Stop H8, Support Love protest 4/17
The University of Saint Thomas is inviting Maggie Gallagher, President of the anti-gay National Organization for Marriage (NOM), and Bishop Salvatore Cordileone, one of the creators of California’s Proposition 8, to its campus on 4/17 to bring their campaign of discrimination to Minnesota.
Join Minnesotans in saying “No!” OutFront Minnesota, All God’s Children MCC, the Univ. of St. Thomas Allies, the Univ. of St. Thomas Law School OUT!Law, the Catholic Pastoral Committee on Sexual Minorities, and the Institute for Welcoming Resources (a project of The Task Force) will be out in force to protest Proposition 8 and the discrimination NOM has been fighting for across the country. Wake up early and take part!
Details: Stop H8 – Support Love
Saturday, April 17, 2010
8:30am – 10:00am
University of Saint Thomas
Summit Ave & Cleveland Ave N
Saint Paul, MN
Fraudulent Representation of Medical Opinion by Fundie Quacks
Tom Benton, MD and his flock of other quacks (American College of Pediatricians) have stooped to a new low in their attempt to confuse the public regarding LGBT youth: they recently mailed their innocuously appearing yet truly virulent “Facts About Youth” to school superintendents across the country under the guise of medical expertise. Contrary to the cohesive opinion of numerous reputable medical and mental health organizations Dr Benton peddles the snake oil ideas that same-sex sexual attraction is learned, pathological and treatable.
This counterfeit group of fringe fanatics should not be confused with the renown American Academy of Pediatricians which in fact completely disagrees with the assertions, misrepresentations and frank lies being perpetuated by Dr Benton et al:
“An estimated 2 to 5 percent of adolescents are homosexual, the same percentage as among adults. Scientists generally agree that several factors converge to form a person’s sexual orientation. But there is increasing evidence that human beings may be genetically predisposed toward heterosexuality or homosexuality. These tendencies may even be established prior to birth, just as gender, hair color and complexion are all preprogrammed. Contrary to what some believe, we do not choose to be straight or gay. Come adolescence, a person is innately drawn toward one sex or the other.” – American Academy of Pediatricians
For further reading about Dr Benton’s sleazy organization and its assertions I highly recommend the excellent 4/5/2010 Box Turtle Bulletin post by Timothy Kincaid: “Bogus ‘American College of Pediatricians’ distributes deliberately fraudulent anti-gay propaganda to schools.”
CNN anchor Kyra Phillips is another perpetrator of misinformation. Under the guise of “balanced” reporting, Kyra recently interviewed Richard Cohen (right), an unlicensed “ex-gay therapist”, in her segment “Homosexuality -is it a problem in need of a cure?” As evident in the photo, one of the ways Cohen “cures” is by encouraging men to hold each other in semblance of father and child and thus address the supposed childhood trauma sustained from being raised by an emotionally-distant father. First asserted by Irving Bieber, MD in the 1960s as the cause of homosexuality, this hypothesis has long since been debunked but remains central dogma of the anti-gay fringe.
Quacks like Benton and Cohen will always exist but the pseudoscience they espouse should be recognized for what it is: snake oil “evidence” that only appear on the surface to support their baseless beliefs. They do not represent the other side of the coin nor the counterweight to a mass in balance. They are in fact nothing more than angry flies buzzing around a mountain of scientific evidence they would rather ignore.
“The nation’s leading professional medical, health, and mental health organizations do not support efforts to change young people’s sexual orientation through therapy and have raised serious concerns about the potential harm from such efforts.” – American Psychological Association
Related posts
- 10/20/11 – Talk To Me – Kevin McHale for The Trevor Project
- 7/12/11 – Michele Bachmann: Pray the gay away
- 6/14/11 – For the health of sexual minority youth
- 6/12/11 – Prom queen Andrew Viveros – It Gets Better!
- 6/9/11 – The UCLA “Sissy Boy Experiment”
- 5/4/11 – Google commercial: It Gets Better!
- 10/15/10 – It gets better!
- 4/13/10 – Update: ACP being called on their lies
Say NO to infant male circumcision!
