Dramatic increase in children and youth seeking gender treatments has some experts alarmed
Whenever experts, in any given field, are too afraid to express their honest professional opinions on the record out of fear of being cancelled, something in the public discourse has gone terribly wrong.
So when some well-established experts in transgender health told us they weren’t willing to repeat on camera what they admitted to us in private because they sit on diversity boards and will almost certainly be called transphobic, it was confirmation our story was necessary. If only for the gender dysphoric children and youth, along with their families, who are struggling and do not know who to believe.
The first thing we did was go digging in the W5 archives. What we found was a groundbreaking, and at times extremely graphic, report about trans women the program produced in 1973.
One of the women featured is Dianna Boileau who started to transition at age 16.
“Possibly around the age of 14, 15 years old I was unconscious that I had a problem,” she told W5’s host. “But other children made me well aware that I did have because of my different reaction to emotion, participation of games in school, I was more inclined to skip trends and carry on with the girls than play baseball with the boys.”
She was brought to the attention of a doctor from London, U.K., who recognized a “transsexual problem” and “recommended to [her] parents that [she] cross-dress.”
Boileau, who has since died, wrote a book about her experience and claimed to be the first person in Canada to have had sex reassignment surgery. At the time, patients were subjected to an extensive medical evaluation before a procedure could be performed.
Which brings us to 2021 and the rise in referrals of children to gender clinics. We asked medical professionals in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom if the right safeguards are in place for children and youth wishing to transition.
In the U.K., the case of Keira Bell has triggered a fierce debate on the treatment of children with gender dysphoria. According to the U.K.'s National Health Service, gender dysphoria is the term used when someone feels uneasy "because of a mismatch between their biological sex and their gender identity."
By the age of 14, Bell, who was born biologically female, had been sexually abused, felt abandoned by her parents and struggled with her attraction to girls. She began her transition to male at age 16, but later regretted it.
Bell took her gender clinic to court claiming those who know best should have challenged her more. In other words, the experts made it too easy and didn’t consider how a tumultuous childhood could have affected her relationship with her body.
Bell is a so-called detransitioner, who believes there are many others like her. As does Sinead Watson, who we spoke to in Glasgow, Scotland. During the interview, needing to establish that she was born female and transitioned, Watson put her hands on her face and joked that she shaved for us that morning.
It’s taken a long time for Watson to accept her body as it is today, that is, with thinner hair, a deep voice and no more breasts. Watson stopped taking testosterone when she detransitioned back to female, but the effects are still there and will be for a long time. “It’s not the kids who are messing up,” she told us, “it’s the clinicians.”
There are those who believe highlighting the experience of detransitioners is in itself transphobic because it overshadows the majority for whom the experience was a success. We sought to hear from both sides.
Kian Olsheski was born female. He says he knew at age four something wasn’t right. To this day, he remembers how upset he’d get as a child when, at McDonald’s, he didn’t get the Happy Meal for boys. That’s when it started. Over the years, he became increasingly tormented by what he describes as the disconnect between his biological sex and the gender he identifies with. By age 14, he was harming himself. Today, at age 20, Olsheski is waiting for the last step of his medical transition with the full support of his parents and twin sister.
The first time we met him was in his old high school in Pembroke, Ont. Sitting next to him was Morgan Campbell who was his friend before he transitioned, and who became his girlfriend shortly after.
“I would rather die on the operating table the right way than to die without the surgery and not be who I am before I go,” he told us.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'He's in our hearts': Family and friends still seek answers one year after Nathan Wise’s disappearance
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Ottawa pizzeria places among top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world at international competition
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Canada Post cracks down on Nunavut loophole to get free Amazon Prime shipping
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
Wildfire near Fort McMurray more than triples overnight, several evacuation alerts remain in place
The fire burning near Fort McMurray grew from 25 hectares to 5,500 hectares over the weekend.
Putin replaces Russian defence minister in rare cabinet shakeup
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin began a Cabinet shakeup on Sunday, proposing the replacement of Sergei Shoigu as defence minister as he begins his fifth term in office.
Man fatally 'slashed in the neck' in downtown Toronto, suspect outstanding
Police are searching for a male suspect after a man was “slashed in neck” on Sunday morning in downtown Toronto and died.
WATCH Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Edibles, armchairs and adapters: Here are the recalls for this week
Health Canada announced various product recalls this week, including electric adapters, armchairs, cannabis edibles and vehicle components.
Local Spotlight
Want to boost your trivia score? Learn from these high school trivia whiz kids
English, history, entertainment, math and geography: high school trivia teams could be quizzed on any of it when they compete at the Reach for the Top Nationals in Ottawa in June.
Ottawa pizzeria places among top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world at international competition
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
Wilfrid Laurier football player drafted despite only playing 27 games in his entire life
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.
Federal government bans watercraft from Manitoba lake popular with tourists
The threat of zebra mussels has prompted the federal government to temporarily ban watercraft from a Manitoba lake popular with tourists.
Toronto-area dessert shop featured by Keith Lee forced to move after zoning complaint
A small Ajax dessert shop that recently received a glowing review from celebrity food critic Keith Lee is being forced to move after a zoning complaint was made following the social media influencer’s visit last month.
'Oh Crap!' New exhibit at Canada Science and Technology Museum explores human waste
The Canada Science and Technology Museum is inviting visitors to explore their poop. A new exhibition opens at the Ottawa museum on Friday called, 'Oh Crap! Rethinking human waste.'
Regina police hope new biometric monitoring system will save lives in detention facility
The Regina Police Service says it is the first in Saskatchewan and possibly Canada to implement new technology in its detention facility that will offer real-time monitoring of detainees’ vital health metrics.
Her SUV was stolen in Montreal. A Good Samaritan on Facebook helped her get it back
Just as she had feared, a restaurant owner from eastern Quebec who visited Montreal had her SUV stolen, but says it was all thanks to the kindness of strangers on the internet — not the police — that she got it back.