A recent report reveals that Boston Children’s Hospital has drastically reduced the time allowed for psychologists to assess children seeking gender-transition treatments, from 20 hours to just 2.5 hours. This change has raised alarm among experts, who describe it as “shocking” and “reckless.”
The clinic, which pioneered gender-transition protocols in the U.S. in 2007 by adopting the Dutch model for administering puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones, has been criticized for abandoning the safeguards that once characterized its approach. Documents indicate that since 2018, children have been referred for medications after a single two-hour assessment.
The details emerged amid a civil trial involving former psychologist Amy Tishelman, who alleges age and gender discrimination after being fired in 2021. She claims that her supervisor, Dr. Yee-Ming Chan, subjected her to a hostile work environment due to her success.
Republican lawmakers have expressed intent to investigate federal funding related to research led by Dr. Johanna Olson-Kennedy, which reportedly withheld findings on the psychological impacts of puberty blockers for political reasons. This controversy highlights significant concerns regarding the expedited processes in gender clinics and the implications for youth care.
🧵LINK: ‘Shocking’ and ‘Reckless’: Top Gender Clinic Assesses Children for Gender-Altering Medical Treatments in Just 2 Hours, Lawsuit Lays Bare, I report for The @NewYorkSun.t.co/VLeplGVl92
— Benjamin Ryan (@benryanwriter) October 31, 2024
Connection Between Boston Children's and Johanna Olson-Kennedy:
Details about @BostonChildrens Hospital’s gender-clinic practices have come to light in a bitter civil trial that started last week. A former BCH gender-clinic psychologist, Amy Tishelman, is suing them for gender-… pic.twitter.com/AGjSjrBDrT— Benjamin Ryan (@benryanwriter) October 31, 2024
x.com/benryanwriter/status/1852019462247195116
🧵A @BostonChildrens attorney suggested in court last week that its gender clinic, GeMS, could not keep up with demand, saying that the clinic “had a really long waiting list.” Francie Mandel, a GeMS social worker, testified that the reduction in 2018 in appointment hours…
— Benjamin Ryan (@benryanwriter) October 31, 2024
Trans surgery pioneer Marci Bowers admits that puberty blockers given to youth will have lifelong, devastating consequences, and that the final outcome for them is still unknown.
An entire generation of kids are being used as LAB RATS, and those experimenting on them KNOW it. pic.twitter.com/D4pqADB8Lz
— Gays Against Groomers (@againstgrmrs) July 11, 2022
Sources:
- The New York Sun
- Duke Health
- Johns Hopkins Center for Transgender and Gender Expansive Health
- University of Kansas Health System