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Transgender psychologist: 'I think it’s gone too far'
Hotair.com ^ | 4-12-22 | John Sexton

Posted on 04/12/2022 3:09:38 PM PDT by DeweyCA

Something really does seem to have changed recently. Major media outlets are publishing pieces that are critical of some elements of transgender orthodoxy. Yesterday it was the Washington Post with an opinion piece from a trans woman who wrote about wishing she’d waiter longer before having sex reassignment surgery at age 19.

Today the LA Times published a story about transgender clinical psychologist Erica Anderson. Anderson is not only trans herself, she’s helped hundreds of teens who wanted to transition but now she’s publicly questioned whether or not some of the surge of teens announcing they are trans is in fact the result of influence by other teens.

She has helped hundreds of teens transition. But she has also come to believe that some children identifying as trans are falling under the influence of their peers and social media and that some clinicians are failing to subject minors to rigorous mental health evaluations before recommending hormones or surgeries.

“I think it’s gone too far,” said Anderson, who until recently led the U.S. professional society at the forefront of transgender care. “For a while, we were all happy that society was becoming more accepting and more families than ever were embracing children that were gender variant. Now it’s got to the point where there are kids presenting at clinics whose parents say, ‘This just doesn’t make sense.’ ”

Anderson’s own willingness to talk about her concerns has developed over time. But in 2020 she began to see a change in the families and kids coming to her for help.

As millions of teenagers across the U.S. went into quarantine in 2020, Anderson found herself meeting more and more parents who were startled when their children came out as trans. The UC San Francisco adolescent gender center where she worked saw a total of 373 new patients last year — up from 162 in 2019.

The teens tended to tell similar stories: They were in online school, had a lot of time on their hands and were spending more time on social media. TikTok, Instagram and YouTube, and even video games, allowed teens to craft virtual identities that they could then try out in the real world.

Online, a stream of transgender influencers and activists told teens that if they felt uncomfortable with their bodies, or didn’t fit in, maybe they were trans. Some coached kids on how to bind their breasts, how to change their name and pronouns at school, how to push their parents for testosterone.

“To flatly say there couldn’t be any social influence in formation of gender identity flies in the face of reality,” Anderson said. “Teenagers influence each other.”

Anderson is specifically concerned that some of those teens, influenced by peers and given affirming care by professionals who believe it’s offensive to question a teen’s views about their own gender, will later come to have regrets.

She said clinicians should not dismiss cases like that of Keira Bell, who sued Britain’s only youth gender clinic, claiming that after “a series of superficial conversations” with social workers she was prescribed puberty blockers at 16 and underwent a mastectomy at 20 — only to regret the decision and later resume life as a woman.

“Giving over to hormones on demand will result in many more cases of poor outcomes and many more disappointed kids and parents who somehow came to believe that giving kids hormones would cure their other psychological problems,” Anderson said. “It won’t.”

Last month Anderson wrote a piece for the San Francisco Examiner which specifically pointed to Planned Parenthood as a place where teens could get hormones without even basic screening requirements.

It is widely known that the executive function of the brain — specifically in terms of planning and anticipation of consequences — is not fully mature until approximately age 25. That is why so many parents, and often progressive parents who strongly support LGBTQIA+ rights, express concern when their child announces they are trans and have started hormones without undergoing gender exploratory psychotherapy.

As mentioned, the student health centers and Planned Parenthoods operate under the informed consent model, which casts aside mental health screening requirements. Yet parents frequently tell me aghast that their young adult withheld from the medical provider a history of mental health challenges, including in some cases self harm or suicidal thoughts. Other college-age students gloss over details of their mental health history, dismissing further inquiry or accusing providers of “gatekeeping,” which in gender affirming circles is akin to being called out for racism by a person of color…

Gender dysphoria presenting abruptly in late adolescence/young adulthood may not be a simple or straightforward recognition of gender identity. It is also sometimes complicated by other factors, such as depression, anxiety, autism spectrum disorder, social inadequacy, competency fears, delayed impact of trauma and/or misplaced adolescent rebellion against parents and family. I also believe that the pandemic, social isolation and, in too many cases, excess consumption of social media with its bizarre and prescriptive dynamics are unhealthy for gender questioning young adults.

