Seoul Gleou
Veteran
'Gender affirmation is demonstrably dangerous for young people': Woman who has detransitioned calls for a ban on medical intervention for minors claiming doctors are treating teens too early and not dealing with root problems
- Cat Cattinson, 30, grew up as female but identified as male from the age of 13
- She took testosterone, went by Tony, and made plans for breast-removal surgery
- Now, she is speaking out about issues with treatment after she detransitioned
At the age of 17, Cattinson asked her parents to find her a gender therapist. Her family found Dr. Ryland (a fake name used by Cattinson to hide the doctor's true identity), hoping that he would give them an 'honest assessment'.
'Instead, he affirmed me as a boy immediately,' the singer writes.
'He was unfazed when I brought up my anorexia and persistent social problems. I told him gender dysphoria was my root issue, and he accepted my self-diagnosis,' she says. Looking back, she realises that this was very different to when she was seeking treatment for her eating disorder, which involved far more scrutiny.
'It was clear Ryland wasn't there to listen, but to guide me to a solution: transitioning,' Cattinson writes for Fox News.
After three appointments, Cattinson says Dr. Ryland suggested to her parents that she be put on testosterone treatment. This was shocking to them, she says, as her parents were expecting the doctor to 'provide an impartial opinion'.
Her parents did not allow Cattinson to go on the treatment at her age.
She says she instead almost went ahead with transitioning around six years later, at the age of 23, but said a 'traumatic experience' convinced her to stop.
Years later, at the age of 28, she came out as trans in public and 'after years of deliberation and an overwhelming sense of desperation' again started testosterone. She scheduled a double mastectomy, and filed to change her name and gender.
Within months, I experienced debilitating side effects and the loss of my natural singing voice,' she writes. 'I didn’t realize that singing was more important to me than gender until it was too late. I have since detransitioned, and besides my voice, testosterone’s effects have faded.'
Today, gender affirming care and puberty blockers are more readily available to teenagers in several states, and statistics show that many young people who've received gender affirming care end up happier in their own bodies.
Woman who has detransitioned speaks out against gender affirmation
Cat Cattinson grew up as female but identified as male from the age of 13. She took testosterone, went by the name of Tony, and made plans for breast-removal surgery.
