Melbourne’s Royal Children’s Hospital Gender Service website ‘Overview’ states:
“Increasing evidence demonstrates that with supportive gender affirming care during childhood and adolescence, harms can be ameliorated and mental health and wellbeing outcomes can be significantly improved”.
It is interesting to compare the RCH claim with alternative the findings of a peer reviewed Swedish population-based matched cohort study titled “Long-Term Follow-Up of Transsexual Persons Undergoing Sex Reassignment Surgery” (published in 2011 by an impressive group of physicians from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm).
The study is a review of a the long-term outcome of 324 ‘sex-reassigned person’ (191 male-to-females, 133 female-to-males) in Sweden from 1973-2003. Random population controls (10:1) were matched by birth year and birth sex or reassigned (final) sex, respectively.
The findings of that study were summarised thus:
Results:
The overall mortality for sex-reassigned persons was higher during follow-up than for controls of the same birth sex, particularly death from suicide. Sex-reassigned persons also had an increased risk for suicide attempts and psychiatric inpatient care.
Conclusions:
Persons after sex reassignment, have considerably higher risks for mortality, suicidal behaviour, and psychiatric morbidity than the general population. The findings suggest that sex reassignment, although alleviating gender dysphoria, may not suffice as treatment for transsexualism and should inspire improved psychiatric and somatic care after sex reassignment for this patient group.
There exists a wide disagreement between the RCH and the Karolinska group as to the long-term outcome of those who ‘transition’ on their respective watches. Perhaps this is because of the relatively shorter observational period available to the RCH cohort who were not observed over a sufficient time period to expose the negative outcomes.
Regardless, FACTS MATTER and I’d put my money on Karolinska any day!
Bernard, The Karolinska link you posted summarises a mass of studies on the subject that are probably well summarised by the cartoon that precedes the text, a sad and bewildered lad whose fate is as uncertain as is the insight of those who determine it.
Agree but the RCH statement was not based on any research that they had done but on 3 studies cited by them.
The first was the highly criticised de Vries study from the Dutch group which had only one year of follow up and the second 2 were basically studies of the effect of parental support and which found if you had strong parental support you had better mental health outcomes. Surprise, surprise.
Despite these studies being almost ten years ago, the RCH has still not updated its guidelines and offers no other support for its claim of improved mental outcomes for its treatment.
Once again thanks Bernard for your work. I'm still getting my head around Oz and the history and this really helps piece things together re medicalisation, media etc. Warm regards Jenny
Jazz Jennings, renown trans patient, reality TV star, and activist was born on Oct 6, 2000. Note the date of "bottom surgery":
"In an interview published in the April 11, 2018, issue of People, Jennings said that, per her surgeons' instructions, she had lost at least 30 pounds (14 kg) in order to have gender reassignment surgery, which was scheduled for June 20, 2018.[48] The surgery was successful,[49] but was followed by complications that required another procedure.[50] The surgery was performed by Dr. Jess Ting and Dr. Marci Bowers."
She was not yet 18 when the above genital surgery was performed by among others, Dr. Marci Bowers. I know that time and again, despite her celebrity, activists and doctors would say no genital surgeries ever performed in someone under 18, despite Jazz's famously documented surgery and tribulations.
Love your work as always Bernard - especially, in this one, the way you point out the hypocrisy of claiming it doesn't happen while at the same time lobbying for it to happen (more, or more easily). Next time a TRA tells us something doesn't happen, we should all ask: OK then, but do you agree that if did happen it would be a bad thing? And get their answer in writing if at all possible.
Well done too on your analysis of how KD's statement was interpreted - with every assumption being made against her good will (or kindness, if you like). Typical of how this plays out.
It's a shame Morrison wasn't better across the brief, as he could have advanced the cause and instead set it back. Now we have a new trans-friendly sex discrimination commissioner, who knows how low the current government will sink?
The relatively small subset of those medical clinicians within Australian children hospitals’ gender clinics , along with their ( dominant?) social science colleagues, are yet stubbornly unmoved by recent events ( leaked WPATH files) and are our profession’s representatives within the ubiquitous umbrella of Critical Social Justice Theory, where gender identity occupies but one facet of the “ gem” of progressive politics which was succinctly described by Gad Saad ( Lebanese born academic from Montreal, and an evolutionary psychologist, the old school branch of psychology which acknowledges the contribution of biological sex to understanding the differences in human behavior between males and females) in his recent tweet:
“ A society that incorrectly navigates reality is deep in the abyss of infantile lunacy. Progressives are poorly calibrated in terms of their empathy
Illegal migrants/ legal citizens
Criminals/ victims
Squatters/home owners
Transgender “ women”/ women
Twerking drag queens/ children ( for reading hour)
Yet another (of the many) studies that casts serious doubt on the RCH justification for irreversible hormonal and surgical intervention of the young
“Current Concerns About Gender-Affirming Therapy in Adolescents, April 2023” - Current Sexual Health Reports
A quote from therein:
The evidence base for gender-affirming interventions is sparce and of very low quality. While the evidence of benefits is highly uncertain, the harms to sexual and reproductive functions are certain, and many uncertainties about the long-term health effects exist. As a result, it is hard to ethically justify continuing to use hormones and surgeries as first-line “treatment” for gender dysphoric youth.
FACTS MATTER:
Melbourne’s Royal Children’s Hospital Gender Service website ‘Overview’ states:
“Increasing evidence demonstrates that with supportive gender affirming care during childhood and adolescence, harms can be ameliorated and mental health and wellbeing outcomes can be significantly improved”.
