Like anybody else, I love my friends and family. I am tired of feeling constantly afraid for them and defensive of them. I hope you hear me when I say that I can’t imagine what their lives are like, facing daily discrimination just because of who they are.
Fighting to be who we are is nothing new. In today’s media-obsessed age, not fitting in perfectly can easily lead to ostracism, or worse. The LGBTQ+ community feels this acutely. Their “lifestyles” (aka who they are as people) are seen as threatening to some cisgender/heteronormative people.
Paul R. McHugh is one a few “scientists” who has come forward with “research” that “supports” his theory (aka quackery) that transgender people don’t deserve to be who they are. McHugh is one of an unfortunately large community that believes that conversion therapy should be the only option available to transgender individuals.
Conversion therapy is excessively harmful to the people it is supposed to be helping. Time after time, it is associated with depression, and even suicide risk. So what psychiatrist would want to perpetuate such an actively hostile treatment?
Even if McHugh didn’t have a known history of obscuring the facts of his own research and the research of others, his work wouldn’t brush the edge of credibility. He isn’t peer reviewed, and he hasn’t drawn any reasonable conclusions from his field of study. In fact, he fights the proven consensus about the best way to help transgender people live better lives.
What exactly is he trying to prove? Most psychiatrists, at least who I’ve met, are driven to help people. Why does this man want so desperately to cling to a therapy which has been linked to WORSE outcomes for transgender people?
I question his research, and more so, his motives. I hate the way his behavior casts a shadow of doubt on psychological professionals who want to heed the warnings of those who came before.
Transgender individuals, especially transgender people of color, are already at higher risk of being victims of violent crime, and experiencing social and economic discrimination. When a medical professional sees a vulnerable population like this one, they know they have to listen if they ever hope to help, both to the data we have and the stories they tell.
McHugh does a disservice to his profession every day he perpetuates unproven theory. He spends his days staring at the facts in order to skew them to his will. Ignorance like his is a blight on the medical profession at best and true malpractice at worst.
Ignorance like his makes it that much harder for people to get the help they need and deserve.
The LGBTQ+ community is lucky to have gained some political traction and more societal understanding in recent years, but there is still quite a long road ahead. Fighting against harmful practices like conversion therapy is just the beginning.
For every federal marriage equality win, there is a North Carolina bathroom bill in the shadows, waiting to strike.
The continued publication of his work is a threat because of how seriously he might still be taken in some conservative communities. He could be cited in court cases, or during legislative hearings.
If he ever truly did want to help people, then it is sad, what has become of him. As a scientist, I’d be ashamed to be associated with such sloppy, biased work. As a medical professional, I’m offended by his apparent commitment to causing harm in other human beings.
Featured Image By torbakhopper Via Flickr Under A CC-by-2.0
