Gender identity debate swirls over CAMH psychologist, transgender program

[stephaniec]

Gender identity debate swirls over CAMH psychologist, transgender program

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto/gender-identity-debate-swirls-over-camh-psychologist-transgender-program/article28758828/

The Globe And Mail/Erin Anderssen The Globe and MailPublished Sunday, Feb. 14, 2016 10:31PM EST Last updated Sunday, Feb. 14, 2016 10:37PM EST

"At a private Toronto gathering to honour psychologist Ken Zucker last December, days after he was dismissed from his job at Toronto's Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, colleagues stood to give warm tributes. Some of them had come with prepared speeches, expressing shock over the closing of the Gender Identity Clinic, which Dr. Zucker had run for more than 30 years."

[Ms Grace]

In the transgender community, Dr. Zucker's dismissal was celebrated – he had long been controversial for research suggesting children should be steered away from becoming transgender adults.

Wow. Just wow.

[Cindy]

This is a hard one.

Zucker was prominent in the early days of treating transkids, who are extremely difficult to treat. Did he make mistakes? Undoubtably, did he do good, the same.

When I met him he was an open minded person who cared deeply for transgender people.

Had he outlived his career, very probably.

Ethically it is extremely difficult to reassign children. A high proportion do change their minds, hence the approach now of blockers that can be reversed if the child changes their mind, and they do. Is that right? I don't know.

What I am saddened by are the insults and comments from those who are not placed in his situation at his time.

I think he was/is a caring man.

What I am more saddened about is that the unit is being closed. It may not be reopened under a new Director. Transkids lose out again.

There are excellent models for paediatric gender clinics. Michelle Telford runs an excellent model clinic at the RMCH. I would have hoped Zucker's clinic could have been remodelled.

[stephaniec]

It's a tough question. I was severely impacted as a child. I was a mute partially because of it. I had no relation with  my family because of my terrible secrete. I wish I had help , but I really don't know if I could of been helped.

[suzifrommd]

I don't like how the article makes it sound like the push to allow children to be themselves is attributable to "society".

Forcing a trans girl to live as a boy or vice versa is cruel. Period. That's exactly what Zucker advised parents to do.

Allowing children to be themselves is not bowing to societal pressure. It's having a heart.

[Deborah]

His methods don't work anyway.  Refusing to let a child express anything even remotely cross-gender and ridiculing them if they do doesn't work.  It just makes them very good at hiding it.  It leaves them with a psychological complex of being very messed up with nobody to talk to which often leads to despair and suicide.  I am proof of that and while I do love my parents I will resent them forever.

Will some or many children grow out of it?  Maybe they will.  But I expect that would happen at puberty anyway even if you didn't treat the child like a dog beforehand.

One parents' comment made me angry.  They said they were so relieved and happy when their son turned out gay instead of trans.  That comment alone communicates the tone of that clinic.  Being trans is the worst thing in the world.  It is worse that any other imaginable fate.  Do whatever is humanly possible to drive it out of the children. 

Unfortunately, there is a large segment of influential American population that believes just that.  They will take it one step further though and agree that you should beat it out of the child if necessary.  The Dr., and others like him, do us a huge disservice by giving these people a professional foundation upon which to perpetuate their harmful treatment of others.


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