This sort of discussion is becoming more widespread and that’s ultimately going to be good news for kids and their parents, though you may not get that sense from Twitter.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: detransition; gender; genders; regretters; trans; transgender
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Dr. Philip McHugh, the Chief Psychiatrist of Johns Hopkins University Hospital was the founder/leader of the transgender movement. Since then, he has come out against the movement. He was condemned by the politically-corrupt APA. Finally, more professionals are seeing the error of their ways. Unfortunately, their victims will live with the consequences for the rest of their lives. You can see their stories on YouTube. Search for "regretters" or "detransition."
1 posted on 04/12/2022 3:09:38 PM PDT by DeweyCA
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To: DeweyCA

Yeah. Mid terms.

That is the sole reason for media pretending to care about sanity.


2 posted on 04/12/2022 3:13:48 PM PDT by Recovering_Democrat
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To: DeweyCA
she’s publicly questioned whether or not some of the surge of teens announcing they are trans is in fact the result of influence by other teens.

Yes, part of the problems is that it's kind of a fad and the media encourages these kids to be a part of the "in-crowd".

3 posted on 04/12/2022 3:19:42 PM PDT by libertylover (Our BIGGEST problem, by far, is that most of the media is hate & agenda driven, not truth driven.)
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To: DeweyCA
Online, a stream of transgender influencers and activists told teens that if they felt uncomfortable with their bodies, or didn’t fit in, maybe they were trans.

Do you know ANY teen that is totally comfortable with their body and fit in at all times?

In fact do you know any adult that is that way?

You have set a standard that is impossible to meet and then told people that not meeting it meant you were not normal.

When it is the most normal thing in the world.

4 posted on 04/12/2022 3:21:25 PM PDT by Harmless Teddy Bear (It is better to light a single flame thrower then curse the darkness. A bunch of them is better yet)
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To: DeweyCA

These people are a bunch of sexual perverts and everyone needs to start standing up and using these terms exactly and condemning this. Our nation is about to be judged by the god of the Bible and we are surely doomed. That anyone would even try to tell you that buggering children were surgically mutilating them to make them look like something else and then try to say that you’re the evil person because of this isn’t absolute moral outrage and it is unrecoverable as a nation


5 posted on 04/12/2022 3:23:04 PM PDT by RaceBannon (Rom 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for )
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To: DeweyCA

I’ve found one way to confuse the woketards..

When they ask “what harm does it do if some guy wants you to address them as a girl”

I said IT FORCES ME TO PARTICIPATE IN THEIR DELUSION, which I don’t want to do. Forcing me to do something is slavery.

:)

that really rattles them up.


6 posted on 04/12/2022 3:32:08 PM PDT by Mr. K (No consequence of repealing obamacare is worse than obamacare itself)
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To: DeweyCA

“Something really does seem to have changed recently.”

Yes, it’s an election year and the Democrat internal polling numbers are disastrous. That’s the only thing that has changed, and it will change right back again next year. You can set your clock to it.


7 posted on 04/12/2022 3:45:38 PM PDT by Boogieman
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To: Mr. K

When they ask “what harm does it do if some guy wants you to address them as a girl”

Just because he thinks himself a girl doesn’t require me to think that way also...If I think he’s a guy, I’ll address him as a guy...PERIOD...


8 posted on 04/12/2022 3:46:10 PM PDT by JBW1949 (I'm really PC.....Patriotically Correct)
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To: DeweyCA

bkmk


9 posted on 04/12/2022 3:48:46 PM PDT by Sergio (An object at rest cannot be stopped! - The Evil Midnight Bomber What Bombs at Midnight)
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To: DeweyCA
Stupid Human Fad. Like streaking, going postal, facial piercings, genital piercings, brazil butts, pet rocks, etc.

