This is a great idea. Following is a letter to the Yale Alum magazine that needless to say did not get printed:
As a clinical psychologist with over 35 years of working with adolescents and young adults, I eagerly yet also skeptically read Dr. Iarovici’s “Stressed: What’s Causing the Mental Health Crisis Among College Students?”
While I value her experience with this age group and embrace many of her ideas, my initial skepticism was validated by two facets of the piece — first, the assertion that “experiences of identity concealment or family rejection, and internalized LGBTQ+-phobia significantly affect psychological health in college,” and second, the mention of The Trevor Project as a beneficial LGBTQ resource.
Over the last decade, increasing numbers of college students have arrived on campus with transgender identities. The narrative is that these identities are inherent and immutable, and that parents who have not “affirmed” their children’s often sudden, post pubertal opposite or neither sex selves have “rejected” them and are bigoted and causing them harm.
The Trevor Project promotes the manipulatively false narrative that youth who are not affirmed in a transgender identity and who are prevented from medicalizing their inner gender identities are at high risk for completed suicide. Even the ACLU lawyer and activist, Chase Strangio, during recent oral arguments heard by the Supreme Court in United States v. Skrmetti, admitted that unaffirmed and unmedicalized trans identified children thankfully do not take their own lives at elevated rates. In fact, it is becoming more apparent that suicidal ideation and completed suicide increase after medical transition. But yet the narrative persists, and questioning, worried parents are vilified, new identities are medicalized, and underlying issues such as actual internalized homophobia (“trans the gay away”), sexual abuse, autism, eating disorders … go unexplored.
With the acceptance of gender ideology that permeates the article, seen in the mentions of “gender-fluidity” and college-aged people “of all genders,” the author misses an important source of some of their mental anguish— the “mass sociogenic illness” of trans identity (just like the infinitely more benign contagion of tic “disorders” the author cites). Vulnerable, identity-seeking youth, and also well-meaning “allies” determined not to repeat the horrors of homophobia, are not aware of the harmful repercussions of gender ideology, family estrangement, and hormonal and surgical interventions.
My letter to the ideologically captured Chicago Tribune, in the captured state of Illinois, unpublished:
"The Tribune has failed to report on two major stories concerning “gender-affirming care” for minors. In late January, a NY jury awarded $2 million to Fox Varian in the first major gender medicine malpractice decision, finding her psychologist and surgeon negligent in approving a double mastectomy when she was 16. On Feb 3, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons issued a position paper citing the poor evidence of benefit and emerging risk of harm involved not only in mastectomies and genital surgeries, but also in puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones, and recommending delaying surgery before age 19.
The largest newspaper in Illinois owes it to its readership to report on these stories. Under the claim of “consensus” sits activism rather than science. Poorly-designed and conducted studies are misleading. We lack quality long-term studies on “gender-affirming” treatments because this large cohort of “transitioners” is so recent. Lawsuits by detransitioners provide a peek at this affected population, and people need to see it, recognizing that the vast majority of patients suffering similarly will never get their day in court. The fact that a professional medical organization is now basing its recommendations on the lack of evidence of benefit and actual evidence of harm is an important story, as is the fact that the American Medical Association is also now advising caution relative to gender medicine for minors.
Anyone who has gone through puberty themselves or is watching adolescents pass through this phase of life knows that it is painful, confusing, often lonely and distressing - having your body change awkwardly while trying to figure out your identity distinct from your parents. Most of these gender distressed teens have confounding issues: autism, internalized homophobia, trauma from sexual abuse or porn exposure, anxiety and depression. They are told their REAL problem is being “born in the wrong body.” These kids are legitimately distressed, and adults want to help them. Adults know that their children’s futures are at stake, but that it is not possible to change sex, however strong the desire to do so.
The Tribune owes it to its readership to validate through honest reporting, not deny, what most adults instinctively know: adolescents are living through a turbulent time of their lives in a turbulent society, and whatever teens vehemently believe today should not lock them into a lifetime of sterility, medical dependency and compromised physical health."
