Thread by @UnitedLesbians

What is the "affirmative model?"
#healthcare #therapy #mentalhealthmatters
Let's unpack the difference between the “watchful waiting method” and the “affirmative model,” & how the “affirmative model” locks kids into confusion, distress & medicalization for life. (1/10)

“Watchful waiting” means that parents, therapists, and teachers neither affirm nor deny a child’s desire to be the opposite sex. When a girl says she wants to be a boy, the adults in the room wait to see if she’ll grow out of it on her own. #mentalhealthawareness (2/10)

“Affirmation” means that a girl who wants to be a boy is told she IS a boy. Her parents have her birth certificate changed. Her teachers call her by a boy’s name. Her peers are ordered to play along. She’s given drugs to prevent normal maturation, and told she NEEDS them. (3/10)

When left to their own devices, most kids will realize over the course of #puberty that they don’t need to be the opposite sex to be happy. This is called #desistence. (4/10)

Studies consistently show that the vast majority of “watchful waiting” kids desist without any help. E.g. Singh, Bradley, and Zucker 2021 (88% desisted) … (5/10)

… whereas the vast majority of “affirmative model” kids persist. See Carmichael et al. 2021 (98% went on to take #hormones); de Vries et al. 2010 (100% went on to take hormones, 78.6% became surgical patients). (6/10)

If the vast majority of “watchful waiting” kids desist and the vast majority of “affirmative model” kids persist, it’s reasonable to conclude that affirmation causes persistence. #genderdysphoria #SaveTheTomboys (7/10)

Consider: Two kids are fascinated w/ bullfighting. Kid 1’s parents shrug & wait for her to grow out of it. Kid 2’s parents immediately enroll her in rodeo camp & sign a contract with a bullfighting reality TV show. Which kid is more likely to end up injured by a bull? (8/10)

All kids have unrealistic ideas; most grow out of them over time. The “affirmative model” is about adults making permanent & sexual decisions for children based on those unrealistic ideas, w/o giving them the chance to grow up and change their minds. #transition #transkids (9/10)

The “affirmative model” prevents healthy #desistence and puts kids on a pipeline to medically unnecessary hormones and cosmetic surgeries.
“Affirmation” = #malpractice. It must be stopped. #SaveTheTomboys (10/10)

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