A Doctor Recognizes The Truth

On Saturday, The Daily Caller posted an article about Dr. Susan Bradley, a Canadian psychiatrist and pioneer in child gender dysphoria treatment. The Doctor was interviewed by The Daily Caller and stated that she now opposes the popular model of affirming children’s transgender identities and putting them on puberty blockers–something she once supported.

The article reports:

Bradley started a pediatric gender clinic in 1975 aimed at treating children with gender dysphoria — a deep sense of discomfort with one’s body and biological sex — in which she offered a therapy-focused approach; most patients outgrew their feelings of being transgender over time, she told the DCNF. Around 2005, the clinic began prescribing puberty blockers to gender-dysphoric children as a way to alleviate their distress, a model which has since become widely adopted by medical establishments around the world, including in the U.S.

Bradley, who is now in her early eighties, expressed regret that the clinic had participated in the administration of puberty blockers for gender dysphoria, which she now believes can cement a child’s sense of confusion out of which they would likely otherwise grow. She also expressed concern about the drugs’ side effects.

“We were wrong,” she said. “They’re not as reversible as we always thought, and they have longer term effects on kids’ growth and development, including making them sterile and quite a number of things affecting their bone growth.”

The article notes:

Bradley believes transitioning is beneficial for some adults and says some patients consider it the best thing they’ve ever done for themselves, but that the metrics of success, even in terms of patient satisfaction, are complicated. One of her patients transitioned from female to male, married a woman who had been a childhood friend and seemed happy and satisfied, but later in life pursued a very costly phalloplasty surgery; despite appearing “very masculine,” the patient was never fully satisfied and was always pursuing further bodily improvements, according to Bradley.

Another patient Bradley worked with transitioned from male to female but eventually told the psychiatrist he was no longer trans and was in a relationship with another man. This made Bradley question if transitioning was really just about seeking acceptance for some patients.

The article concludes:

Advocates for medical gender transitions for children argue that puberty blockers can diminish the distress a gender dysphoric child experiences as a result of puberty and can reduce the need for later surgeries or hormonal interventions by preventing the acquisition of some traits associated with their biological sex, such as a deep voice in a male patient.

“Anxiety drains away,” Dr. Norman Spack, a leader in the push for puberty blocker use in gender dysphoric patients, told The New York Times. “You can see these kids being so relieved.”

The Center for Addiction and Mental Health, formerly the Clarke Institute of Toronto, did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

There is stress involved in growing up. Learning how to deal with that stress is part of growing up. Dealing with that stress results in adults who know how to handle stress. We have done our children a great disservice by trying to protect them from stress.

Fighting The Rights Of Parents

On Wednesday, Townhall reported the following:

Every single Democrat in the Virginia House of Representatives voted against a bill this week that would make it illegal for teachers in the state to conceal a student’s transgender “gender identity” from their parents.

Under Virginia House Bill 2432, also known as “Sage’s Law,” teachers would be required to inform parents if a student requests to move forward with “social transitions” at school, such as going by preferred pronouns and a chosen name. The legislation would also require the school to obtain at least one parent’s permission before implementing anything concerning the child’s “gender incongruence” at school, including counseling, Fox News reported. In addition, the bill clarifies that “child abuse” does not include “misgendering.” The bill passed on Tuesday with one Republican and all 47 Democrats voting against it.

As I have previously stated–gender dysphoria is a mental disease. It should be treated–not encouraged. Parents need to know if their child is suffering from a mental disease. The school has no right to keep that information from them.

The bill now moves on to the Virginia Senate.

Why I Am Grateful For America’s First Amendment

On Sunday, Breitbart reported that Greek footballer Vassilis Tsiartas has been given a 10-month suspended prison sentence over comments critical of child sex changes.

The article reports:

Tsiartas, who played a key role in the Greek national team’s shock victory in the UEFA European Football Championship in 2004 and finished his career without receiving a single red card, was prosecuted under a supposed anti-racism law which, somewhat perversely, includes provisions against public incitement to violence or hatred on the basis of gender identity.

Evidently America is not the only country the transgender activists have been targeting.

The article continues:

In Tsiartas’s case, brought to the courts by the Transgender Support Association (SYD), the supposed incitement took the form of a Facebook post from 2017, in which the athlete remarked that he “hope[d] the first sex changes are carried out on the children of those who ratified this abomination” in reference to new legislation on gender identity, Greek media reports.

…Tsiartas, for his part, has vowed to appeal the decision.

In August, Breitbart reported:

The World Professional Association for Transgender Health’s (WPATH) new guidance lowers the recommended age for cross-sex hormones from 16 to 14 years, according to a guidance draft obtained by The Post Millennial this week. The age for double mastectomies, the removal of breasts, has been lowered to 15. Sixteen-year-old boys may seek breast augmentations, facial surgeries and tracheal shaves to reduce the appearance of an Adam’s apple.

Does anyone actually believe that a 15-year old has the emotional and mental maturity to make such a life-changing decision? Being a teenager is difficult enough without the current peer pressure from social media affirming the idea of being transgender.

