Two Families Grapple with Sons' Gender Preferences

[Shana A]

Two Families Grapple with Sons' Gender Preferences
Psychologists Take Radically Different Approaches in Therapy

by Alix Spiegel

Audio for this story will be available at approx. 7:00 p.m. ET

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=90247842

All Things Considered, May 7, 2008 · Note: To protect the identities of these families, NPR has used only first names and has changed one of the children's names.

It wasn't until Halloween when her 2 1/2-year-old son decided to dress as Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz that Carol began to worry.

--------------
OMG, Dr. Ken Zucker is one of the doctors!! 

Z

[NickSister]

That poor girl, horrid.

[Hazumu]

Psychologists Take Radically Different Approaches in Therapy

by Alix Spiegel

Link to audio story on this page.

{Dr. Ken} Zucker, who has worked with this population for close to 30 years, has a very specific method for treating these children. Whenever Zucker encounters a child younger than 10 with gender identity disorder, he tries to make the child comfortable with the sex he or she was born with.

Pam remembers watching her child mournfully finger his outfit. She says she knew what he wanted. "At that point I just said, you know, 'You really want a dress to wear, don't you?' And [Jonah's] face lit up, and [he] was like, 'Yes!'"

That afternoon, Pam, her sister and Jonah piled into the family car.

"I thought [he] was gonna hyperventilate and faint because [he] was so incredibly happy. ... Before then, or since then, I don't think I have seen [him] so out of [his] mind happy as that drive to Target that day to pick out [his] dress," Pam says.

NOTE:  The reporter 'corrected' the pronouns the parents used or the print article...

[NicholeW.]

All Things Considered on NPR began a short series today on transgender identity. The first piece was about Bradley and Jonah who are now six.

Bradley lives on the east coast and was sent by her parents to Dr. Kenneth Zucker's CAMH Clarke clinic for "reparative therapy." Jonah lives on the west coast and her parents and she are seeing Dr. Diane Ehrensaft.

The story will break your heart and then mend it again. I listened to it tonight while waiting on class to start.

Ladies and Gentlemen, it's time, time to stop these madmen from killing, or "repairing" us.

Here's The Link to the piece from the radio and further material.

[Suzy]

My heart just goes out to that poor little girl.  I am at a loss for words.

Kristi

[Hazumu]

I wanted to write the journalist and explain that 'balancing' the story with a 'Jurassic Clarke' psych who believes in reparative therapy will only support the reparative therapists and those who wish it to work.

But I couldn't find a contact.

I know NPR has a letters page.  If I find the link, I'll post it.

Karen

p.s., my NPR station is having a begathon this week...

Posted on: May 07, 2008, 07:51:06 PMHere it is:

http://www.npr.org/contact/

Then click the NPR radio button and fill out the comment form that magically appears.

HURRY!  Tomorrow is Listener Letters Thursday!

=K

[cindybc]

For me, it brought tears. I love children had 11 including foster children and there isn't any ways I would have treated any of them that way, or to even let my child go near to this Zucker. All my children found a place in their lives and none suffer for anything.

Cindy

[offthesidewalk]

My mom also corrected others' when they mistook me for a girl. it's frustating because you'll be like 'YES YES YES YIPPY YA...' and then your mom comes along and you're like, 'awh... *pouts*'

still happens sometimes, but she just use the male pronouns when refering to me and hopes those people realize their "mistake".

my heart goes out for the the first child.

so many people take a psychiatrist's words as being gold. what few people realize is that psychiatrists' are also just humans with opinions, and that's normally what they work with- opinions.

*hugs* for Bradley. i hope she realize how special she is in the future.

[Lokaeign]

NOTE:  The reporter 'corrected' the pronouns the parents used or the print article...

I can't believe there are still bigots who insist on doing things like that.  Gender issues are NOT new, reporters now have perfectly adequate guidelines about using people's real names and real pronouns--you know, the ones that accurately describe the way that person experiences hir own gender-- yet some of them still feel that they've got the right to substitute old names and old pronouns, or put the accurate pronoun of the person's own choice in scare quotes.  In this case, not only was the little girl being corrected as to her own gender, but loving parents who are doing the right thing were being corrected on their daughter's gender.  Well done, you clueless hack.

And that poor little girl in the first story!  My blood boiled.  I hope her parents see sense one day and accept their daughter.  People like  Zucker shouldn't be allowed within a million miles of children.

*shakes head*

One day, I hope that the world turns and enforcing a child's assigned gender in contradiction to their clearly expressed wants and needs goes the way of forcing leftie kids to write right-handed.

[Hazumu]

One day, I hope that the world turns and enforcing a child's assigned gender in contradiction to their clearly expressed wants and needs goes the way of forcing leftie kids to write right-handed.

GREAT analogy!  It should be passed on and used by everybody, as it is viral information at its best!!

Karen

[Pysgod]

Yes Zucker does seem to be messed up himself. He seems more worried about his money making then actually helping.  I don't think Bradley is going to be well adjusted latter in life.

[Shana A]

I really feel for Bradley! Her mother sounds conflicted too, she can't help but notice the pain their child is having from this "therapy".

Zucker isn't a good person to be chairing the committee for the DSM-V, I'm going to write a letter to the APA today!

Z

[Alyssa M.]

 

Despite my NPR addiction, I missed this story entirely. Reading it on the NPR site brought tears to my eyes; Bradley's story evoked memories of myself at my most self-hating. I don't know how Zucker can live with himself.

[Seshatneferw]

Zucker isn't a good person to be chairing the committee for the DSM-V, I'm going to write a letter to the APA today!

I did. I'm not at all sure it will do any good, but at least I found some use for the university stationery.

  Nfr