Ken Zucker blows off scheduled appearance at American Psychology Association |
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Drs. Brett-Genny Janiczek Beemyn and Shelley Janiczek Woodson have just returned from the 116th Convention of the American Psychological Association in Boston, where Kenneth J. Zucker, the world’s most prominent reparative therapist of transgender children, was scheduled to appear as part of a roll-out of the APA Task Force Report on Trans Issues, where he was a contributor.
Shelley notes that the report and resolution were generally favorable, though concerns were raised about their not taking a position on the mental illness diagnosis of “gender identity disorder,” instead deferring to the American Psychiatric Association, where Ken Zucker also chairs the group reviewing the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
To their credit, the Task Force acknowledged “concern about how the diagnosis (of GID) is constructed” and recognized the controversy around apparently conflicting positions of Task Force members. Participants in the Task Force indicated, albeit timidly, that indeed, Task Force member viewpoints differed on some issues. Task Force members were forthcoming in saying that members differed as to whether psychologists ought to assist gender variant children to be more gender typical (think Zucker) or whether psychologists should encourage a supportive environment for gender variant children and their families.
For us, it was not what we heard but what we did not hear that raised our concerns. The Task Force related that it/the APA had not and will not be taking a position on the controversy around the diagnosis of Gender Identity Disorder. That is, the Task Force will not be making a recommendation to the Sexual and Gender Identity Disorders work group (of which Dr. Zucker is the chair) which is reviewing information to be used in the development of the fifth edition of the APA’s /Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V)/. (Note that the DSM is the product of the American /Psychiatric/ Association, not the American /Psychological/ Association.)
An attendee questioned this inaction, saying that by failing to weigh-in on the issue of the validity of Gender Identity Disorders, the Task Force had seriously “missed the boat,” to which Chairperson Dr. Randall D. Ehrbar snapped: “Oh, well. Then we missed the boat.” The waves of controversy seemed to have rendered Dr. Ehrbar seasick.
Dr. Zucker, known for his work in “treating” gender-variant children with “reparative therapy,” did not attend the symposium even though he is a Task Force member and was listed as a symposium participant. He was conspicuous in his absence. Maybe he missed the boat, too.
See other great posts by them:
* Why Kenneth J. Zucker Should Resign as Sexual and Gender Identity Disorders Chair
