Many of the other somatic psychiatric treatments of the twentieth century were given predominantly to females. Pressman (1998) wrote that “an enduring mystery of the psychosurgery story, is why women were lobotomized nationally at a rate twice that of males” (p. 303). Braslow (1997) argued that the doctors entwined madness and unladylike behavior, and psychosurgery was seen as a potential intervention to restore femininity. In addition, women were “shackled, straightjacketed, bound and secluded” much more often than men (p. 157). Women who masturbated could be ordered to undergo clitoridectomy; men who masturbated and acted out “never lost their penises or testicles as a cure for these activities” (p. 168). In a feminist account, Showalter (1985) also portrayed psychiatry as a history of the colonization and subjugation of women.
Homosexuals’ bodies have also been a favored site for experimental twentieth century medical and surgical interventions in which treatment, social control, and punishment goals blur.
My final historical example is the hormonal treatment of “tall girls” and “short boys.” From the 1960s through until the 1980s, large numbers of adolescents, who had no underlying medical pathology or hormonal abnormality, were prescribed hormonal treatment for their height (Cohen & Cosgrove, 2010). The reasons stated for such treatments, for what nowadays might be called “height dysphoria,” included that adolescents were distressed, and their height had negative social impact. For example, “careers in classical ballet or being an airline hostess were closed” to “tall girls” and their prospects of finding a husband were jeopardized (Wettenhall et al., 1975). Some adolescents and their parents eagerly sought this treatment, led to it by the encouragement of physicians and school nurses, enthusiastic media promotion, and pharmaceutical companies’ advertising. At the time, the hormones were declared safe, but years later concerns emerged about long-term adverse effects, including impaired fertility and increased risk of cancers (Benyi et al., 2014; Venn et al., 2004). Some boys treated with growth hormone developed Creutzfeld–Jacob disease, an aggressive early onset and fatal dementia. In Australia, this led to a federal government inquiry and an apology. In France, criminal charges were laid against some of the physicians involved (Cohen & Cosgrove, 2009, pp. 262, 350). Importantly, there had been a lack of controlled trials to confirm the efficacy, either on improving psychosocial outcome or the impact on height, of these treatments. A retrospective cohort study of “tall girls” revealed that 42% of the study group regretted the hormonal treatment they received (ibid., p. 232). Tall girls and short boys may be a visual affront to some societal “ideals” of male strength female fragility. This seems another part of the story of medicine acting to reinforce society’s sex stereotypes, and for some patients it came at disastrous personal cost.
Masculinizing chest surgery is part of the controversial gender affirmative treatment approach to GD youth. This approach is underpinned by the view that a child or adolescent’s stated gender identity should be endorsed not questioned, and that they should be supported to undertake social transition, medical transition, masculinizing chest surgery, and, some also argue, genital surgery. Those advocating this approach consider these gender affirming treatments medically and ethically essential (Baams, 2021; de Vries et al., 2021; Transgender Health, 2020; Walch et al., 2021).
Some influential LGBTIQ and parent groups are vocal in their support of affirmative treatments for GD youths, but other such groups express concern. Some consider that placing the label “trans” on gender non-conforming youth is an expression of the homophobia of our society. They are concerned that the hormonal and surgical interventions maybe a repetition, albeit unwittingly, of historical treatments that aimed at converting homosexual people to fit with heterosexual norms (Stock, 2021, pp. 83–84). There is emerging research data that support these concerns.
How, then, do we best read the affirmative treatment approach for GD youth? Should it be read triumphantly as cutting-edge, ethical, and evidence-based medicine continuing on its progressive march of improving human life? Or is it a manifestation of dangerous medicine, that despite best intentions will cause more harm than benefit to vulnerable youths, and over which future historians and physicians will shake their heads?
Between the ages of 16 and 20, Kiera Bell identified as a man and took testosterone and underwent a double mastectomy. She then detransitioned. In a court testimony, she described her regret: “I felt like a fraud…more lost, isolated and confused than I did when I was pre-transitioned…only recently…I have started to think about having children and if that is ever a possibility, I have to live with the fact that I will not be able to breastfeed my children…I made a brash decision as a teenager…trying to find confidence and happiness…now the rest of my life will be negatively affected” (Bell, 2020, pp. 21–22). In these words, Bell holds herself responsible for making a “brash decision” in her youth. This may be an indication of maturity and taking responsibility, but it also has a more concerning element–a victim blaming herself for mistreatment. In my view, the medical profession needs to consider whether, in its championing of the gender affirmative approach for GD youth, it is also acting brashly and making mistakes that will negatively impact some young people for the rest of their lives.
Category: Global
Gender Critical Feminism Soon May Be Criminalized in Canada – Women Are Human
CA — . Gender critical feminism may soon be construed as hate speech in Canada under the Canadian Criminal Code.
Gender critical feminism is a branch of feminism that maintains that one’s objective, biological sex is immutable and should take priority over one’s subjective, self-identified gender. All other principles of gender critical feminism rely on these main principles of biology over ideology. Gender critical feminists are, first and foremost, feminists, and as such we prioritize the rights, safety and dignity of women and children.