In December 2017, PsyPost reported the following:

The National Post recently covered the CBC’s cancellation of a BBC documentary about transgender children (Why CBC cancelled a BBC documentary that activists claimed was ‘transphobic’).  In that coverage, the Post shared claims made by some activists criticizing some scientific studies, but did not apparently fact-check those claims, so I thought I would outline the studies here.  For reference, in a previous post, I listed the results of every study that ever followed up transgender kids to see how they felt in adulthood (Do trans- kids stay trans- when they grow up?).  There are 12 such studies in all, and they all came to the very same conclusion: The majority of kids cease to feel transgender when they get older.

So what happens to the children who have had permanent life-altering surgery as teenagers when they want to detransition? I really think we need to rethink this entire transgender thing. Gender dysphoria is a mental illness. We need to treat the mental illness rather than do surgery that confirms it.

 

 

 

Frightening News For Parents

On Tuesday, The Conservative Review posted an article revealing the policy of The Gender Confirmation Center and Dr. Scott Mosser.

The article reports:

“The Gender Confirmation Center and Dr. Scott Mosser have some of the strictest criteria in the USA for operating on people below the age of 18. If the criteria are met, then the surgeons of the GCC will perform some forms of gender surgery on adolescents, and only with full consent of all legal guardians,” according to genderconfirmation.com. “Stay positive, Dr. Mosser has performed FTM/N top surgery on many patients under 18 who were able to secure their surgery using insurance,” the site says.

Conservative commentator Matt Walsh of the Daily Wire drew attention to Mosser: “Let me introduce you to Dr. Scott Mosser, who cuts the breasts off of adolescent girls. Many surgeons across the country will and do inflict ‘top surgery’ on minors. Mosser assures us that he follows very ‘strict’ guidelines before performing double mastectomies on children,” Walsh tweeted.

The article notes:

“I do not have a minimum age of any sort in my practice. There’s no chronological age that says you don’t get surgery,” he (Dr. Mosser) said in the video. He noted that he does not believe he had ever performed a consult for a 12-year-old, then added, “but we would, if one came our way. We just haven’t had reason to.”

These are not easily reversed medical procedures. Some are irreversible.  They also have the same risks as any medical procedure. Why are we permanently scarring the bodies of adolescents in order to promote something that is a mental illness? Gender Dysphoria is a mental illness, we should be treating it–not encouraging it.

An Informative Article From A Guest Writer

The following article is written by Alan Harrop. Alan was born in New York City raised on Long Island.  He has a BA from the State University of New York @Stony Brook, and a MA and Ph.D in Clinical Psychology from N.C. State University. Alan spent four years in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. He taught at East Carolina University, and was Chief Psychologist and Mental Health Services for the N.C. Department of Correction. He also spent several years in private practice.

Transgender Instruction = Child Abuse

Written by R. Alan Harrop, Ph.D

The incorporation of transgender instructional material in the schools of this country is a relatively new phenomenon that has nothing to do with traditional academic subjects. As such, it deserves careful examination.

The first question to ask is why and by whom? The Left is noted for introducing issues that are contrary to traditional Western values Transgender instruction threatens the foundation of the traditional family which is the basis for Western civilization and substitutes the values of the state. Those advocating this instruction are either those who want to normalize previously defined abnormal behavior or weaken the authority of parents over their children.

Prior to 2012, the incidence of gender dysphoria (dissatisfaction with one’s biological sex) was about .01% of children. Usually young boys. Seventy percent (70%) of these cases resolved themselves without professional intervention. The effort at that time was to help the child accept their biological sex. Since that time, the number of cases of gender dysphoria has increased by over 1,000% in the U.S. and over 4,000% in the United Kingdom and the vast majority of cases is with teenage girls. Since there is no biological, hormonal, or genetic basis for this change it appears to be due to socialization. This typically occurs in groups manifesting social contagion not individual motivation. Parents may not be informed.

The usual progress is a girl, age 11-13, usually pre-puberty learns about gender being a choice rather than determined at birth. Visiting social media sites, encouragement by friends and accepted by school officials furthers the process. Usually these are girls who are not well socially adjusted, have doubts about their physical attractiveness and are from unstable families. They may be referred by the school to counselors who encourage gender exploration. This may lead to the prescribing of puberty delaying drugs (Lupron) and subsequently to taking hormones that produce secondary sex characteristics. Removal of breasts may occur as the process continues.

Attempting to change to another sex is fraught will difficulties. Hormones prevent normal genital development which is usually permanent. Incidence of depression, anxiety , and self-mutilation is higher for transgenders as is the 20 fold increased incidence of suicide. Not able to lead a normal life they do not have families, raise children or have normal spousal relationships. A teen is not capable of making a decision of this magnitude and in most cases would not even consider it without exposure to school based transgender instruction as well as internet sources.

How to stop this? Parents should be fully informed and required to opt in to any such instruction not just opt out. Better still, state legislatures should pass laws (as in Florida) banning the teaching of transgender material in the public schools.