Latest news with #PediatricGender
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Trump's 'Exploratory Therapy' Is Still Just Conversion Therapy — and It's Dangerous
Marjan_Apostolovic In this op-ed, psychiatrist and conversion therapy survivor Dr. Matt R. Salmon addresses the Trump administration's report on gender-affirming care and the idea of 'exploratory therapy.' Last week, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released a 409 page report called "Treatment for Pediatric Gender Dysphoria: Review of Evidence and Best Practices." Meant to be an evidence-based look at gender-affirming care for trans kids, the report reads less like a scientific review and more like a policy hit job against transgender youth. There are many issues with the report, from cherry-picked data to advice that contradicts what nearly every major medical association has agreed constitutes best practices for treating trans youth. Among those many issues, all of which are alarming, is one that's particularly egregious to me: The report repackages conversion therapy in a new outfit, calling it 'exploratory therapy' and daring to suggest it be a new 'intervention.' Let me be clear: this isn't evidence-based medicine. It's state-sponsored gaslighting. Conversion therapy is a debunked and discredited practice that aims to change the sexuality and/or gender identity of LGBTQ+ individuals. According to The Trevor Project, conversion therapy is based on the incorrect idea that LGBTQ+ identities are disordered and need to be fixed. Currently, 23 states and Washington D.C. ban the practice, and another four states and Puerto Rico specifically ban it for minors. The practice has been linked to increased depression, PTSD, and suicidality in LGBTQ+ people. I've seen the impact of this practice myself. I know the harm this kind of 'therapy' causes because I endured it. Mine was called 'reparative therapy'—a clinical-sounding name for a process that sought to unmake me. I was told my queerness wasn't inherent, but the result of emotional deficits — specifically, a lack of 'healthy, non-sexual male bonding.' According to my professional counselor, I was trying to 'consume' other men, a kind of 'sexual cannibalism' meant to fill a missing masculine core. Week after week, I was dissected—my desires reframed as pathology, my identity treated as trauma. The damage wasn't loud or immediate. It settled in slowly, teaching me to doubt intimacy, to fear tenderness, to see my own reflection as something to be fixed. Now, I know that's not the case, and I've spent my career working to undo that harm. As a divergent-affirming psychiatrist, I've sat across from transgender teens whose families rejected them, whose therapists tried to 'neutralize' their identities, and whose medical access was dangled like a reward for compliance. I've seen firsthand what happens when we treat identity as a symptom to be cured instead of a truth to be honored. So, when I read that the HHS report is recommending 'exploratory therapy' as a treatment for gender dysphoria, to encourage trans youth to 'come to terms with their bodies,' it was an immediate red flag to me. Conversion therapy has tried to rebrand before, but given the stated intent in the report— to repackage gender dysphoria as 'common during puberty and adolescence' and to encourage 'adolescents come to terms with their bodies' — this seems like yet another attempt. The report explicitly denies this, the authors seemingly aware that they'd come up against this criticism (the authors, by the way, have not been named). 'Critics of exploratory psychotherapy for [gender dysphoria] claim that therapists are trying to 'promote gender identities that are aligned with the person's sex assigned at birth,'' the report says. 'A less theoretically-laden description would be that some therapists are trying to help children and adolescents come to terms with their bodies.' Again, let's be clear: Any therapy meant to convince you to be someone you know you're not isn't a 'treatment,' it's a dangerous effort at control and conformity. Critics of gender-affirming care for trans youth often say they're simply urging 'caution,' wanting to sway kids away from treatments that they might later regret (though statistics show they overwhelmingly do not regret this care). This isn't about caution, it's about control. It's about forcing trans kids to sit in rooms with adults who believe their existence is a pathology. It's about framing trauma as a treatment plan. It's about replacing affirming care with coercive, ideologically driven delay tactics—until it's too late. The HHS report isn't just ethically bankrupt—it's medically indefensible. It ignores decades of research and consensus from major medical organizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Psychiatric Association, and the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, all of which support gender-affirming care as the appropriate standard. Instead, the report leans heavily on discredited sources like the Cass Review and Society for Evidence-Based Gender Medicine (SEGM), two efforts widely criticized for promoting