Collectively, bills C-10 and C-36 will have devastating effects on both freedom of expression and women’s rights in Canada. They will effectively censor and criminalize gender critical feminism. They will censor our ability to freely speak to our uniquely sex-based experiences, to biological reality, and to our ability to name our oppressors. This is the ultimate twenty-first century practice of misogynistic, sex-based female oppression.
The time to speak up is now, before women are silenced and punished by the law like the so-called “witches” who were burned alive during the 16th and 17th centuries. The time to speak up is now, before one more woman is fired from her academic post for maintaining that sex is an immutable trait. The time to speak up is now, before one more Canadian female author is doxed and forced to live in exile in Mexico. The time to speak up is now, before the concept of female loses all meaning in the collective consciousness. The time to speak up is now, before one more man is credited as being the “first ever female to…” achieve a certain distinction that has always been held by males. The time to speak up is now, before one more female author’s feminist book is banned from local bookstores and burned by gender ideologues. The time to speak up is now, before one more woman fleeing abuse and poverty is forced to sleep on the cold streets at night while men occupy beds in her local women’s shelters. The time to speak up is now, before one more teenage girl has her healthy breasts surgically removed because she is fleeing womanhood like a house on fire. The time to speak up is now, before one more man from drag queen story hour for children turns out to be a registered sex offender. The time to speak up is now, before one more male rapist and murderer is transferred into a women’s prison, like a lion entering a cage of gazelles. The time is now, before one more female athlete has her skull smashed in like a tin can by a male opponent who identifies as a woman. The time to speak up and write to your Member of Parliament is now, before bills C-10 and C-36 have passed.The time is to speak up is now, before democracy receives another blow!
Source: Gender Critical Feminism Soon May Be Criminalized in Canada – Women Are Human
Stonewall crumbles, Prick News settles, Owen Jones and mates in dumb and dumber shocker. – by Suzanne Moore – Letters from Suzanne
The wall of stupid starts to crumble and now more people may begin to understand why Stonewall and that crew has held onto its ‘no debate’ policy for so long. While they hand out incorrect advice on the law to those who have signed up their Diversity Champions Scheme, they have always refused to actually debate those who question their current stance, even if these people are founding members of their organisation.
No debate is a tactic ,one can see running through what is known as Dentons , a document produced by the Thomas Reuters Foundation https://www.iglyo.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/IGLYO_v3-1.pdf .
It outlines ways to get the law changed in several countries so that children may legally change their gender without the approval of their parents. Comparing different countries , it says such a stance is unlikely to win popular support but that one of the ways to push through changes in law is to avoid media exposure. Keep the press out in other words. Introduce legislation by sleight of hand .
Then we got Nancy Kelley of Stonewall , it’s CEO finally agreeing to be interviewed on Woman’s Hour.
Kelley kept trying to talk about being a Mum, perhaps because this was Woman’s Hour. Who knows? Who cares? But the kicker was when she said that actually you cannot change biological sex and that it is possible to have ‘gender critical beliefs’ that are not harmful to trans people.
When I said these things in The Guardian well….we know what happened. Yet now the head of Stonewall says them.
IOC: Males No Longer Required to Reduce Testosterone to Compete in Women’s Sports – Women Are Human
On November 16, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) issued new guidelines, which it said followed a two-year consultation with over 250 athletes and concerned stakeholders.
“IOC Framework on Fairness, Inclusion and Non-Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity and Sex Variations” determined there should be no presumption that male athletes seeking to participate in women’s sports have an automatic advantage over female competitors.While 2015 IOC guidelines recommended male athletes maintain testosterone blood levels at 10 nmol/L or below for at least 12 months before they were eligible to compete in women’s sports, the new framework discards the requirement, concluding that athletes should not be pressured to undergo medically unnecessary procedures or treatment or be forced to undergo invasive physical exams to determine their sex.The IOC’s new framework flies in the face of recent professional research.
Source: IOC: Males No Longer Required to Reduce Testosterone to Compete in Women’s Sports – Women Are Human
Why US feminists are behind their UK counterparts – and how they’re catching up
Kara Dansky’s book, ‘The Abolition of Sex: How the ‘Transgender’ Agenda Harms Women and Girls’ is part of a growing struggle by US feminists.
Source: Why US feminists are behind their UK counterparts – and how they’re catching up
Abuse of Incarcerated Women by Male ‘Trans’ Inmates Drives Lawsuit Against California – Women Are Human
US — California. Incarcerated women forced to share cells, shower with and be naked in the presence of male inmates – many of whom have intact male genitals and some of whom sport beards – are suing the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR). The women say SB 132, also known as The Transgender Respect, Agency and Dignity Act, “cannot be applied in any manner that avoids violating the federal and state constitutional rights” of incarcerated women. According to a complaint filed at the United States District Court yesterday by Women’s Liberation Front on women who are currently or were previously incarcerated, at least 23 male inmates have been transferred into women’s prisons under SB 132, which was passed into law on January 1, and “several hundred” other men have requested placement in women’s prisons.
