Will we one day see "gender-affirming surgeries" in the same light we now see lobotomies?
It's a question likely to be dismissed by trans advocates as anti-trans. Nothing could be further from the truth. Gender dysphoria is a horrible psychological condition that, in extreme cases, leads to suicide. Gender surgery is seen by some doctors as a way to treat it.
In the 1930s through the 1960s, lobotomies were seen as the answer to many mental health issues, including ADD, depression, and emotional instability. Rosemary Kennedy, sister to John F. Kennedy, underwent a lobotomy when she was 23 because of her "intellectual challenges." Rosemary was what we used to call "retarded," and in a family of highly competitive super-achievers, it was unbearable for her to be unable to participate. This caused her to lash out at those around her.
Rosemary's father, Joe Kennedy, had Rosemary lobotomized, reportedly because he believed her irrational behavior would damage the family's political plans. Today, we see lobotomy as a barbaric way to treat the mentally ill.
As more studies are done on the mental and physical effects of the treatment of transgendered people, especially children, it's becoming clear that something is very, very wrong with the way Americans deal with the problem of gender dysphoria.
One recent massive study of more than 100,000 patients who had gender-affirming surgery found some disturbing trends.
The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Texas and published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine, tracked 107,583 patients aged 18 and older with gender dysphoria. Researchers assessed their mental health two years post-surgery and found that transgender individuals suffer from “heightened psychological distress,” including depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation, “partly due to stigma and lack of gender affirmation,” the study said.
For males who underwent surgery, the numbers are devastating — 25 percent faced depression, compared to 11.5 percent among males who had not had surgery, and anxiety rates rose to 12.8 percent compared to 2.6 percent. Similar trends were observed among females, with 22.9 percent experiencing depression after surgery compared to 14.6 percent in the group that hadn’t gone through surgery. Anxiety wasn’t far behind, with rates at 10.5 percent for females who underwent surgery versus 7.1 percent for those who didn’t.
Even more concerning, those who had surgeries aiming to “feminize individuals” exhibited “particularly high” levels of depression and substance abuse. The researchers emphasized that these findings spotlight the “necessity for gender-sensitive mental health support” post-surgery.
The Oxford Academic Journal of Sexual Medicine released a new study on the effects of "gender-affirming surgery" on people with gender dysphoria.
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) March 6, 2025
After analyzing over 100,000 patients, they concluded that those who received surgery had an increased risk of mental health issues… pic.twitter.com/38IbXiDBK0
No one knows the number of "gender clinics" in the U.S. The industry is unregulated, and depends on the governing physician's bodies to police it. The three most vociferous advocates for gender-affirming care are the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Endocrine Society. All of these organizations have guidelines or policies that support early medical treatment for gender dysphoria in young people.
Each of those organizations supports giving kids puberty blockers and gender-affirming surgery when they reach the age of 18. They make it seem as if these treatments are non-controversial. The rest of the world isn't so sure.
BMJ Group, a health information resource:
For example, Sweden’s National Board of Health and Welfare, which sets guidelines for care, determined earlier this year that the risks of puberty blockers and treatment with hormones “currently outweigh the possible benefits” for minors.
And NHS England, which is in the midst of an independent review of gender identity services, recently stated that there is “scarce and inconclusive evidence to support clinical decision-making” for minors with gender dysphoria, and that for most who present before puberty it will be a “transient phase,” requiring clinicians to focus on psychological support and to be “mindful” of the risks of even social transition
WPATH has taken a small step away from the rush to stuff puberty blockers down the throats of kids and cut on young people by recommending a careful and complete clinical workup of a patient before any treatment is performed.
That's a huge step forward compared to Washington University Pediatric Transgender Center at St. Louis Children’s Hospital, where a whistleblower reported that kids who came into the clinic were assessed in one or two sessions with a therapist and then prescribed testosterone or other drugs.
The problem is that the trans lobby has grown powerful, and it will be difficult to change the treatment regimen for patients without a massive education program that encompasses physicians, clinicians, and mental health professionals in order to convince them to change.
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