Discussion about this post

User's avatar
Puzzle Therapy's avatar

I have no faith that the AAP will do an honest review process. When asked about the reviews that in Europe, their response (after doubling down on their 2018 position and saying they feel confident it’s correct) was: “They gave their process, we have our process.”

The way the AAP (and the APA for that matter) has completely cut out the family and encouraged lying, secret keeping, and triangulation should be major red flags to anyone who knows anything about child and adolescent development. Even if not affirming was abuse (I’m not saying it is, I’m making a point), the goal of social workers, pediatricians, and CPS has always been to do everything possible to support and preserve the family and not rupture it except in the most extreme cases. Yet on this one issue, the policy is to triangulate and go straight to rupture. This is extraordinary, and to paraphrase, extraordinary policies require extraordinary evidence.

Our now desisted minor daughter was routinely told by professionals to go no contact with us the moment she turned 18. They never once considered what that would realistically look like for her and they certainly weren’t going to be there to offer her financial or emotional support or even follow up to see what happened when she was suddenly alone with no high school diploma, no housing, no job, no family, and untreated depression and anxiety because they never treated that - they only talked about her gender identity.

One other point about how parents are cut out: This also happens in the online autism/neurodiversity activism movement, which of course has huge overlap with LGBTQIA+ activism because of the high rates of autism in the recent adolescent spike in gender dysphoria. Parents with any concerns or who try to offer any perspective for their autistic child are routinely told to sit down and shut up. It is vicious.

Expand full comment
GBM's avatar

I am a recently retired pediatric specialist. I was a member of the AAP with my membership fees paid by my academic pediatric department, likely a deal to increase the membership numbers artificially. I too have little faith in this organization. The literature is clearly inadequate to support the kind of position that the AAP, AMA, and Endocrine Society have taken. The procedures of transgender clinics in children's hospitals have employed include highly biased coaches who only encourage transition to another gender is appalling and unethical. The issue of informed consent and the impossibility of assent have rarely been addressed.

Expand full comment
18 more comments...

No posts