Keep Kids Away From The UN’s ‘Sexuality & Gender Expert’ – by JL – The Glinner Update
The UN ‘sexual orientation and gender expert’ has endorsed gender affirming treatment in extremely young children and made claims that puberty blockers are reversible. Victor Madrigal-Borloz is a Costa Rican-born human rights lawyer who now lives in Boston. Much of his career has focused on LGBT issues. He is a signatory of the Yogyakarta Principles plus 10.
The dangers and side effects, many of which are only now just coming to light, have been expertly and meticulously documented by Professor Michael Biggs.
Either Victor Madrigal-Borloz, the UN’s sexuality and gender expert and a Harvard senior researcher, is completely unaware of the ever-burgeoning evidence that demonstrates puberty blockers are hazardous and experimental, or he is well aware of the dangers and the warnings, yet still chooses to peddle them to vulnerable kids.
Either way, he’s a danger to children.
Source: Keep Kids Away From The UN’s ‘Sexuality & Gender Expert’ – by JL – The Glinner Update
Competing with confidence: Why we need to bring women’s sport uniforms into the 21st century
While sexism is a pervasive issue when it comes to women’s clothing, the chauvinism in sport is abundantly evident.
This display was highlighted recently when the International Handball Federation was called on to amend athlete uniform guidelines. Their rules stipulated that women beach handball players wear “bikini bottoms with a close fit and cut on an upward angle toward the top of the leg” explicitly noting that “the side width” be a maximum of 10 centimetres.
Following a protest from Norway’s national team, months of pressure and an online petition, the governing federation finally agreed to modify their uniform protocols.
In highlighting the sexist norms baked into women’s sport uniforms, researchers Sarah Zipp and Sasha Sutherland noted that uniform designs are less likely to be centred around performance, and more likely to cater to the “male gaze.”
This has the unfortunate effect of unjustly prioritizing the esthetic appeal of women over their athletic talent. This superficial approach completely neglects the multiplicity of body types and cultural nuances. It’s also completely arbitrary.
Ernst & Young found that 94 per cent of women executives reported playing sports — which means girls who play sport are more likely to become women who lead.
Let’s let women and girls dress for the role they want to play in women’s sport. And when stale uniform policies get in the way, don’t be afraid to take a page out of Team Norway’s book: speak up and say enough is enough.
Source: Competing with confidence: Why we need to bring women’s sport uniforms into the 21st century
Is it Time for a 4B Movement in the West?
South Korean radical feminists have been kicking ass in the last few years, with movements like “Take off the Corset” that sees them rejecting cosmetics and strict South Korean beauty norms in droves; organizing massive protests against the depravity of male voyeurism via webcams stashed in bathrooms and hotel rooms; and creating their own female-exclusive spaces online and in the real world.
But one of the most radical and seemingly-harsh movements to emerge from South Korea is the 4B or “4 Nos” movement: no dating men, no having sex with men, no marrying men, and no having children for men.
It’s not the first time women have banded together to issue a sex ban. The Greek comedy Lysistrata by Aristophanes comes to mind, probably one of the earliest examples in literature of women “withholding” sex to persuade men to change their behavior. More recently in 2003 during the second Liberian civil war, the Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace encouraged its members to stop having sex with their male partners in order to end the fighting. (And it worked! Within months, the two warring sides were engaged in peace talks.)
So is it time for women in the west to follow their lead?
It may already be happening. Birth rates in North America and Europe have declined, mimicking similar trends in Asian countries, including South Korea. The most popular dating apps are skewed heavily male, showing that women aren’t exactly falling all over themselves to date men. Women are more inclined to pursue a college degree and/or a high-paying career than a wedding ring. And despite the sex-positivity movement touted by liberal feminists, millennials and gen-Zs are two of the most sexless generations in recent history.
So while there may not be a formal movement in the west at the moment, these numbers seem to indicate a growing trend of women taking a good look at what men have to offer and opting out.
Florida School Secretly Colluded to Alter Student’s Gender Identity
he parents of a middle school student in Leon County, Florida, have filed a lawsuit against the school district for privately meeting with their daughter to discuss her gender identity without informing them. The lawsuit, submitted on October 18, contends that the school district’s gender identity policies violate the plaintiffs’ parental rights under the Florida and U.S. Constitution.
The girl’s parents contend that the actions of the school faculty have harmed their relationship with their daughter irreparably.
“The district has driven a wedge between A.G. and her parents, sending the message that her parents cannot be trusted and do not support her best interests. The rift created by the district between A.G. and her parents is profound and unlikely to be fully rectified,” the lawsuit says.
The parents are requesting an injunction to prohibit school staff from enforcing its policies or facilitating social gender transitions without parental permission while the court case is pending.
Source: Florida School Secretly Colluded to Alter Student’s Gender Identity