Newborn male circumcision is the most common surgical procedure performed in the U.S. Many people believe that there are tangible health benefits to male circumcision but, the truth is no medical society in the world recommends it. In fact, the American Medical Association calls the surgery “non-therapeutic.” What’s worse, over 100 babies die as a result of complications from circumcision in the U.S. each year.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is developing public health recommendations for the U.S. on male circumcision – ignoring the serious risks such as hemorrhage, infection, surgical mishap, and death – in favor of highly debatable and inconclusive research.
The CDC is the foremost expert on public health in our country and, as such, has a responsibility to share the truth about circumcision.
I just took action, signing a petition to the CDC, demanding the organization release a truthful statement on the harms and risks of circumcision.
If you believe as I do, that we should protect newborn babies from harmful and unnecessary surgery, then say NO to infant male circumcision!
Related posts
- 10/19/11 – Georganne Chapin – End the barbaric cutting of baby boys
- 9/3/11 – Newborn male infant circumcision declining in U.S. says CDC
- 6/24/11 – The professional imperative for obstetrician-gynecologists to discontinue newborn male circumcision.
- 1/11/10 – End genital mutilation now
- 11/26/10 – Doctor and hospital sued for circumcision
- 9/26/10 – Are you REALLY SURE you want your OB/GYN to cut your little boy?
- 1/11/10 – Throwing wrenches at the gears
The opportunity of adversity
Here’s a fabulous inspirational speech by Aimee Mullins, an amazing athlete with bilateral below-the-knee amputations. She most certainly is NOT disabled.
“Adversity isn’t an obstacle that we need to get around to resume living our life… Adversity is just change that we haven’t adapted to yet.” ―Aimee Mullins (1976 – )
DSM-5 pathologizes gender variance
The much anticipated 5th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) by the renown American Psychiatric Association (APA) continues its misguided tradition of pathologizing gender variance. And they have newly expanded the patient base by including intersex individuals who reject their sex of rearing. Mounting evidence continues to demonstrate that gender is hardwired into our brains at a very early age. Indeed most children know their gender identity by age three and adamantly attest to it; no amount of social pressure, environmental factors or psychiatric persuasion can alter this. For individuals whose bodies do not match their gender identities, the only “cure” (normal variation is not disordered and thus does not necessitate cure) is gender reassignment either by physical presentation alone or aided by hormones and/or surgical modification.
According to the APA, “For a mental or psychiatric condition to be considered a psychiatric disorder, it must either regularly cause subjective distress, or regularly be associated with some generalized impairment in social effectiveness or functioning.” Thus in 1973 the APA concluded that “Clearly homosexuality, per se, does not meet the requirements for a psychiatric disorder since, as noted above, many homosexuals are quite satisfied with their sexual orientation and demonstrate no generalized impairment in social effectiveness or functioning.” It is baffling to me how these same conclusions do not apply to gender variance. Both the homosexual and the gender variant are capable of living full rich lives; only they who deny their inner truth and they who are socially tormented for revealing it are so impaired.
And why include the intersexed? After being surgically modified as infants and subsequently forced into living within the socially imposed system of binary gender roles these individuals are somehow disordered for rejecting this suppression? Apparently the medical community who altered them and inaccurately chose their sex of rearing cannot be at fault. What a travesty it is that the medical community continues to rubber stamp society’s aversion to gender minorities by pronouncing them disordered and thus justifying their mistreatment.
GRS Costs Are Tax-Deductible, U.S. Court Rules
Good news for individuals paying for gender reassignment surgery — it’s tax deductible! So while many still have to pay out of pocket for these procedures, at least the Feds won’t be adding to the costs.
Another pregnant man steps forward
Scott Moore and his husband, Thomas, have decided to follow in the footsteps of Thomas Beatie and Ruben Coronado by going public about Scott’s very much wanted pregnancy and impending delivery in order to raise awareness.
While pregnancy among trans men actually occurs with some frequency it has only recently been brought to public attention. And unfortunately the medical community is often just as startled, befuddled and prejudiced as everyone else.
In the article linked above Scott speaks to the difficulty he had obtaining appropriate prenatal care: “We didn’t want everyone to be shocked when a man turns up to give birth. We found it very difficult to get a doctor and midwife at first. It was hard when people didn’t want to treat me… No pregnant person should be denied healthcare just because they are a man.”
