasonable that decisions to move forward
with medical and surgical treatments should be made carefully. Despite the slowly growing body
of evidence supporting the effectiveness of early medical intervention, the number of studies is still
low, and there are few outcome studies that follow youth into adulthood. Therefore, a systematic
review regarding outcomes of treatment in adolescents is not possible."
This article which is from Transgender Trend in the UK and has just been published might be of interest. Transgender Trend is a UK support group for parents who do not believe in the affirmation model of treating gender dysmorphia in children. The founder was honoured in the Queen's birthday list and it is because of her work, the Cass Review is on going. https://www.transgendertrend.com/school-lgbt-club/ It is about a teacher's experience in setting up a LGBT club at school and why he now regrets doing so.
"I brought Jane to our family doctor when she was sixteen because I was concerned about depressive symptoms and changes in her behavior. Jane had told me she was beginning to realize she "liked it when people thought she was a boy,” and that she thought she would make a better boy than girl. When I asked her why, she told me her head and feet were too big to be a girl’s, among other comments about her appearance. She also told me she was unsure of her sexual orientation. "
This was exactly me at 17, word for word. I was in my teens back in the 90's so fortunately there was no transitioning back then. Otherwise, I may well have been caught up in the Gender Industrial Complex. I ended up a straight women, well adjusted, although a few months ago found that I am on the autism spectrum. Sexual orientation can be explored without long term consequences but this cannot necessarily be said for gender identity. I have some masculine qualities and interests (interests in technology, tall, low voice, athletic build, large feet!) and feminine ones (fashion, accessories, and I've always insisted on wearing dresses since I was a little girl) I've managed to have a wildly interesting, and full life, even reached what some would consider success in my area of specialty. Teenage years are hard enough, we don't need to make them harder by offering girls T or surgery. I shudder to think of what would have happened to me if I was born 30 years later.
Psychology is marked by a long history of awful science. Even today most psychological studies cannot be replicated and most psychological studies are based on no more than anecdotal subjective qualitative mash ups. The new surgical procedures, physical damage and harm psychologists are foisting on our children today are simply a new iteration of the lobotomies and electroshock of the past that psychologists once believed would help depressed young people, particularly girls. A lobotomist would happily scramble a young girls brain --for a fee-- for something as insignificant as reading the wrong poetry. Now that same girl can have a mastectomy and take drugs that will render her sterile for the rest of her life. Good science is science that can be replicated. This new variant of child sacrifice is at root a very old, very primitive, superstitious brutality.
"Another alarming factor in the process was that certain health plans covered, or offered at a nominal rate, both the testosterone injections and the double mastectomy, but no coverage was given for any of the psychological assessments, screenings, counseling, and psychotherapeutic exploratory options...."
How am I not surprised by the "doctor's" diagnosis and referrals..................?
There is a “syndrome” in which people believe that they must remove a limb. You cannot reason with them, they truly believe that is does not belong on their body and they seek doctors out who will perform an amputation. This is a psychiatric disorder and must be treated as such. Any doctor who would amputate would be considered a “quack.” There are many similarities with teens who present with gender dysphasia. They truly believe that their breasts, vaginas or penises must go in order for them to feel whole and “normal”. While this may be the case with some, it is in actuality rare. These children, and they are children, need intense psychological assessment along with counseling to get to the root of their problem. Maybe it is true gender dysphasia, but maybe it is not. The trans community is very blasé in saying, “just put the kid on puberty blockers, they are reversible!”. This could not be further from the truth. These powerful drugs, when taken inappropriately or for too long, can have serious and often permanent side effects, not the least infertility.
You should be proud of yourself for staying strong in your convictions that there might be an alternate cause for Jane’s supposed gender dysphasia. We are sliding down a very slippery slope here, when the child dictates the course, and we need to reassess and let the adults make the decisions.
Seems to me that these "doctors" are more interested in the "courage and bravery" awards that will be bestowed upon them, the publicity of which will be directly correlated to the number they admit into the transgender population.
Power and money - same as always and with everything.
This is heartbreaking, but not surprising, to read. I’m glad Jane had someone advocating for her long-term health and that her dysphoria resolved once her ASD and PCOS were identified and treated. I work in the mental health field treating adults, but I really think that many factors can influence gender dysphoria including trauma (especially sexual), bullying, other psychiatric disorders (mood/anxiety disorders, ASD), online culture, the list goes on and on. Just because someone presents with gender dysphoria doesn’t mean they shouldn’t receive comprehensive, thoughtful assessment. I think many of my colleagues are doing an utter disservice to patients by treating blockers/hormones like a “magic bullet” that will fix all the mental distress and anguish these folks experience. Thanks for sharing your story.
I am female and had gender dysphoria off and on from age 5 to 30. I'm nearly 50 now and most people just see a typical middle aged woman. I don't care either way. Ironically, I had "therapy" as a teenager that ignored my depression and anxiety and even trauma, and focussed on the fact that I was not typically feminine in dress, mannerisms, or interests. When I began dressing more typically feminine and wearing make up and chasing boys, therapy was considered complete, though I was still depressed, anxious and traumatized. I always resented this experience -- but you know what, that terrible experience was better than being told I was definiltey male and should medically transition.
Thanks for the article. There is such a rush to make life altering changes in young people that may not be in their best interests, but rather in furtherance of a social/ political agenda.
What kills me about this story, and many like it, is that if you want weight loss surgery, be it the lap band or gastric bypass, you are given a battey of test and a comprehensive phychological exam to see if you understand the risks and effects. And that is just a weight loss surgery. Not a major DNA-type altering surgery.
It's tragic that hormones and surgeries are handed out with no responsible evaluation of the child. Thank you for telling the story of your daughter.
I don't know that I wouldn't succumb to less than civil urges if I had a child that was used by the system as was yours. I cannot imagine your frustration.
This is going down in history right next to the lobotomy.
Thank you for sharing your story. Im cdn and quite appalled at our medical community...esp having seen what has transpired during the last 2 years. What a wake up call it has been.
Thank you for sharing this important experience. The better informed parents are to these practices the more they can make informed decisions on behalf of their children.
WPATH 8 is candid on this point: "Given the lifelong implications of medical treatment and the young age at which treatments may be started, adolescents, their parents, and care providers should be
informed about the nature of the evidence base. It seems reasonable that decisions to move forward
with medical and surgical treatments should be made carefully. Despite the slowly growing body
of evidence supporting the effectiveness of early medical intervention, the number of studies is still
low, and there are few outcome studies that follow youth into adulthood. Therefore, a systematic
review regarding outcomes of treatment in adolescents is not possible."
This article which is from Transgender Trend in the UK and has just been published might be of interest. Transgender Trend is a UK support group for parents who do not believe in the affirmation model of treating gender dysmorphia in children. The founder was honoured in the Queen's birthday list and it is because of her work, the Cass Review is on going. https://www.transgendertrend.com/school-lgbt-club/ It is about a teacher's experience in setting up a LGBT club at school and why he now regrets doing so.