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

"I don’t look like a doctor. It’s about letting people know that I’m a black, female, gay doctor."

It's a huge shame that she's now not this.

What was wrong with this?

She's been going into schools to inspire children?

And so they'll see she chopped her breasts off.

Thanks hood do you think she goes into schools for anything other than first aid?

She's basically been swallowed by the bbc when she started going on operation ouch. I think she must have then drunk the kool aid as that article reads very differently to what she's doing now.

Little savers is really good; my son did it. It's an after school activity and you pay for it.

That's good to hear Neuro

In the past 4 weeks my family been treated by an Israeli female doc, a male Indian doc and 2 South African female docs.

I'm not sure what a doc is supposed to 'look like' and frankly I'm not really concerned, being that I'm there for medical advice and not casting for a fashion shoot.

Also the docs we have been treated by can be straight or gay and I still wouldn't give a toss.

I don't think this woman is a great role model, despite the diversity ticks, she appears to be breaking down stereotypes but as a Doc she is reinforcing them.

Thanks hood do you think she goes into schools for anything other than first aid?

You're welcome :)

I have no idea, I don't know her personally.

She may very well be an inspiring and well meaning person who hasbeen groomed and / or suffered from excessive consumption of kool aid and then been entranced by the lure of the BBC celebrity "expert" ciruit and the cluster of preening stunning and brave ego massagers who follow and endorse the circus wagons even as the wheels fall off.

I'm so pleased to see this car crash being discussed here. I posted on MN about Dr Ronx sending appalling pro self-harming messages to children a month or so ago but despite it generating a useful discussion about binding, internalised misogyny and self harm it was taken down by MN. My DD is also a massive Operation Ouch fan but she cannot stand Dr Ronx who she calls 'boring'. She's right. She has zero charisma unlike the twin doctors. It's another example of someone promoted simply because they tick the 'diversity' boxes not cos they're actually any good. Dr Ronx's Twitter feed is full of banal political slogans and queer theory rubbish. Now here she is normalising self harming. Not OK. I shall be complaining to the BBC and to GMC. I'm seriously considering not paying our BBC licence and stopping watching BBC. So sick of their dangerous queer theory propaganda being pushed at children

There are loads of doctors who look like Ronx. Most of which have not cut their breasts off because they hate being women. The BBC could hire one of them as a role model for children.

I note in the article she did some 'modelling' to get through med school too; I wonder what impact that had on her. Though could have easily been for just generalised advertising images.

I think the point here is the the bbc are creating the content and the programme and creating the platform for views which aren't actually progressive and also could cause harm.

I think I was deleted for a previous comment, she certainly has been in schools in my area preaching queer theory.

I can't bear the idea that she is not what a Dr looks like. I have seen so so many black female Drs, their sexuality I do not give a shit about.

Third attempt to post on this thread coming up...

“I don’t look like a doctor. It’s about letting people know that I’m a black, female, gay doctor."

Actually, you do look like a doctor. In fact, you look more like a junior doctor than almost everybody else in the UK. You are the opposite of an example of diversity.

http://www.medicalwomensfederation.org.uk/about-us/facts-figures

UK medical workforce by gender:
• 45 per cent of doctors in the UK are female; however there is a wide range depending on the grade of doctor.
• 32 per cent of consultants are female compared to 54 per cent of training grade doctors
• General practice has a higher proportion of women compared to hospital medicine both at the career grade level and at the specialty training/registrar group level; however, within general practice 40 per cent of contractor GPs are female compared to 68 per cent of salaried GPs.
Data compiled by the BMA’s Health Policy and Economic Research Unit (HPERU) from the latest UK medical workforce statistics (2011)
[[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC516646/#!po=37.5000
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC516646/#!po=37.5000]]

The population of doctors working in the United Kingdom differs notably in ethnic profile from the wider population. Of the almost 81 000 doctors employed by trusts in England in 2003, 63% were white, 23% Asian, 4% black, 1% of mixed race, and 7% from other ethnic groups (2% unrecorded).1 White people make up 92% of the population of the United Kingdom

Actually I didn't take the bra size comment to mean "wow your breasts are so large (compared to the norm)" but more like "oh I could never tell from looking at you" - implying that the person w/disphoria is good at hiding their breasts, so mildly praising - although in a disturbing sort of way.

I've just come across this video and then saw on here that there was already a thread about it?

What. The. Fucking. Fuck?

I am almost in tears with rage that young women are doing this, and being actively encouraged to do this. I don't even know what to say? And this doctor is going into schools? Young women are getting their healthy breasts removed, I just... I don't know. This is so distressing.

Oh and as an aside, the girlfriend seriously needs a bra intervention if she thinks she is a 36D.

I am worried about this. Operation Ouch always seemed so sensible and balanced. I would have imagined the presenters as being keen to avoid any medicalisation of children over gender issues, yet this..

I’d be happier to hear that an Operation Ouch presenter has a side hustle as a stripper than this. They have such influence over young minds - it’s horrific that the BBC are effectively promoting this.