Now granted, a portion of the hesitation Scott encountered in finding a provider was likely related to the lack of established treatment guidelines for pregnant trans men, the inherently increased risks to both father and fetus and the medical-legal liability to be assumed by the would-be provider. Even the standards of care published by the renown World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) are silent on this issue. But the fact remains that few providers make the effort to educate themselves regarding the medical needs of individuals with atypical gender experience and there has yet to be published even one case report in the Medline (Ovid) primary literature database regarding trans men and pregnancy. Clearly medical providers have a long way to go in meeting the needs of this neglected population.
So what should a trans man considering pregnancy do? First of all, do your research early on and find a provider before you get pregnant. Second, testosterone should be discontinued at least 6 weeks prior to pregnancy in order to prevent its deleterious effects on a potentially female fetus. Elevated levels of androgens like testosterone can masculinize external female genitalia as well as brains with potential social, sexual and gender identity consequences. In the event that an inadvertent pregnancy occurs, testosterone should be discontinued immediately if termination is not desired.
National Drag History Month
January 2010 is the second annual National Drag History Month. In tribute I’ve put together some of my favorite drag videos and movie trailers. Enjoy!
MUSIC VIDEOS
Christina Aguilera – Beautiful (2002)
Jonny McGovern – Somethin For The Fellas (2006)
WARNING: strong language and sexually suggestive content
RuPaul – Cover Girl (2009)
MOVIES
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994)
To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar (1995)
Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001)
Girls will be Girls (2003)
Kinky Boots (2005)
More Drag History Month videos from Logo.
For some teens, puberty brings unexpected changes
A recent article published on CNN discusses the lives of two teens in Palestine raised as girls but transformed by puberty into boys. These teens most likely have a condition called 5-alpha-reductase deficiency (5-ARD), one of several intersex conditions (disorders of sex development) that alters the masculinization of XY fetuses before they are born. Unfortunately, the article uses outdated words and phrases such as “pseudohermaphrodism” and “sex-change operations” that should no longer be used because they are offensive. However it does raise awareness and give face to a group of people who are usually hidden away.
All fetuses have the same internal and external genitalia until about 8 weeks of gestation. Then various hormones act to differentiate the sexes by developing some parts and regressing others. But there are many steps involved and DNA mutations can modify this outcome. I suspect that Caster Semenya, the recently contested 2009 gold medal winner of the 800 meter race at the World Athletics Championships, has androgen insensitivity syndrome (AIS). If this is so, her XY chromosomes and testes were unable to masculinize her body as it formed; a defective hormone receptor prevents her body from responding appropriately to the male hormones it produces. However, her receptors may be only partially impaired and thus give her, in some people’s view, an unfair advantage over her competitors. The allegations, the subsequent gender verification studies and the fallout therefrom continue to embroil her in international controversy. But what makes a woman a woman? If she isn’t a woman than what is she? She certainly isn’t a man.
The Palestinian teens discussed in the article have a different mutation. Like Caster, they probably have XY chromosomes, testes and appeared just like any other girl when they were born. Yet while their hormone receptors work, they lack the enzyme needed to convert testosterone into its more powerful form, dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Their bodies appeared female before puberty because the amount of testosterone produced was insufficient to make up for the absent DHT. After puberty began their testosterone levels went through the roof just like every other adolescent boy. This brought along the changes the go with it including facial hair, deeping voice and musculoskeletal changes. Their clitorises probably enlarged significantly just as penises do. But do these teens really feel that they are now men or do they still feel that they girls inside of bodies that have betrayed them?
“Only my appearance, my haircut and clothing, makes me look like a boy,” Ahmed says, gesturing with his hands across his face. “Inside, I am like a female. I am a girl.”
Why do we care if Caster and these teens are men or women, one or the other? Is it right for society to force them to change to uphold the myth of binary gender? When you really think about it, no one fits the stereotype completely; no one is or every was the ideal man or the ideal woman. They are only fantasies. Instead we are all composites, not one of us pure in form. We exist somewhere in the middle leaning this way and that in varying degrees depending on which attribute we consider. Gender is so much more than the 2 little check boxes “male” and “female.” Maybe someday we will learn to allow each other the space to simply be who we are. A world without labels and boxes, without simplification and alteration. We will finally see the world as it already is.
James Pate, MD 