107. Exposing Gender Malpractice: Mia Hughes on the WPATH Files, Medical Ethics, & Informed Consent

You Must Be Some Kind of Therapist

Mia Hughes, author of the recently released WPATH Files report, joins me today to discuss the medical scandal of our era. Together, we uncover the shocking revelations from the leaked files, exposing the mistreatment of vulnerable individuals seeking gender transition.

We explore how the official-sounding “World Professional Association for Transgender Health” got its name, and whether that title is deserved or misleading. What happens when an organization with so much power strays from ethical standards and prioritizes political agendas over patient well-being? What role do autogynephiles play in leading the charge for widespread normalization of radical body modifications? How does the shift from ego-syntonic to ego-dystonic framing impact the treatment of psychiatric conditions, and what are the implications of the de-psychopathologization of gender identity for individuals seeking sex trait modifications?

Join us as we navigate the complexities of gender dysphoria, questioning the validity of medical pathways and the true motives behind the trans rights movement. Are we witnessing a dangerous trend of consumer-driven medicine at the expense of Hippocratic ethics?

Mia Hughes is an Ottawa-based British journalist and researcher for Michael Shellenberger's nonprofit Environmental Progress. She is the author of the WPATH Files report, which exposed the widespread medical mistreatment of children, adolescents and vulnerable adults in the field of gender-affirming care.

Follow Mia on X @_crymiariver

Read the WPATH Files

Books mentioned in this episode:

• The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness, by Jonathan Haidt

All books mentioned on this podcast can be found at sometherapist.com/bookshop or by following the Amazon affiliate links. Thank you for purchases that support the show!

00:00 Start

[00:00:00] Gender identity diagnosis controversy.

[00:07:18] The group's ideological shift.

[00:08:43] Gender-affirming care and WPATH.

[00:14:57] Questioning the motives of WPATH.

[00:18:00] Gender affirming medicine ethics.

[00:22:58] Medical necessity and experimental medicine.

[00:27:05] WPATH misled the public.

[00:28:26] Understanding hormone effects in kids.

[00:32:02] WPATH's two-faced nature.

[00:37:35] Embodiment and neural pathways.

[00:39:18] De-psychopathologizing sex trait modification.

[00:43:56] Pathology of gender identity disorder.

[00:48:07] Ego-syntonic framing of the issue.

[00:53:28] Autogynephilic men in transgender diagnosis.

[00:56:19] Borderline Personality Disorder and misdiagnosis.

[01:00:59] Multiple personality disorder resurgence.

[01:03:20] The importance of obtaining consent.

[01:10:50] Self-care challenges in transgender surgery.

[01:11:18] The reality of post-op recovery.

[01:16:52] Gender dysphoria and surgical decisions.

[01:20:16] The ethics of informed consent.

[01:23:42] Victim blaming in medical decisions.

[01:27:36] WPATH standards of care scandal.

[01:30:28] Detransition lawsuits and WPATH guidelines.

[01:34:38] The gentle approach in persuasion.

[01:41:08] Non-binary surgeries and ethics.

[01:43:45] Where to find Mia.

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SHOW NOTES & transcript with help from SwellAI.

MUSIC: Thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude & permission.

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Show notes & transcript provided with the help of SwellAI.

Special thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our theme song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude and permission.

Watch NO WAY BACK: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care (our medical ethics documentary, formerly known as Affirmation Generation). Stream the film or purchase a DVD. Use code SOMETHERAPIST to take 20% off your order. Follow us on X @2022affirmation or Instagram at @affirmationgeneration.

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