Dr. Olson-Kennedy Sued by Detransitioner
A doctor known for her work with and advocacy for transgender youth has been named in a lawsuit by a detransitioner, Kaya Clementine Breen, for allegedly rushing her through a transition that she now feels was unnecessary.
by Alyssa Steinsiek
Dr. Johanna Olson-Kennedy, Medical Director for The Center for Transyouth Health and Development at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and president-elect of the United States Professional Association for Transgender Health (boy, that’s a mouthful!) has been named in a lawsuit alleging medical neglect filed by detransitioner Kaya Clementine Breen in Los Angeles County Superior Court. Dr. Olson-Kennedy came under fire in October for delaying publication of a study on puberty blockers for fear of its weaponization in the current political climate, which is exceedingly hostile towards trans people.
Breen alleges many wrongdoings, though the veracity of her claims are unclear, to say the least. The crux of her allegations center on her belief that was rushed through a diagnosis without doctors properly exploring trauma relating to childhood sexual assault she survived, which she believes resulted in posttraumatic stress disorder that, inexplicably, presented as gender dysphoria.
Speaking to professional transphobe ‘Billboard Chris’ at UCLA in October, Breen claims to have started taking testosterone at 14, but stopped taking it at 17 because she was experiencing “psychosis.” Psychosis is not a known side effect of hormone replacement therapy, and while it isn’t completely unheard of, starting cross-sex hormones at 14 is exceedingly rare.
In truth, Breen’s timeline of events suggests an irregular treatment path, starting puberty blockers via surgical implant at the age of 12, starting testosterone at 14, and also undergoing a double mastectomy at 14. Surgery as part of a transgender minor’s treatment path is almost unheard of, despite what vocal anti-trans activists would have you believe, and when speaking to Billboard Chris, Breen initially states she received “top surgery” at 17 before later changing her story to a double mastectomy at 14. There is also a discrepancy between when Breen’s lawsuit states she started testosterone, and when she claimed to have started testosterone in conversation with Billboard Chris.
The exact truth of Breen’s medical history seems unclear at this time.
“[Breen’s] presentation of symptoms and concerns included, among other things, anxiety, depression, autism, undiagnosed post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), potential bipolarism, as has been suggested by one of her psychiatrists, ongoing confusion regarding her gender, and eventually psychosis (including audio and visual hallucinations), panic attacks, and paranoia,” claims the lawsuit. “Her family also has a lengthy history of mental health issues. She needed psychotherapy to evaluate, assess, and treat her complex co-morbid mental health symptoms. Instead, she was fast-tracked onto the conveyor belt of irreversibly damaging puberty blockers (age 12), cross-sex hormones (age 13), and ‘gender-affirming’ surgery (age 14).”
Never mind that many trans people have experience with anxiety, depression, autism and PTSD, or the fact that “potential bipolarism” isn’t a medical diagnosis. The lawsuit continues: “Clementine’s providers deliberately, grossly, and recklessly breached the standard of care in this case as discussed above, by among other things, failing to adequately assess and treat Clementine’s complex array of mental health symptoms and prior trauma before prescribing irreversible and life-altering medications and performing surgery.”
It’s impossible for us to say whether or not Dr. Olson-Kennedy (or the other party named in the suit, Dr. Scott Mosser, who released his own statement) deliberately, grossly, and recklessly breached standards of care. What we do know is that people like Breen have been used as handy puppets for anti-trans activists seeking to deny all transgender people the right to medical transition. Rates of detransition are comically low, and the majority of detransitioners are transgender people bullied into giving up their transition because of unsupportive friends and family, or impoverished transgender people who just can’t afford to fund their medical transition.
Those who are left are, by and large, mouthpieces for groups like PragerU, who uplift the voices of religious fanatics who still struggle with their gender identity. Point of fact, it seems that many professional detransitioners still experience profound dysphoria long after they detransition. Many of the faces of the detrans movement speak openly about denying gender-affirming care to all trans people, regardless of age. They believe that their mistakes justify stealing necessary care away from countless people for whom treatment does work.
Worryingly, the Supreme Court may be poised to agree with them.
We can only hope that the tireless efforts of advocates everywhere help safeguard access to life saving care for trans youth and adults.
Alyssa Steinsiek is a professional writer who spends too much time playing video games!
