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The case for neutral therapy not affirmation only whilst critically evaluating the work of Jack Turban.
The authors raise multiple issues with this study; which has been used as a rallying call to outlaw so called #ConversionTherapy responses to Gender Identity issues.
Gender Identity Conversion Efforts (GICE) are being deliberately confused with #GayConversionTherapy practiced by religious homophobes. This is deliberate. Remember Dentons? “Latch onto popular legislation”. Legislation to outlaw CT is a Trojan horse to force “affirmation only”
Harmful approaches to gay/gender confused kids have no place in therapeutic approaches to resolving their issues. However mindlessly agreeing with a #BornInTheWrongBody belief system causes harms of its own.
As always critical responses to this article found great difficulty in getting a hearing. The publication of this paper is to the credit of the authors and the journal.
Stigmatising clinicians (and parents) who adopt a non-affirmative approach to their child’s rejection of their sexed body is not helpful. Thoughtful parents seek to explore underlying issues. Especially in the current climate. Gender Identity ideology is propagated relentlessly.
Turbans sample has a number of issues that raise questions about the methodology and the integrity of the conclusions. Biased Sample, recruited via advocacy groups. 
Also “good subject effect”. Researchers proclaim their bias and subjects “comply” with their expectations.
More worryingly they deliberately excluded detransitioners and desisters from the sample. The very people who may have had good therapy , that didn’t affirm, and worked with them to resolve their distress.
Some other flaws in the sample. 40% had taken NO steps to transition, socially or medically, others had no intention of doing so. Lots of 18yr olds. Some claiming to be out on puberty blockers at 18: this is deemed to be “unlikely”.
The research *assumes* mental health issues arose as a response to the GICE but a good clinician may wish to resolve co-morbid issues of mental health before introducing medicalisation. That seems good practice to me.
The study failed to control for base line mental health issues, very common in the transgender community, which is a serious methodological flaw.
The study treats every type of GICE as if it was of one type. The reader is therefore led to believe there is no ethical, non-affirmative therapy to be had. The fact that orgs regulating Counselling and Psychological therapies appear to agree horrifying.
Two of the authors/campaigners used the research to demand a ban on #ConversionTherapy for trans people and, of course, they added the emotive claim that it’s a matter of life and death. Once again fostering suicide ideation in this community.
Do we really want therapists not to explore underlying reasons for bodily discomfort? A female victim of sexual assault, for example.
Or a boy/girl who is simply not performing sex stereotypes as socially expected? Might a bullied kid see this as a solution to their distress?
Or homosexuals? Clinicians from the Tavistock raised this as a concern. Are we medicalising. gay kids? We parents of gay males/lesbians are concerned about this. As are many homosexual adults who fear this could have happened to them in 2020.
GD also impacts a disproportionate rate of autistic girls. Left alone GD can resolve spontaneously after a natural puberty. Watching and waiting , with therapy as needed, should be the first, preferred pathway.
Research has recently forced the NHS and other bodies to stop calling #PubertyBlockers reversible. They are not and we don’t know the long term impact. So why are we giving them to 10 year olds? Here in the U.K.
Affirmation only proponents tend to skim over the very real medical consequences of long term cross sex hormone usage.
These are some of the changes which detransitioners are left with if we are overly hasty. We should also be cognisant of risks for people who are happily transitioned. More caution in setting on this path, more research for those that have done so...
We need to look at the social engineering that is inculcating #GenderDysphoria in our kids and stop the proselytism in our schools. This is Public Inquiry material and we need to pause it NOW while we figure out what’s going on.
Full study here. Remember these authors who have stuck their heads above the parapet. There will be documentaries about this time and we will look back in horror. https://twitter.com/robertod2010/status/1319000803701485568
https://twitter.com/robertod2010/status/1319000803701485568
