Johns Hopkins University

Johns Hopkins is the foremost institution in America involved in the repression and pathologization of trans and intersexed people.

Below are some of the principal people involved since the 1970's, when they began controlling access to trans health services through gatekeeping at centralized "gender clinics."

John Money

Paul McHugh

Thomas Wise

Chester Schmidt, Jr.

Jon Meyer

Yula Ponticas

First-hand experiences

When transsexualism went from a novelty in the 1950's to a threat in the 1960's, several "gender clinics" popped up to control access to trans health services and to create theories about the phenomenon based on disease models. Prior to that, trans health services were available on demand. The medical establishment sought to impose controls as a means of medical paternalism. This set up a situation where those who wanted access to health services had to conform to prevailing beliefs about gender variance.

The only people who seem to have internalized the Hopkins way of thinking about trans people are two so-called "transkids" (who in their late 40's are anything but kids). These two sought services at Johns Hopkins 33 years ago: "Kira Treia" and "Stephanie Alejandra Velasquez." Though much has happened in the one-third of a century since these two submitted to treatment at Hopkins, they seem to have retained a Stockholm Syndrome type of adherence to the ideas espoused by Hopkins researchers. Treia even worked there for many years after her stint as a human guinea pig, until a "breakdown" in 1993 left her the incoherent and angry person she is today.

Most people know to avoid Hopkins and similar places at this time, but as of this writing, a few unwitting patients are still presenting to them.

I received the following in February 2005:

I am transgender (female to male),  and have been trying desperately to get into some sort of gender therapy for  hormones and surgery.  Unfortunately, most of the folks who I have  dealt with in the medical community in Maryland (Baltimore) have no  background, or do not want anything to do with my journey.  I even went  to Johns Hopkins Sexual Behaviors Consultation Unit for a psych  evaluation.  It was nothing but pure hell.  That group is very  much anti-trans. I even had a psychiatrist, Thomas N. Wise, who has  written against trans-folks, performing the evaluation on me.  I have  never been so offended, or insulted in my entire life.  It was by far  the worst experience in all 41 years of my life.  I did not know that I  could have gotten up and walked out of that because I would have.  I am  the second only female to male transgender individual that they have ever  evaluated before.  The residents just tried to play mental games with  me, and my roommate (who was not even suppose to be apart of my evaluation),  and initiated a he said/she said game.  Like I said, it was very  traumatizing.  I would strongly not recommend anyone who is anything  but hetrosexual to go to Johns Hopkins.  I feel like I was  mentally raped.  I am writing you with tears running down my cheek  because of just how horrible it was.  I even filed a complaint with the  State of MD against them, but was told that they have insufficient  evidence to warrent an investigation.  I was just a lab rat for the  residents.  That is all.
 
Anyway, I just want to get the word out about Johns Hopkins being so  horrible.  I am sure they do good somewhere, but when it comes to  sexuality, they are most definitely anti-trans.