Discussion on 5 Live re de-transitioning on now for those interested....

[lostlemon]

Just started, they are interviewing a de-transitioner

More on destransitioning on now

Just listened to the earlier piece on iplayer - starts at about 10:11 if anyone wants to listen. There's a 15 minute interview with 'Pumpkin' - a woman who transitioned to live as a man for 10 years then back again and now lives as a woman again. This is followed by an interview with James Caspian. He is very articulate and talks about the problems of the Memorandum of Understanding for psychotherapists. The presenter spends the final minute or so of the interview trying to stop him talking, and then says something to the effect of 'of course, that's just his opinion'. He must have gone off script a bit there compared to what they expected him to say.

Anyone have a link for this? I’d love to hear it. It’s so important that the voice of detransitioners is heard, for the sake of all confused teenagers out there

Hope this link works
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09tgpm5
It starts about 11 mins in, then there's a second bit talking to a transwoman, at about 2hrs 15 mins in.

oh interesting what did James Caspian say was the problem for the memorandum for understanding? somebody posted it on the support for stephanie davies-arai thread.

i really think that the conflation of gay rights and trans rights needs unpicking. i was surprised that the memorandum did not do this as i would expect (and desperately need) people working in that profession to have thought deeply about this. encouraging a gay gnc person to change sex surely risks becoming a conversion therapy?

James Caspian said that the MOU says that you have to affirm someone's trans identity - that if you say you are trans, you are trans, when in fact people may have other mental health issues that are causing them to feel that way. He said something about the 'do no harm' issue conflicting with total unquestioning affirmation for trans identifed people. He puts it much better than me though.

Totally agree that the affirmation of a trans identity to a gay gnc person is a type of conversion therapy.

there must be a way to accept the person saying they are trans (rather than denying they are trans) but also do the job i would hope a psychotherapist would do - to gently guide that person on a journey through their life experiences, choices and beliefs. the person may or may not still identify as trans at the end and surely that would not matter. my experience of being in therapy is that on the one hand it is very probing and if you do it long enough it absolutely turns you inside out and puts you back together again (in a good way!). on the other hand a good therapist doesn't really tell you stuff about yourself, they allow you to discover it for yourself.

My understanding is that this is becoming a real problem for therapists.... that many feel unable to explore the issues behind it as this contradicts the MOU... especially for those working within the public sector ....

Just listening to this.... and feel like no coincidence that everyone who speaks out FOR trans is a MAN... and this detransitioner is a WOMAN.....

That said sensitive interview and hope there are more of these ... but especially with detransitioning men!