In a new position statement, the thinly veiled hate group, American College of Pediatrics, attacks transgender youth and their families. The group, notable for not being at all related to the legitimate medical organization, American Academy of Pediatrics, hopes to capitalize on the name confusion to spread misinformation and factually inaccurate “science.”
The ACP broke off from the 60,000 member AAP after a 2002 report by physician Ellin Perrin lead to the AAP’s support of adoption and foster parenting by same-sex parents. The roughly 200 member ACP is vehemently opposed to LGBT families and has no qualms about skewing information or outright lying about findings to support their claims.
From their statement:
“The American College of Pediatricians urges educators and legislators to reject all policies that condition children to accept as normal a life of chemical and surgical impersonation of the opposite sex. Facts – not ideology – determine reality. “
So, what facts are they citing to justify demonizing transgender children in the eyes of their peers? Why should these children not be granted reasonable protection under the law? Because anyone who doesn’t conform to their biological gender must be sick in the head.
“When an otherwise healthy biological boy believes he is a girl, or an otherwise healthy biological girl believes she is a boy, an objective psychological problem exists that lies in the mind not the body, and it should be treated as such.”
This allegation that children who do not conform to their biological gender are suffering from a mental disorder ignores evidence that distress and stigma are the true problem. An issue which the journal, Pediatrics, says is usually solved by accepting and supporting the child.
ACP goes against it’s own bogus slogan, “Best for Children,” by advocating for the social stigmas that make openly transgender children suffer this distress in the first place. Perhaps their most disparaging statement is that allowing children to feel that their gender identity is normal and healthy is a form of child abuse. This misinformation is dangerous, with some parents of transgender youth reporting being threatened with calls to Child Protective Services to have their children taken away.
The ACP statement goes so far as to suggest that receiving hormone treatment leads to higher rates of illness and suicide in transgender people. This is proved to be false, as a study from The Williams Institute points out that experienced violence and family rejection are truer indicators of elevated suicide attempts. The discrimination spread by a group that hides behind the guise of being medical professionals is especially disgusting, since so many conservative advocacy groups are quick to latch onto these inaccurate talking-points.
Hiding behind outdated and inaccurate ideology while attempting to mislead parents is deplorable. If the ACP really wanted what was “Best for Children” they would stop spreading hateful misinformation about these children and their families.
Featured image by Tim Evanson via Flickr under Creative Commons license.
