Thursday, October 12, 2023

Turning the Tide: How Detransitioners Are Challenging the Medical System


Other detransitioners are joining the expanding chorus of voices raising concerns about the irreversible consequences of “gender-affirming care” being used on children grappling with gender dysphoria. Even further, even more of these individuals have started using the court system to hold accountable those who foisted these treatments on them when they were children.

This trend could mark a significant shift toward ending the use of “gender-affirming care” on minors. As the debate over the issue continues to rage, the stories of the detransitioners will likely play an even more consequential role in safeguarding children and their mental health.

A new law firm has been created specifically to help detransitioners, people who went through “gender-affirming care” as children and later regretted it, take on the medical professionals and facilities that put them on puberty blockers, hormone treatments, and even surgery ostensibly to help them deal with their mental health problems. The lawyers indicated that they are experiencing a steady influx of potential clients who were subjected to these treatments as children.

The law firm Campbell Miller Payne was established in 2023 by lawyers Jordan Campbell, Ron Miller, Josh Payne, and Daniel Sepulveda. The lawyers represent detransitioners in a number of high-profile cases, including Prisha Mosely and Soren Aldaco. Despite the newness of the firm, Campbell tells the [Daily] Caller that they “average about one potential new client a week.”

“And that’s barely having gotten off the ground.”

“I think, frankly, we’re at the front end of a tidal wave coming the other direction,” Campbell told the Caller, “which is part of the reason I was willing to put my career on the line and go after this.”

Aldaco sued her medical providers for performing a botched mastectomy which left her “nipples literally peeling off of her chest” in July. Mosley alleges that a doctor concluded she was undergoing a “gender identity crisis” after one visit to the emergency room regarding an episode of self-harm, despite multiple comorbidities, such as an eating disorder and depression.

The stories of detransitioners such as Aldaco and Mosley lay out a pattern of alleged medical neglect carried out by doctors who are reportedly too quick to diagnose patients with underlying mental disorders or a history of abuse with gender dysphoria. Patients are often fast-tracked, even at a young age, to irreversible sex change procedures such as cross-sex hormones, genital surgeries, and mastectomies.

Mosley’s story, which I previously wrote about here, is particularly striking. In her case, a doctor concluded that she was undergoing a “gender identity crisis” after just one visit to the emergency room during an episode of self-harm. In her lawsuit, Mosley claims the doctor rushed this diagnosis, ignoring her complex mental health issues which included an eating disorder and depression. Now, she is seeking justice.

So, the question is: What do these lawsuits, along with the inflow of clients for Campbell Miller Payne, signify for the future of this issue? It is a piercing wake-up call, illustrating the urgency of stopping medical professionals from inflicting irreversible harm on children through “gender-affirming care,” which has been found to do far more harm than good. It serves as a stark reminder that there are people like Mosley and Aldaco all across the country who are being rushed into these treatments without being adequately informed of the potential consequences. Indeed, in many cases, professionals will use fear to manipulate parents into going along with these treatments by convincing them that their children will commit suicide if they are not allowed to go on puberty blockers.

Still, despite how tragic these situations are, they are acting as a catalyst for change. The emerging trend of detransitioners and others using lawfare to hit these organizations where it hurts is encouraging. Indeed, the fact that a new law firm specifically intended for detransitioners is seeing a steady flow of clients is a sign that we could be seeing more legal battles in the not-too-distant future.

In fact, in states like Missouri and North Dakota, which allow “gender-affirming care” for minors, medical facilities have stopped offering these treatments because these states increased civil liability if a detransitioner wishes to sue later on.

It appears the tide is beginning to turn. Once enough of these organizations feel the heat of lawsuits and lighter pocketbooks, they will decide using treatments that cause irreversible results might not be worth the risk. The question is, how long until we reach that tipping point?