Imaginary response: I'm afraid this is just way too reasonable and moderate Lisa, we prefer to stick with the popular narrative and standard trope of fighting the good fight against right wing authoritarianism because that's what's going on here in the US because of Trump and Trumpism, so that's what our readership wants/expects from us, to produce content that shows we are aligned with the righteous moral and just cause of "resistance" against evil (as embodied by current fascist in chief and his administration) and which as part of their evil agenda is trying to suppress journalists who are 'just doing their job' and are supposed to be functioning as a critical safeguard for our democracy, otherwise we risk being seen as too "soft".
That said I just read a very interesting piece though about a study that reveals how majority of people (in this case university students) really feel about the gender issue when they are privately polled, that if the media were aware of, I wonder might it change their minds about anything with respect to giving their audiences what they really want (moderate centrism) without pandering to the most vocal activist minority? https://thehill.com/opinion/education/5446702-performative-virtue-signaling-has-become-a-threat-to-higher-ed/
The dissonance with the approach of some European countries is VERY uncomfortable to them. It was the same with Covid school closures. They just really, REALLY didn't want to hear about European countries opening their schools in fall 2020, and if you brought it up, they responded by postulating some fundamental difference with the European situation. With the school closures, that was the idea that Europe had a social safety net, which supposedly lowered the risks of Covid infection for teachers and families (never mind that teachers, at least in our district, do have good health insurance). That was an ironic tack, because public schools are one essential element of the social safety net that the US does have, yet they saw no problem with taking that away and leaving families fend for themselves.
I wonder where the American Exceptionalism will come in when they defend their continued support for transing children. I don't think they have an answer, hence their silence, which is becoming ever more deafening.
This is a great idea. Following is a letter to the Yale Alum magazine that needless to say did not get printed:
As a clinical psychologist with over 35 years of working with adolescents and young adults, I eagerly yet also skeptically read Dr. Iarovici’s “Stressed: What’s Causing the Mental Health Crisis Among College Students?”
While I value her experience with this age group and embrace many of her ideas, my initial skepticism was validated by two facets of the piece — first, the assertion that “experiences of identity concealment or family rejection, and internalized LGBTQ+-phobia significantly affect psychological health in college,” and second, the mention of The Trevor Project as a beneficial LGBTQ resource.
Over the last decade, increasing numbers of college students have arrived on campus with transgender identities. The narrative is that these identities are inherent and immutable, and that parents who have not “affirmed” their children’s often sudden, post pubertal opposite or neither sex selves have “rejected” them and are bigoted and causing them harm.
The Trevor Project promotes the manipulatively false narrative that youth who are not affirmed in a transgender identity and who are prevented from medicalizing their inner gender identities are at high risk for completed suicide. Even the ACLU lawyer and activist, Chase Strangio, during recent oral arguments heard by the Supreme Court in United States v. Skrmetti, admitted that unaffirmed and unmedicalized trans identified children thankfully do not take their own lives at elevated rates. In fact, it is becoming more apparent that suicidal ideation and completed suicide increase after medical transition. But yet the narrative persists, and questioning, worried parents are vilified, new identities are medicalized, and underlying issues such as actual internalized homophobia (“trans the gay away”), sexual abuse, autism, eating disorders … go unexplored.
With the acceptance of gender ideology that permeates the article, seen in the mentions of “gender-fluidity” and college-aged people “of all genders,” the author misses an important source of some of their mental anguish— the “mass sociogenic illness” of trans identity (just like the infinitely more benign contagion of tic “disorders” the author cites). Vulnerable, identity-seeking youth, and also well-meaning “allies” determined not to repeat the horrors of homophobia, are not aware of the harmful repercussions of gender ideology, family estrangement, and hormonal and surgical interventions.
Lisa (Melnick) Duval ‘88
Charlottesville, VA
This is great. Should I put it up there in the post? Thank you for all you do!
