The BBC is promoting a trans doctor who seemingly only affirms patients' dysphoria

[jadefinch]

BBC Three has created a film, made a Twitter thread and put together a website promoting 'Dr Ronx', a trans doctor who seems to affirm patients with severe problems' gender identity issues rather than offer independent and potentially helpful advice.

In the footage shown here a young patient says their chest binder is causing them severe spinal pain and breathing difficulties. Dr Ronx offers the advice to keep using chest binders but try different ones.

At no point is it even suggested that the patient could have counselling so they can stop hating their body, or that the spinal, rib and breathing problems are serious issues.

What is the BBC playing at?

twitter.com/bbcthree/status/1233180011487612928

The thread ends with a link to websites such as Mermaids for children to contact if they have issues:

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/5zvRZW3yRHjqczdwd0gv3S0/information-and-support-gender-identity

Here's a link to the twitter thread twitter.com/bbcthree/status/1233180011487612928

That is shocking. What is the BBC playing at?

What's next, how to choose the best weight loss products, aimed at anorexics?

Exactly. Imagine the outcry if an anorexic teenage girl went to a doctor and said she was in extreme pain, and the doctor said 'I know it hurts but you're still so fat that you can change your diet but must not take in any extra calories'.

Can someone explain to me how this is different?

And yet we laugh at women in history who had their corsets so tight it caused them to faint.

And we gasp in horror at the stories of young girls having their feet bound.

What is it about the word trans that causes some people to bypass the critical thinking part of their brains?

Dr. Ronx is on CBBCs operation ouch as a presenter, which means she has a wider influence with children and parents beyond those looking for trans information. She should use her influence more wisely!

I follow Dr Ronx in Twitter because DD is really into Operation Ouch. She (Dr R) was posting a lot at the end of last year about her top surgery. I didn't think she was trans (in the sense of becoming a transman, rather than in the "we're all under the trans umbrella" sense), though?

Oh no, I'd read she binded but still uses she etc.

No idea she'd had a mastectomy.

FFS, this is so bad.

The BBC has form for this. It's worth reminding ourselves that they featured Helen Webberley as "top of expert mountain" in trans medicine. She's a GP who was found guilty of running an unregulated clinic... and I think now operates out of Spain?

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3385789-Helen-Webberley-found-guilty

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3374512-trans-debate-bbc-5live-post-9am-today-mon-24th-sept

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3515140-BBC-5-Live-to-feature-HELEN-WEBBERLEY

Here's the tweet that caught my eye (last November): mobile.twitter.com/Dr_Ronx/status/1197786072199127040

I assume it's naive to ask if this was for cancer gene reasons? It was gender identity wasn't it?

Yes, it was gender. She advises self referring to a GIC, didn’t know you could even do that, or talking to Clinic Q or Gendered Intelligence.

She has a huge exaggerated WOW and laughs when Frankie says their bra size is 36D. I found this particularly distasteful. She doesn’t even attempt to try to convince her that binding is a bad idea, or that her breasts are fine and natural. God knows what she’d make of my 32Gs. Utterly immature, and dangerous. I’m disgusted.

Fuck, I was trying to get the correct pronouns and failed. I can’t get my head around it. My brain is fucking scrambled with all this shit.

She has a huge exaggerated WOW and laughs when Frankie says their bra size is 36D.

I found this bit really shocking too. This person is supposed to be a doctor?! Because of course the best way to help someone feel less painfully self conscious about their breasts is to laugh and say "WOW" when they tell you their bra size. Unbelievable.

She uses she/ they

It's the fact that it's not recognised as a type of body dysmorphia. Breast reductions occur due to back problems and the effect of misogyny on the patient.

This is different.

And I'm saddened the dr herself has had an unnecessary mastectomy.

36D merits WOW. Hate to be her patient.

I knew this would be Dr Ronx. I was browsing iPlayer and saw they were fronting a new programme. I’m more familiar with Operation Ouch! Glad to clarify that Ronx is a biological female though, because she was introduced on that show as female and, later having heard she was trans, I was confused (“This person looks and sounds too female to be a transgender woman”). Having said that, I’m not sure that Ronx identifies as a transgender man either - she’s happy to be called she or they... just wanted the breasts gone.

Exactly. Imagine the outcry if an anorexic teenage girl went to a doctor and said she was in extreme pain, and the doctor said 'I know it hurts but you're still so fat that you can change your diet but must not take in any extra calories'.

Especially if the doctor suffered from anorexia themselves.

I also found that bra size stuff a bit weird. 36D isn't that big anyway, but she made it seem like it was disgusting or something, like having a massive boil.

So she's had her perfectly healthy breasts removed - but then decided she was a woman after all – but was also non-binary.

And the BBC believes this person is worth promoting as someone to give advice to children about their bodies.

I was just looking to post this here, it is shocking isn’t it? I’m very upset that the BBC is using our money to promote this dangerous practice, it is unbelievable really.

Is it just me or 36D really isn’t that big? Makes Dr Ronx sound a bit uninformed about average breast sizes, making a big deal about 36Ds.

What really disturbs me about this casual acceptance of breast binding is the underlying message here, that if you don't bind you must be in some way OK with sexual harassment and unwanted attention on account of having breasts. I remember feeling quite disgusted with my own body and the reaction it brought from men until I started to become sexually active and realized my breasts are an erogenous zone for my own pleasure. I'll bet a lot of these young girls binding have never experienced that, and sadly may never get to. There's almost something smug about this doctor in their attitude towards breast removal/hiding, like they're elevating themselves above other women for having the realisation that you can avoid unwanted attention by removing your breasts. Great solution to misogyny.

So is Ronx non-binary?

DD really likes Operation Ouch, watches it a lot.

self harm endorsed by a doctor