Social media, hollywood and educators are all guilty of promoting this fad. They may have had good intentions of making legitimate gender dysphoric kids feel more accepted. But the end result is that they have groomed and indoctrinated a whole generation of kids.

They have caused far more dysphoria than they ever made feel better.

"The pathway to hell is paved with good intentions." - possibly Cistercian abbot Saint Bernard of Clairvaux (1090 – 1153)

And this is a special kind of Hell.

10 posted on 04/12/2022 3:48:55 PM PDT by DannyTN
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To: DeweyCA
‘I think BIDEN, DEMOCRATS, AND WOKE LOSERS have gone too far’

Onward Christian Soldiers, protect the children.

11 posted on 04/12/2022 3:50:42 PM PDT by Vision (Elections are one day. Reject "Chicago" vote harvesting. Election Reform Now. Obama is an evildoer.)
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To: DeweyCA
Attempted suicide is often a cry for help.
Asking for a sex change is another.
A call for attention, a call for validation.
The therapy should be: "You are just fine the way you are.".

12 posted on 04/12/2022 4:08:10 PM PDT by BitWielder1 (I'd rather have Unequal Wealth than Equal Poverty.)
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To: DeweyCA
There is a good interview of this psychologist at this URL.

https://quillette.com/2022/01/06/a-transgender-pioneer-explains-why-she-stepped-down-from-uspath-and-wpath/

13 posted on 04/12/2022 4:09:37 PM PDT by DeweyCA ( )
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To: DeweyCA

some of the freaks see the light for what it is... While most freak supporters see that light as the end of the tunnel, some freaks are seeing it as an oncoming train knowing that if a actual battle happens over this crap, they will lose as big as the faggot on the streets... Theyre trying to reign it in before it explodes...


14 posted on 04/12/2022 4:13:40 PM PDT by sit-rep ( )
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To: DeweyCA

Puberty and early adult life is confusing in many ways. This age is EXTREMELY influenced by society. Society is pushing them to change their genders at the slightest emotion.

We should accept them as they learn who they are and become comfortable in their entire person. Not allow them surgical changes or hormone suppressors. Truly, honestly, Lupron could be a satisfactory murder defense. People without hormones cannot control their moods nor behavior properly. It’s child abuse to give it to underage kids for these reasons.

Let them be. Let them live how they want, but keep your bodies until at least 21 and months of proper therapy.


15 posted on 04/12/2022 4:20:42 PM PDT by Yaelle
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To: DeweyCA

There is no such thing as “transgender.”


16 posted on 04/12/2022 4:28:04 PM PDT by Organic Panic (Democrats. Memories as short as Joe Biden's eyes)
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To: Organic Panic

Someone in here posted that they now believe there are actually 3 genders:

1. Male

2. Female

3. Democrat

Sadly becoming true. I’ve always thought there are two genders, and all the rest are mental disorders. (Still fits with the 3 above.)


17 posted on 04/12/2022 4:57:48 PM PDT by datura (Eventually, the Lord and the Truth will win.)
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To: DeweyCA

How much does the “transgender” propaganda result from the WEF trying to reduce human population? Just get children to engage in transgender mutiliation, from hormone blockers to genital mutilation to sterlize themselves and thus reduce the human population.

It’s not about what’s best for the individual. It is what is best for mother earth, Gaia, their godess. All life forms on planet earth are carbon based. Just eliminate all carbon based life forms from plants to humanity and mother Gaia will be another dead rock. Utopia.


18 posted on 04/12/2022 5:02:26 PM PDT by gspurlock (http://www.backyardfence.wordpress.com)
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To: DeweyCA

It’s rarely a good idea to treat a mental disorder with a scalpel.


19 posted on 04/12/2022 5:15:11 PM PDT by jdsteel ("A Republic, Madam, if you can keep it." Sorry Ben, looks like we blew i)
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To: DeweyCA
Something really does seem to have changed recently.

Democrat polling, that's all.

20 posted on 04/12/2022 7:59:29 PM PDT by Albion Wilde (If science can’t be questioned, it’s not science anymore, it’s propaganda. --Aaron Rodgers)
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