Sure! Any way it could be useful! Ditto on the thanks to you!
This is excellent. Thank you for sharing it.
My letter to the ideologically captured Chicago Tribune, in the captured state of Illinois, unpublished:
"The Tribune has failed to report on two major stories concerning “gender-affirming care” for minors. In late January, a NY jury awarded $2 million to Fox Varian in the first major gender medicine malpractice decision, finding her psychologist and surgeon negligent in approving a double mastectomy when she was 16. On Feb 3, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons issued a position paper citing the poor evidence of benefit and emerging risk of harm involved not only in mastectomies and genital surgeries, but also in puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones, and recommending delaying surgery before age 19.
The largest newspaper in Illinois owes it to its readership to report on these stories. Under the claim of “consensus” sits activism rather than science. Poorly-designed and conducted studies are misleading. We lack quality long-term studies on “gender-affirming” treatments because this large cohort of “transitioners” is so recent. Lawsuits by detransitioners provide a peek at this affected population, and people need to see it, recognizing that the vast majority of patients suffering similarly will never get their day in court. The fact that a professional medical organization is now basing its recommendations on the lack of evidence of benefit and actual evidence of harm is an important story, as is the fact that the American Medical Association is also now advising caution relative to gender medicine for minors.
Anyone who has gone through puberty themselves or is watching adolescents pass through this phase of life knows that it is painful, confusing, often lonely and distressing - having your body change awkwardly while trying to figure out your identity distinct from your parents. Most of these gender distressed teens have confounding issues: autism, internalized homophobia, trauma from sexual abuse or porn exposure, anxiety and depression. They are told their REAL problem is being “born in the wrong body.” These kids are legitimately distressed, and adults want to help them. Adults know that their children’s futures are at stake, but that it is not possible to change sex, however strong the desire to do so.
The Tribune owes it to its readership to validate through honest reporting, not deny, what most adults instinctively know: adolescents are living through a turbulent time of their lives in a turbulent society, and whatever teens vehemently believe today should not lock them into a lifetime of sterility, medical dependency and compromised physical health."
Imaginary response: I'm afraid this is just way too reasonable and moderate Lisa, we prefer to stick with the popular narrative and standard trope of fighting the good fight against right wing authoritarianism because that's what's going on here in the US because of Trump and Trumpism, so that's what our readership wants/expects from us, to produce content that shows we are aligned with the righteous moral and just cause of "resistance" against evil (as embodied by current fascist in chief and his administration) and which as part of their evil agenda is trying to suppress journalists who are 'just doing their job' and are supposed to be functioning as a critical safeguard for our democracy, otherwise we risk being seen as too "soft".
That said I just read a very interesting piece though about a study that reveals how majority of people (in this case university students) really feel about the gender issue when they are privately polled, that if the media were aware of, I wonder might it change their minds about anything with respect to giving their audiences what they really want (moderate centrism) without pandering to the most vocal activist minority? https://thehill.com/opinion/education/5446702-performative-virtue-signaling-has-become-a-threat-to-higher-ed/
The dissonance with the approach of some European countries is VERY uncomfortable to them. It was the same with Covid school closures. They just really, REALLY didn't want to hear about European countries opening their schools in fall 2020, and if you brought it up, they responded by postulating some fundamental difference with the European situation. With the school closures, that was the idea that Europe had a social safety net, which supposedly lowered the risks of Covid infection for teachers and families (never mind that teachers, at least in our district, do have good health insurance). That was an ironic tack, because public schools are one essential element of the social safety net that the US does have, yet they saw no problem with taking that away and leaving families fend for themselves.
I wonder where the American Exceptionalism will come in when they defend their continued support for transing children. I don't think they have an answer, hence their silence, which is becoming ever more deafening.
This is a wonderful series! Thank you, Lisa!
Hello Lisa,
Was this an old pitch (from March 2022) that the NYT did not respond to?
Happy Receipts Week to all who celebrate https://www.broadview.news/p/its-receipts-week