Letter to the American Psychological Association About the Safety of Youth Transgender Diagnoses to Gay/Lesbian Youth that May Outgrow Dysphoria
In the last several months, I have been emailing a letter documenting some of the potential dangers, as well as literal harm, trans youth cheerleading is having in the real world to LGBT organizations and media and mental health organizations as well. The original letter is here:
The APA was one of only two entities to respond. The letter was just a generic response. I followed up with a another letter and the website 4thwave.now agreed to post this on their website, which I appreciate because it is one of the few places people that are witnessing the downsides to youth transitions can go and not be censored. I am not opposed to youth transitions if protocols are proven to be safe for all gender-nonconforming youth and if borderline dysphoric (most likely pre gay/lesbian kids) are supported and given coping skills to help them avoid drastic and unnecessary body modification. My letter emphasizes the fact that the human rights issue involved here is not only relevant to the trans community but also to the non-trans LGB community as well. False positives on minors are a human rights violation. Tracking any gender confused gay or lesbian youth into sex reassignment surgery through hormone blockers or early social transitions is grossly immoral in those cases. That is my position. I’m aware and respect that the trans community also views this as a human rights issue. I want clinicians to find a way to care for and ensure the safety of all gender-nonconforming children.
The whole letter is here “Open letter to the American Psychological Association (APA) on the rise in trans youth diagnoses”
And here is a summary of why I decided to get involved in this issue from the letter:
I began researching the sharp rise in children being diagnosed as transgender to diffuse what I then saw as increasing transphobia among some gays and lesbians who were extremely angry about the prospect of false positives in youth transitions, because of how it disproportionately affects their communities. I was certain that gender therapists, researchers, medical practitioners, and LGBT organizations would be taking great care to ensure the safety of all gender-nonconforming children. Instead, what I found were:
dishonest statements about the known safety of hormone blockers and early social transitions
numerous stories about negligent gender therapists
lesbian/bi minor females identifying as trans for long enough to have an official diagnosis and be endangered
a tone-deaf attitude among supporters of the 100% gender affirmation model towards gay men and lesbian adults who promise this could have been them as children
trans kid camp materials where no other coping skills or role models are provided other than transition
sex reassignment surgery on minors discussed as if it were no more harmless than a mani-pedi
public statements that the only option parents have with every single child who claims they are transgender is to transition them or they will commit suicide
parents of children who had desisted being ignored
detransitioners being treated badly
professionals insinuating/stating outright that transitioning a few kids inappropriately is worth it
a general failure to take seriously the damage false positives can do, and the horrible human rights abuse against the diversity of expression of the non-trans gay/bisexual community.