Ixnay on “affirmative care” for gays, and hooray for “affirmative care” for children.
There was a time when people believed that one could be “cured” of homosexuality with Conversion Therapy, often provided by faith based organizations. Adults came in for help. Well:The screaming and shouting about that was high pitched, to say the least. How dare you try and change a person’s sexual attraction? But change a child’s sex? Well, of course we can because you may have been born in the wrong body!
So what is conversion therapy?
Conversion therapy is any emotional or physical therapy used to “cure” or “repair” a person’s attraction to the same sex, or their gender identity and expression. Providers claim these therapies can make someone heterosexual or “straight.” But there’s no evidence to support this.
Medical and mental health experts have rejected conversion therapy practices as dangerous and discriminatory for decades. It not only doesn’t work, but could also lead to: Depression, Anxiety, Drug use, Homelessness and Suicide.
In extreme cases, the practices may be violent or torturous. Conversion therapy is sometimes called “reparative therapy” or “ex-gay therapy.”
Researchers at San Francisco State University found in 2018 that rates of attempted suicide among LGBTQ youth more than double when parents try to change their sexual orientation, and increase even more when therapists and religious leaders also attempt to change young people’s sexual orientation.
Globally, around 13 countries have some ban or regulations against licensed mental health experts practicing conversion therapy, including Brazil, Norway, Argentina, and Germany.
The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry finds no evidence to support the application of any “therapeutic intervention” operating under the premise that a specific sexual orientation, gender identity, and/or gender expression is pathological. Furthermore, based on the scientific evidence, the AACAP asserts that such “conversion therapies” (or other interventions imposed with the intent of promoting a particular sexual orientation and/or gender as a preferred outcome) lack scientific credibility and clinical utility. Additionally, there is evidence that such interventions are harmful.
But, when it comes to therapies to change sex, not sexual attraction – sex- they are A-OK; including puberty blockers, which are by no means, benign.
So, it’s harmful to try and change sexual attraction. It’s sacrilege, I tell you, sacrilege. How dare you try to change a person with a penis, who is attracted to another person with a penis, into a person with a penis attracted to a person with a vagina?
But, try to change a person with a vagina into a person with a penis – or vice-versa- how dare you not affirm that immediately? I am lost.
So: Ixnay on “affirmative care” for gays, and hooray for “affirmative care” for children.
While experts agree that sexual orientation isn’t a choice and can’t be changed and the American Medical Association calls it “clinically and ethically inappropriate,” something has changed regarding changing sex.
Now, we agree immediately with the child, when we said we cannot agree with a gay man who wants to be straight. Gender affirming care is now the only way to treat confused children: the child takes the lead, declares their “gender” and everyone must abide the child’s view; including a name change. So this is “clinically and ethically” appropriate? If parents do not agree with the child, the parents can lose custody of the child! Gender Affirming Care does not seem to include talk therapy: helping the child be who she is meant to be – the way gay people are protected – nope. We just do everything in our power to confirm the CHILD’S beliefs; including surgery that includes genital mutilation. And not to worry:If post surgery things do not go well, THEN you can ask for help from a mental health professional!
Mengele is jealous. More photos.
Organizations like SIECUS promote these views.
“Our focus is on advancing comprehensive sex education as a means of building a foundation for a long-term culture shift that will positively impact all levels of society, particularly issues of sexuality, sexual and reproductive health, gender equity, consent, personal safety, and autonomy. SIECUS applies an intersectional lens to ensure people’s real lived experiences inform our policy, education, and strategic communications work. SIECUS commits to working to dismantle the systems of power and oppression which perpetuate disparate sexual and reproductive health outcomes and incubate stigma and shame around sex and sexuality across the intersections of age, race, size, gender, gender identity and expression, class, sexual orientation, and ability.”
Who knew – you can have a vagina and a penis!
The leading organization The World Professional Association for Transgender Health(WPATH) is the “go-to” organization for transgender care.
The World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) is an international,multidisciplinary, professional association whose mission is to promote evidence-based care,education, research, advocacy, public policy, and respect in transsexual and transgender health.
The vision of WPATH is a world wherein transsexual, transgender, and gender-nonconforming people benefit from access to evidence-based health care, social services, justice, and equality( but what about gay people who want to become straight).
But, wait. Seems all is not well at WPATH. A possible problem with evidence-based care(Reminds me of the problem with evidence-based Covid vaccines).
Newly released files from WPATH’s internal messaging forum, as well as a leaked internal panel discussion, demonstrate that the world-leading transgender healthcare group is neither scientific nor advocating for ethical medical care. These internal communications reveal that WPATH advocates for many arbitrary medical practices, including hormonal and surgical experimentation on minors and vulnerable adults. Its approach to medicine is consumer-driven and pseudoscientific, and its members appear to be engaged in political activism, not science. Seems “watchful waiting” is the best approach rather than immediate Gender affirming care…because there are no long term studies on the effects of the use of hormones; including hormone blockers.
But have you heard about the Gender Exploratory Therapy Association(GETA)? I bet you haven’t.
Opposition to gender-affirmative approaches to care for transgender youths by some clinicians has recently begun to consolidate around “gender exploratory therapy” as a proposed alternative. Whereas gender-affirmative approaches follow the client’s lead when it comes to gender, gender-exploratory therapy discourages gender affirmation in favor of exploring through talk therapy the potential pathological roots of youths’ trans identities or gender dysphoria.
Call me crazy, but talk does not involve hormones or surgery. Why not start with that?
From Gender Crosswords
“If anything GET is more respectful of client autonomy than the so-called gender affirmative care I received. I wasn’t given a choice other than transition. GET offers an alternative vision – choice informed by what we know and don’t know. Choice built on humility, not hubris. … It is about providing ethical, evidence informed care to a vulnerable group of clients. It is about providing options and opening up possibilities. Not everyone transitions for the same reasons, and not everyone needs to medicalize to live healthy, productive lives. Gender affirming care harmed me and many others. GET offers a respectful alternative. It doesn’t claim to be the one and only solution.”
Or how about The Society for Evidence Based Gender Medicine?
To recap: Never try and turn a gay man straight, but “transgender”? Full steam ahead.
The point I am trying to make, is that we cannot be against Conversion Therapy for gay men and be in favour of Gender Affirming Care for children.
Quoting Dr. Miriam Grossman; child and adolescent Psychiatrist
“…my most difficult fight has not been against dangerous diseases, but against dangerous ideas…deny biology. Psychiatry’s idea: normalize a disorder. The Dutch idea: block puberty. Educators’ idea: we know better than you. Lawyers’ idea: your home isn’t safe. Surgeons’ idea: you name it, we’ll do it.” Page 228
From the Ethics of the Fathers: “Rabbi Tarfon used to say, it is not incumbent upon you to complete the task, but you are not exempt from undertaking it.”