anti-trans policies under the guise of scientific neutrality. We know where this road leads: increased suicidality, broken families, and queer youth who learn to dissociate from themselves just to survive. We don't need this exploration the government is claiming to offer. In fact, as writer Katelyn Burns pointed out in an op-ed for MSNBC, 'therapy is already a major requirement for gender transitions of people of all ages, and especially for children.' We need affirmation. We need accountability. We need to stop calling cruelty a treatment model. As both a psychiatrist and someone who was once a queer kid trapped in a system that didn't see me, I say this with everything I've got: transgender youth don't need to be changed. It's the systems harming them that do. Originally Appeared on Teen Vogue
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Medical Experts Continue to Support Gender-Affirming Care for Trans Youth
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways Fact checked by SarahKey Takeaways A new report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) advises against gender-affirming care for trans youth. However, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and other medical experts and organization continue to support gender-affirming care, emphasizing its role in the mental health and wellbeing of trans children and teens. Evidence continues to show that gender-affirming care and supportive environments can help reduce rates of depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation in trans youth. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently released a review about gender dysphoria and gender-affirming care for youth in America. The review was written following President Trump's executive order that calls on the federal government to stop supporting gender transitioning for children under the age of 19. It's important to note that major medical organizations in the U.S. continue to support gender-affirming care for minors, including the Academy of American Pediatrics (AAP), who released a statement saying they are 'deeply concerned' about this report and the impacts it may have on transgender kids. Here, we'll take a closer look at this report, and what these policies mean for trans and gender-nonconforming kids and their families. What Does This Statement Mean for Families? The HHS explainer is a 409 page review titled 'Treatment for Pediatric Gender Dysphoria.' In a press release, HHS said the reviewers found the benefits of gender-affirming medical care for minors to be 'very weak' and that some gender affirming medical interventions posed 'significant risks' to children. The Academy of American Pediatrics (AAP) questioned the integrity of the report and its conclusions in their recent statement. 'This report misrepresents the current medical consensus and fails to reflect the realities of pediatric care,' Susan Kressly, MD, president of the AAP, commented. 'AAP was not consulted in the development of this report, yet our policy and intentions behind our recommendations were cited throughout in inaccurate and misleading ways.' Molly O'Shea, MD, a pediatrician with Birmingham Pediatrics + Wellness Center, who treats trans kids, shared that even though the report was described as evidenced-based by HHS, over 2,000 studies were screened for inclusion in the report, but 99% were rejected from consideration. Dr. O'Shea emphasizes that the majority of pediatric and adolescent physicians across the world continue to support gender-affirming care for youth. 'The report's recommendations are based on a tiny sliver of the peer-reviewed literature in the field and as a result does a disservice to transgender children, their families, and the physicians who care for them,' she says. Understanding Gender Dysphoria The main topic of the HHS report is gender dysphoria, how it impacts youth, and what should be done about it. It's important to know that gender dysphoria is often misunderstood. Gender dysphoria refers to the distress some individuals experience when their gender identity doesn't match their body or how others perceive them, explains Rebecca Minor, LICSW, gender specialist and author of Raising Trans Kids: What to Expect When You Weren't Expecting This. 'It's not the same thing as being trans—plenty of trans people don't experience dysphoria all the time—but for those who do, it can be intense and debilitating, especially during puberty,' she describes. Importantly, gender dysphoria is not a mental illness or a sign that something is wrong. 'The distress doesn't come from being trans, but from being misunderstood, misgendered, or prevented from living as oneself,' Minor says. 'When kids are supported in expressing their gender and accessing appropriate care, dysphoria can significantly lessen—and in some cases, completely resolve.' What Is Gender-Affirming Care? Gender-affirming care is a broad umbrella term, and there's no one-size-fits-all, says Minor. Moreover, it typically begins with non-medical interventions, and doesn't necessarily ever include medical interventions at all. 