It is interesting to compare the RCH claim with alternative the findings of a peer reviewed Swedish population-based matched cohort study titled “Long-Term Follow-Up of Transsexual Persons Undergoing Sex Reassignment Surgery” (published in 2011 by an impressive group of physicians from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm).
The study is a review of a the long-term outcome of 324 ‘sex-reassigned person’ (191 male-to-females, 133 female-to-males) in Sweden from 1973-2003. Random population controls (10:1) were matched by birth year and birth sex or reassigned (final) sex, respectively.
The findings of that study were summarised thus:
Results:
The overall mortality for sex-reassigned persons was higher during follow-up than for controls of the same birth sex, particularly death from suicide. Sex-reassigned persons also had an increased risk for suicide attempts and psychiatric inpatient care.
Conclusions:
Persons after sex reassignment, have considerably higher risks for mortality, suicidal behaviour, and psychiatric morbidity than the general population. The findings suggest that sex reassignment, although alleviating gender dysphoria, may not suffice as treatment for transsexualism and should inspire improved psychiatric and somatic care after sex reassignment for this patient group.
There exists a wide disagreement between the RCH and the Karolinska group as to the long-term outcome of those who ‘transition’ on their respective watches. Perhaps this is because of the relatively shorter observational period available to the RCH cohort who were not observed over a sufficient time period to expose the negative outcomes.
Regardless, FACTS MATTER and I’d put my money on Karolinska any day!
This, too, from Karolinska-affiliated researchers is very clear --- https://news.ki.se/systematic-review-on-outcomes-of-hormonal-treatment-in-youths-with-gender-dysphoria
Bernard, The Karolinska link you posted summarises a mass of studies on the subject that are probably well summarised by the cartoon that precedes the text, a sad and bewildered lad whose fate is as uncertain as is the insight of those who determine it.
Agree but the RCH statement was not based on any research that they had done but on 3 studies cited by them.
The first was the highly criticised de Vries study from the Dutch group which had only one year of follow up and the second 2 were basically studies of the effect of parental support and which found if you had strong parental support you had better mental health outcomes. Surprise, surprise.
Despite these studies being almost ten years ago, the RCH has still not updated its guidelines and offers no other support for its claim of improved mental outcomes for its treatment.
Once again thanks Bernard for your work. I'm still getting my head around Oz and the history and this really helps piece things together re medicalisation, media etc. Warm regards Jenny
Think of all the careers threatened by the truth.
Jazz Jennings, renown trans patient, reality TV star, and activist was born on Oct 6, 2000. Note the date of "bottom surgery":
"In an interview published in the April 11, 2018, issue of People, Jennings said that, per her surgeons' instructions, she had lost at least 30 pounds (14 kg) in order to have gender reassignment surgery, which was scheduled for June 20, 2018.[48] The surgery was successful,[49] but was followed by complications that required another procedure.[50] The surgery was performed by Dr. Jess Ting and Dr. Marci Bowers."
She was not yet 18 when the above genital surgery was performed by among others, Dr. Marci Bowers. I know that time and again, despite her celebrity, activists and doctors would say no genital surgeries ever performed in someone under 18, despite Jazz's famously documented surgery and tribulations.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jazz_Jennings
Love your work as always Bernard - especially, in this one, the way you point out the hypocrisy of claiming it doesn't happen while at the same time lobbying for it to happen (more, or more easily). Next time a TRA tells us something doesn't happen, we should all ask: OK then, but do you agree that if did happen it would be a bad thing? And get their answer in writing if at all possible.
Well done too on your analysis of how KD's statement was interpreted - with every assumption being made against her good will (or kindness, if you like). Typical of how this plays out.
It's a shame Morrison wasn't better across the brief, as he could have advanced the cause and instead set it back. Now we have a new trans-friendly sex discrimination commissioner, who knows how low the current government will sink?
The relatively small subset of those medical clinicians within Australian children hospitals’ gender clinics , along with their ( dominant?) social science colleagues, are yet stubbornly unmoved by recent events ( leaked WPATH files) and are our profession’s representatives within the ubiquitous umbrella of Critical Social Justice Theory, where gender identity occupies but one facet of the “ gem” of progressive politics which was succinctly described by Gad Saad ( Lebanese born academic from Montreal, and an evolutionary psychologist, the old school branch of psychology which acknowledges the contribution of biological sex to understanding the differences in human behavior between males and females) in his recent tweet:
“ A society that incorrectly navigates reality is deep in the abyss of infantile lunacy. Progressives are poorly calibrated in terms of their empathy
Illegal migrants/ legal citizens
Criminals/ victims
Squatters/home owners
Transgender “ women”/ women
Twerking drag queens/ children ( for reading hour)
Their entire empathy module misfires”
Yet another (of the many) studies that casts serious doubt on the RCH justification for irreversible hormonal and surgical intervention of the young
“Current Concerns About Gender-Affirming Therapy in Adolescents, April 2023” - Current Sexual Health Reports
A quote from therein:
The evidence base for gender-affirming interventions is sparce and of very low quality. While the evidence of benefits is highly uncertain, the harms to sexual and reproductive functions are certain, and many uncertainties about the long-term health effects exist. As a result, it is hard to ethically justify continuing to use hormones and surgeries as first-line “treatment” for gender dysphoric youth.