WPATH report shows transgender medicine is neither scientific nor medical

Mia Hughes, a researcher at Environmental Progress, has released a 250-page report following the revelation of leaked files from the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH). It appears a seismic shift in the perception of "gender-affirming care" is imminent.

The documents, now publicized by the think tank Environmental Progress, cast a long shadow over what has been considered progressive and compassionate healthcare for transgender individuals, including children. These files are rife with discussions of improvisational treatments and point out a glaring absence of informed consent, challenging the very foundation of ethical medical practice.

It appears that “gender-affirming” care is more influenced by activism, culture, and political correctness than by science.

At the heart of this controversy is the acknowledgment by WPATH members that the ramifications of gender-affirming treatments, especially for minors, are not fully comprehensible to the patients and, in many instances, their parents. This revelation not only undermines the principle of informed consent but also raises profound ethical questions about the treatment of vulnerable populations in the realm of gender medicine.

The case examples cited, ranging from minors undergoing life-altering surgeries to individuals with significant mental health challenges receiving hormonal treatments without adequate oversight, are particularly alarming. They suggest a systemic failure to prioritize the well-being and long-term health outcomes of patients.

The discussions around procedures such as "nullification" (cutting off perfectly good body parts) and other extreme modifications further push the boundaries of medical ethics, venturing into territories that seem more experimental than therapeutic. Many patients are left infertile and many don’t experience normal sexual function.

Women who have mastectomies as teenagers or young people and later in life decide to give birth, are unable to breast-feed their babies. The other possible long-term medical issues, such as recurring infections, tumors, and death are typically not disclosed ahead of time with the patient.

Hughes draws comparisons between current practices in transgender medicine and historical medical scandals, such as the acceptance of lobotomies and ovariectomies, the latter of which were performed to 'cure' what was once referred to as 'female hysteria'.

She also compares it to a time when doctors would give hormone treatments to girls who were growing “too tall” or boys who were “too short.” These parallels draw attention to a disturbing pattern of medical interventions carried out without solid grounding in evidence-based medicine, and many times without informed consent.

The treatments caused permanent or long-term damage and were eventually seen as a violation of the person’s rights. The long-term consequences were only fully appreciated in retrospect.

Hughes believes this period of gender transitioning medicine, which has rocketed into a hugely profitable sector of “medicine,” will be seen as one of the darkest periods in our medical history.

The WPATH Files could very well represent a moment of reckoning for the field of gender medicine, prompting a reevaluation of practices and ethical standards.

The response – or lack thereof – from the individuals named in the leaks, coupled with the internal discussions within WPATH's forums, reveals a community at a crossroads. On one hand, they have a steadfast belief in the importance of gender-affirming care; on the other hand, a growing realization of the need for rigorous scientific scrutiny and ethical responsibility.

Journalist and best selling author Michael Shellenberger wrote, “Advocates of gender-affirming care say it’s evidence-based. But now, newly released internal files from the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) prove that the practice of transgender medicine is neither scientific nor medical.

“The American Medical Association, The Endocrine Society, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and thousands of doctors worldwide rely on WPATH. It is considered the leading global authority on gender medicine. And yet WPATH’s internal files, which include written discussions and a video, reveal that its members know they are creating victims and not getting ‘informed consent.’

“Victims include a 10-year-old girl, a 13-year-old developmentally delayed adolescent, and individuals suffering from schizophrenia and other serious mental illnesses. The injuries described in the WPATH Files include sterilization, loss of sexual function, liver tumors, and death.

“WPATH members indicate repeatedly that they know that many children and their parents don’t understand the effects that puberty blockers, hormones, and surgeries will have on their bodies. And yet, they continue to perform and advocate for gender medicine.

“The WPATH Files prove that gender medicine is comprised of unregulated and pseudoscientific experiments on children, adolescents, and vulnerable adults. It will go down as one of the worst medical scandals in history.”

The raw files have been published in a report called “The WPATH Files: Pseudoscientific surgical and hormonal experiments on children, adolescents, and vulnerable adults”, which contains analysis by Hughes that puts the WPATH Files in the context of the best available science on gender distress, https://t.co/yZBjyvKA8B,