I grew up with John Noakes as my TV hero. Biddy Baxter ran that show with a rod of iron so that children could be safe (in the original sense).

How the BBC has fallen

I find this Pink News quote from Dr Ronx and Dr R’s attitude of ‘its discrimination’ if patients are confused what sex their treating doctor is, unbelievably self-centred and actually not professional.

Why can’t patients know if a man or woman is treating them? I would really feel very differently about it in lots of medical situations. I am allowed to sex-discriminate on what doctor treats me, as a patient. It’s an important part of my consent to be treated.

Actually I think the GMC should make it absolutely crystal clear to doctors in their professional guidance, if they don’t already, that patients DO have a right to know if their doctor is male or female actually. And that doctors just have to just deal with that if they feel uncomfortable about it.

Patients need to know sex, to be able to exercise their right to refuse a doctor based on their sex when they want to. It is a precious right for lots of patients.

Quote is here:
www.pinknews.co.uk/2018/07/04/nhs-at-70-lgbt-staff-diversity-movement/

Quote pasted here in full if you aren’t into clicking on Pink News:

Dr Ronx: Emergency medicine doctor, public speaker, mentor and recently a kids TV presenter. Dr Ronx currently lives in London, having worked for the NHS since graduating from medical school eight years ago.

‘’ I never hide my sexual orientation or gender identity.” says Ronx. “People who know that I’m queer, know that I’m queer.”
Ronx is a positive queer black role model, especially for young people, and recalls a particular encounter with a girl who asked if gay women should get smear tests. The girl asked Ronx during a breakout session at her school, providing an opportunity for further discussion about gay women’s health.
“ I get amazing opportunities to talk to young people.” beams Ronx. “I often find that people are comfortable talking to me about important, but potentially personally embarrassing medical subjects.”

Despite these positive experiences, Ronx has encountered overt and nuanced prejudice during her Emergency Department shifts. “ Patients stare at my chest all the time – I bind because I like the aesthetic.” recalls Ronx. ‘’When they don’t spot the bumps of breasts they look down to my groin, searching for the bump of a penis to confirm my sex, all this whilst I am tending to their medical needs.”

Ronx’s experiences have spurred her to encourage colleagues to reflect on their own attitudes. “All our work colleagues should be mindful that our experiences of working in the NHS are not universal.” argues Ronx. “Ignorance is not bliss, it is a conscious decision to allow prejudice and discrimination to flourish and perpetuate.”

'Why does non binary default to male aesthetic?
This.'

And yes this from me.

We all know the issues around fetisisation of breasts in our society, and how men start to be when girls start developing etc I'm sure I don't need to go into it.

It's like how in children's books, cartoons etc the male animal is the animal, the female one has big eyelashes or similar to mark out as female. In the minions there was all that stuff with the minion putting false breasts on... These little things show all this stuff up.

Anyway. The wilful ignorance to all this esp with developing girls is infuriating tbh

'and recalls a particular encounter with a girl who asked if gay women should get smear tests'

And what was the answer?

Yes it's not a bad idea but if you don't have sex with men your risk of Stds is much lower. Or at least it used to be, when I worked in the area in the 90s. Men who have sex with men are at highest risk. Can this info be communicated when man/ woman is decoupled from sex? That's an interesting question tbh. If we get another HIV (the specific area I was in) then how are high risk groups to be identified?

It's like how in children's books, cartoons etc the male animal is the animal, the female one has big eyelashes or similar to mark out as female.

The male default is such a pet peeve of mine. My 4.5 yo DD believes that only women and girls have eyelashes for this very reason At first I couldn't work out where she had got such a strange notion, but I quickly realised. She won't be dissuaded, despite me showing her DH's long eyelashes!

Patients stare at my chest all the time – I bind because I like the aesthetic.” recalls Ronx. ‘’When they don’t spot the bumps of breasts they look down to my groin, searching for the bump of a penis to confirm my sex, all this whilst I am tending to their medical needs.”

What a load of rubbish. Ronx looks and sounds female. Lots of women are very flat chested. Many have had mastectomies. Work tops tend not to show detail of boob size. Nobody particularly notices a woman at work having no obvious boobage. Similarly men's work trousers tend not to show their package. I can't tell which way my male colleagues dress or whether their penis is huge or tiny from observing them in work wearing normal clothes.

So, well, Ronx. It is all in your mind. Not really happening.

Bloody hell. Well, I'm waiting for the doctor who promotes breast ironing then.....apparently not. Even though it's the same thing, really.

I've never felt happier at my refusal to pay the TV license, and if they come begging again I will tell them why.

It is encouraging self harm, it is so ethically wrong. Biological sex is real, all mammals are sexually dimorphic and if you're in a society which makes you feel so miserable about your healthy body that you need to self harm then surely it's obvious it's society that is wrong, not the healthy body?

DD used to like operation ouch but went off it. I wonder if this is why.