'For kids and teens, it often starts with things like using the right name and pronouns, making social changes like clothing and hairstyle, and accessing affirming mental health support,' Minor describes. If medical care is part of a gender-affirming care plan, it's typically introduced in a very careful and gradual manner, usually in collaboration with mental health providers, endocrinologists, and families, Minor emphasizes. 'In reality, gender-affirming care is thoughtful, thorough, and rooted in what's best for each individual,' she says. Medical interventions aren't offered to young trans children, but may be offered closer to puberty. 'For adolescents, puberty blockers (which are known to be reversible) may be offered or necessary,' says Prerna Menon, LCSW, a queer psychotherapist at Boundless Therapy, who works with LGBTQ+ teens. Later, hormone replacement therapy may be offered to older teens or young adults. Surgery is rarely—if ever—part of a gender-affirming care plan for a minor, Menon says. 'The narrative that minors are undergoing routine surgery is a myth,' Menon says. 'Such procedures are wholly rare before adulthood and should only be done after extensive medical and psychological evaluation.' What Doctors and Therapists Say About Gender-Affirming Care for Trans and Non-Binary Youth Doctors and therapists who treat trans and non-binary youth know first-hand how impactful gender-affirming care can be. Gender-affirming care can change lives, says Minor. 'I've seen kids go from anxious, withdrawn, and depressed to vibrant, engaged, and hopeful—just because they were finally given the space to be themselves,' she describes. 'For many of my clients, it's not about 'becoming' someone else—it's about shedding layers of shame, fear, or silence. Dr. O'Shea agrees. 'I have a non-binary adult child and have cared for many transgender youth over the years,' says Dr. O'Shea. She says that when children receive care from a gender-affirming doctor, their life journey is much easier to navigate. Gender-affirming care is all about creating a loving, supporting environment that allows the child or teen to be their authentic self. The positive impacts of this care can't be understated. 'Affirming who they are and supporting their journey, wherever it leads, with all the available support will ensure the best possible outcome,' says Dr. O'Shea. How Gender-Affirming Care Supports the Mental Health of Trans People Not only can gender-affirming care change lives, it can save them. 'Clients of mine have repeatedly stated that gender-affirming care saved their life,' says Rachel D. Miller, PhD, LMFT, founder at Hold The Vision Therapy and a therapist who works with transgender youth. Consider the mental health impacts of untreated gender dysphoria. Gender dysphoria can create significant distress for kids who experience it. 'The distress can manifest as anxiety, depression, low self-worth, and suicidal ideation and impact their school, social, and home lives,' Dr. Miller describes. Here's where the power of gender affirming care can be felt. As Trevor Project's 2023 Survey on the Mental Health of LBGTQ youth found, trans and non-binary youth who lived with people who affirmed them and respected their pronouns had lower rates of attempted suicide. Additionally, trans and non-binary youth who went to schools they described as gender-affirming had lower rates of attempted suicide. Common Misconceptions About Trans Teens One takeaway these experts want to impart is that there are a lot of myths out there about gender affirming care and trans teens in general. 'A primary misconception I see is that trans teens are being urged into irreversible medical choices,' says Menon. 'In the healthcare community I am in, and in my state of New York, this simply is not how the process works.' Evaluations of trans and non-binary youth are comprehensive and thorough, and there are multiple assessments made before any medical inventions happen, she says. Dr. Miller says that another myth—and one shared in the HHS report—is that mental health providers are underutilized for trans and non-binary youth, and that therapy isn't an integral part of the medical decisions made for trans kids. On the contrary, 'mental health professionals are typically the gatekeepers of medical interventions,' says Dr. Miller. 'Medical interventions, again when used, traditionally come after mental health assessments and psychotherapy for the child individually and with their family prior to any decisions about medical options.' Lastly, there's a myth that being trans or non-binary is simply a cultural trend—one that scores of young people seem to be "latching onto." But this is untrue. 'One of the most dangerous misconceptions is that being trans is trendy, a phase, or the result of confusion or mental illness,' Minor says. Minor wants families to know that being trans isn't a trend, and that trans kids should continue to be affirmed and cared for by experts with experience treating them. 'Being trans is simply one way of being human—and when teens are affirmed in their identities, we see improved mental health, not worse,' she says. Read the original article on Parents
