Our letter to the leader of a study
This a redacted letter we sent after participating in a study on autistic youths. There were aspects that we think have helped our son but it was frustrating, to say the least, when the leaders of the study referred to our son as female after we had made it clear from the start how we felt. They were kind, intelligent people and so it naturally felt ungrateful to criticize their methods. We hung out with other parents but most kept to themselves so I have very little idea what their thoughts were on the transgender issue.
Dear ●●●●●●●●●●,
It is with mixed feelings that we write this letter. As parents, we are grateful for the ●●●●●●●●●●●●●●● program our son “A” participated in this year. His participation has helped him become more self-confident and able to move forward as he becomes an autistic adult. We appreciate the importance of programs such as yours focused on helping the integration of neurodiverse individuals into society.
However, we want to express our concern about the group being an environment in which A’s chosen transgender identity was normalized, to the point that it made us question whether we would sign up for the program again if offered. As you are aware, we are skeptical of the attitudes towards the rise in transgender youth we encounter in schools and medical practices. We were quite frankly shocked that more than half the participants identified as transgender. Even for such a small group, and assuming some selection on your part, these statistics should give us all pause.
We question the pressure we received to affirm our son’s transgender identity and enroll him in affirming transgender care, like we have from other medical professionals. A specific instance that made us highly uncomfortable was a conversation with you on the day of the intake interviews, during which you strongly urged us to use his chosen name and pronouns because, you claimed, not doing so would increase the risk of suicide.
This kind of pressure has recently been described as dishonest and unethical (see e.g., R. Kaltalia in The Free Press[1]). We believe this view is supported by recent revelations about the doubts within the World Professional Association for Transgender Health about its widely used standard of care[2]. The reliance of affirming standards of care with an option of medicalization should further be questioned given a recently published study commissioned by NHS England (the Cass report[3]), which concludes that there remain many unknowns about the impact of social transition, the use of puberty blockers and hormones, and surgical procedures. It cites a lack of medical evidence and the low quality of studies in this area. We hope this information gives the medical establishment in the United States pause and would like to see public statements on the Cass report by organizations such as your division.
At NASA, leadership routinely mentions and cautions the organization about “normalization of deviance”. The term refers to a phenomenon of the gradual acceptance of unexplained events and behaviors, and is often cited as a key contributor to the Challenger and Columbia Space Shuttle accidents as well as other mishaps, as in this safety case from 2014[4]. The frequent reminders serve as a caution to managers and engineers to remain vigilant and curious about (possibly) unsafe situations and practices that, while unexplained, have become accepted.
We encourage you to be vigilant and curious. Given the high number of autistic adolescents that identify as transgender, you and your staff should be familiar with the report and at a minimum related articles discussing the evidential basis for affirming care, e.g., in the New York Times[5].
Finally, we encourage you to ensure that the ●●●●●●●●●●●●●●● program is inclusive towards parents that are skeptical and fearful of affirming transgender care practices. The recent publications cited above demonstrate these parents have a point as the evidence for trans gender affirmation is just not there. Parents should not be hesitant to become part of a program that could greatly benefit their child.
Sincerely,
●●●●●●●●●●●●●●
[1] ‘Gender-Affirming Care Is Dangerous. I Know Because I Helped Pioneer It.’ The Free Press
[2] Leaked discussions reveal uncertainty about transgender care https://www.economist.com/united-states/2024/03/05/leaked-discussions-reveal-uncertainty-about-transgender-care
[3] The Cass Review https://cass.independent-review.uk/home/publications/final-report/
[4] The Cost of Silence: Normalization of Deviance and Groupthink https://sma.nasa.gov/docs/default-source/safety-messages/safetymessage-normalizationofdeviance-2014-11-03b.pdf
[5] Youth Gender Medications Limited in England, Part of Big Shift in Europe https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/09/health/europe-transgender-youth-hormone-treatments.html
I’m sure they got the vapors at the word “deviance” but I want to thank you personally for the straightforward and honest phrase “the evidence is just not there.”
Good luck with your son.
The “risk of suicide” is routinely used by gender clinics to coerce parents to sign and pay. Even putting aside the fact that this elevated risk for “trans” kids denied medical transition is fictitious, this coercion qualifies as extortion—blackmail—and those parents should not hesitate to sue.