For those who are astounded by the news that Blanchard has been appointed to the Work Group for Sexual and Gender Identity Disorders, consider this: the chair of that group is Dr. Ken Zucker, who believes transgender kids can be cured with reparative therapy.
Read this story, from NPR, about the difference between therapists in how to treat children who are brought in with gender issues. And then consider that Zucker is in charge of the work group working on GID for DSM V.
If you are a psychologists or know any, please ask them to contact anyone they know at the APA to advise against Zucker as chair of this work group.
Yesterday, I told my therapist about Zucker and Blanchard and the DSM. She hadn’t known about it. Today, I sent her the a link to the story. It just so happens that a friend of mine sent me that NPR link yesterday, so today in my blog I posted links to both stories.
My therapist thinks there is enough weight on the enlightened side to counter the influence of Zucker and Blanchard. I certainly hope she’s right. I can only imagine how devastated I would feel if I sought help from a therapist who thought my life-long desire was wrong and harmful and that I needed to find a way to be happy–or at least to cope–as a male.
– Veronique
I spent much of the last several days doing whatever background research I could. Zucker has actually worked on the two previous DSM, so I’m not certain he could be removed easily. His professional affiliation with Blanchard, the fact that they both come from the same institute and are in agreement over preposterous theory is more questionable on ethic grounds. Thank you for the plea to professionals here. That’s the most useful way I can think of to deal with this.
I think that the written version leaves out stuff that’s in the audio version, so some folks might prefer to listen.
The Zucker-advocated treatment in of the child called Bradley in Wednesday’s story was heartbreaking — taking away the child’s preferred clothes and toys, to the point of removing pink and lavender from the box of crayons. It sounds as if the child is learning to lie about her feelings, and to hide particular forms of self-expression.
The second half of the series can be heard here.
I found the tone of the report to be frustratingly demeaning. I’m tired of being discussed like some newly-discovered species of pond scum under someone’s microscope, and hearing the public being told that my identity is a disorder. Rather odd, too, coming from a reporter who wrote a rather unflattering article on the origins of the DSM.
The letters for Thursday 8 May even includes a slightly upscale version of the “God doesn’t make mistakes” line. Why are ignorant people whose opinions of other people’s lives given a hearing in a public forum?