APA Distinguished Fellow: Transgender is ‘Emotional Unhappiness'

[Rosa]

Prominent Psychiatrist: Transgender is 'Emotional Unhappiness ... Purely Psychological'

http://www.cnsnews.com/blog/michael-w-chapman/american-psychiatric-association-distinguished-fellow-transgender-emotional

CNSNews/By Michael W. Chapman | February 2, 2016 | 4:02 PM EST

"Dr. Joseph Berger, a Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, states that from "a scientific perspective," being "transgendered" is a psychological issue – "emotional unhappiness" – and "cosmetic surgery" is not the "proper treatment.""

"Dr. Berger, who also is a past president of the Ontario District Branch of the American Psychiatric Association, presented his remarks before the Canadian House of Commons Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights when it was considering a bill (C-279) in 2013 to "include gender identity as a prohibited ground of discrimination.""



I think this is a bunch of hooey, but am posting since the doctor has status in the APA and the story made the news.

[LizK]

Every halfwit online who has an axe to grind over transgender issues has jumped on this clown and his generalizations and I suspect without even looking he has very little in the way of actual experience...if he did then he would not be saying what he is.

[Tysilio]

Consider the source -- an obviously biased right-wing website -- and ask yourself why they're reporting something Dr. Berger said in 2013 as if it were news.

He's a supporter of the "reparative therapy" practiced at the Toronto gender identity clinic that was recently shut down by the Province of Ontario. In 2006, he spoke in favor of "treating" gender non-conforming kids by allowing their peers to bully them:

"I suggest, indeed, letting children who wish go to school in clothes of the opposite sex -- but not counseling other children to not tease them or hurt their feelings," Dr. Berger wrote on NARTH's website. "On the contrary, don't interfere, and let the other children ridicule the child who has lost that clear boundary between play-acting at home and the reality needs of the outside world. Maybe, in this way, the child will re-establish that necessary boundary."

If they had started the story thus: "Dr. Joseph Berger, prominent anti-trans nutjob..." it might be worth reading.

[LizK]

Consider the source -- an obviously biased right-wing website -- and ask yourself why they're reporting something Dr. Berger said in 2013 as if it were news.

He's a supporter of the "reparative therapy" practiced at the Toronto gender identity clinic that was recently shut down by the Province of Ontario. In 2006, he spoke in favor of "treating" gender non-conforming kids by allowing their peers to bully them:

"I suggest, indeed, letting children who wish go to school in clothes of the opposite sex -- but not counseling other children to not tease them or hurt their feelings," Dr. Berger wrote on NARTH's website. "On the contrary, don't interfere, and let the other children ridicule the child who has lost that clear boundary between play-acting at home and the reality needs of the outside world. Maybe, in this way, the child will re-establish that necessary boundary."

If they had started the story thus: "Dr. Joseph Berger, prominent anti-trans nutjob..." it might be worth reading.

I was thinking about this and trying to work out what didn't add up about it...so off I was going to find out who this guy is. Thank you so much for that information.

[BeverlyAnn]

Education along with a bunch of words and letters behind a name have absolutely no effect at all on natural stupidity.

[suzifrommd]

In 2006, he spoke in favor of "treating" gender non-conforming kids by allowing their peers to bully them:

"I suggest, indeed, letting children who wish go to school in clothes of the opposite sex -- but not counseling other children to not tease them or hurt their feelings," Dr. Berger wrote on NARTH's website. "On the contrary, don't interfere, and let the other children ridicule the child who has lost that clear boundary between play-acting at home and the reality needs of the outside world. Maybe, in this way, the child will re-establish that necessary boundary."

I don't know why I find this so triggering, but there's a horribleness in those words I can't seem to shake. Basically he's in favor of subjecting trans children to mental cruelty. I can't fathom how someone could be so unfeeling.

[itsApril]

Education along with a bunch of words and letters behind a name have absolutely no effect at all on natural stupidity.

It isn't just ignorance.  It's malice.  The idea that he would have a place in a "healing profession" is absurd.

[Tysilio]

Suzi, I agree completely. It's horrible to see someone advocate cruelty by wrapping it in the mantle of science. 

But I try to remember that it's also a sign of how far we've come in a relatively short time. No reputable professional would dream of saying such a thing now, and "reparative therapy" is not just debunked as ineffective, it too is now recognized as being cruel and abusive; many jurisdictions are now making it illegal.