Kenneth Zucker
Kenneth J. Zucker | |
---|---|
Pronunciation | |
Born | 1950 (age 73–74) |
Nationality | American-Canadian |
Alma mater | University of Toronto, Roosevelt University, & Southern Illinois University |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Sexology |
Institutions | University of Toronto |
Website | www.kenzuckerphd.com |
Kenneth J. Zucker (
Zucker collaborated with Susan Bradley, collecting clinical and research data over a period of twenty years and became an international authority on gender dysphoria in children (GDC) and adolescents.[3] In 2007, Zucker was chosen to be a member of the American Psychological Association Task Force on Gender Identity, Gender Variance, and Intersex Conditions, and in 2008 he was named chair of the American Psychiatric Association workgroup on "Sexual and Gender Identity Disorders" for the 2012 edition of the DSM-5. He previously served on workgroups for the DSM-IV and the DSM-IV-TR.[4][not verified in body]
Zucker's views and therapeutic approach have attracted criticism from several advocates and mental health professionals.[5][6][not verified in body] Citing a review by two adolescent psychiatrists stating that CAMH was out of step with current practices for transgender youth, CAMH fired Zucker and closed the clinic.[7] They later apologized to Zucker and paid him a financial settlement after one of the complaints in the review was found to be false.[8]
Life
Zucker was born in 1950 to Jewish parents and grew up in Skokie, Illinois.[9] Zucker received his B.A. from Southern Illinois University, his M.A. from Roosevelt University, and his Ph.D. from University of Toronto in 1982. He holds a certification from College of Psychologists of Ontario.
Zucker became interested in gender identity after reading
Zucker was impressed with the Clarke Institute and met with then chief of psychology, Kingsley Ferguson, who told Zucker of Bradley's new working group assessing children and adolescents with gender identity problems. He joined Bradley's group.[10]
Zucker collaborated with Susan Bradley, collecting clinical and research data over a period of twenty years and became an authority on gender dysphoria in children (GDC) and adolescents.[3]
Therapeutic intervention for gender variance
Reasons for treatment
Early models for treating gender-variant children involved attempts to change their gender identity and behavior to conform to social expectations for their assigned gender at birth (AGAB).[11] The most significant works on this approach were formulated by Richard Green, Susan Bradley, and Kenneth Zucker.[12] The approach became best known through the work of Susan Bradley and Kenneth Zucker, and through their colleagues at CAMH in Toronto, where it became known as the "living in your own skin" approach.[11]
Zucker has stated that children with gender dysphoria should be treated to eliminate peer ostracism, treating underlying psychopathology, and preventing the child from becoming transgender.[13][14][15] Zucker saw preventing children from becoming trans adults as justifiable in part due to the perceived difficulties posed by gender transition.[13][16][17]
Kenneth Zucker and
In 2011, Jemma Tosh stated that Zucker considers the prevention of homosexuality a rationale for treatment.[20] In 2003, Zucker and Susan Bradley wrote “In none of our publications have we ever endorsed prevention of homosexuality as a therapeutic goal in the treatment of children with GID, although we note that this might have been a goal of some therapists and also of some parents”.[21] In 2020, Zucker stated “there is little evidence that treatment of children with GD alters their eventual sexual orientation“, citing the work of Richard Green.[22]
Methods
Since the mid-1970s, Zucker has treated about 500 preadolescent gender-variant children to have them conform to the gender identity they were assigned at birth until they are at an age he believes they may determine their own gender identity.[23] Zucker has stated he has tried to encourage children to accept their birth sex and supports them in transitioning if they still experience gender dysphoria into adolescence.[24]
For children assigned male at birth (AMAB), Zucker has parents take away toys associated with girls, and instruct their child not to play alongside girls, or draw pictures of girls.[25][19] Children are also prohibited from engaging in cross-dressing.[26][19] Friendships with the same gender are encouraged, while friendships with the opposite gender are halted.[19] Zucker and Bradley believed that conversion treatments could reduce peer rejection by enabling gender non-conforming children to mix with children of the same sex, reducing the possibility of adult gender dysphoria.[27][page needed]
In 1994, Zucker's follow-up of 50 treated children found that, "about 10 percent are still very unhappy about their gender, still cross-dressing, and thinking about having
In 2004, Zucker expressed the belief that
In 2008, Zucker stated that "the therapist must rely on the 'clinical wisdom' that has accumulated and to utilize largely untested case formulation conceptual models to inform treatment approaches and decisions."[29]
In 2015, an external review of Zucker's clinic found that the clinic considered being
Criticism
Critics have compared Zucker's approaches with
In February 2017, Zucker was slated to speak at a panel in
Closure of the CAMH Gender Identity Clinic for Children
Ontario conversion therapy ban
In January 2015, Zucker was the psychologist-in-chief at Toronto's Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and head of its Gender Identity Service.[1] That month, members of Rainbow Health Ontario, a provincial health promotion and navigation organization, approached CAMH expressing their concerns regarding Zucker's clinic.[35] Rainbow Health Ontario submitted a review of academic literature and clinical practices for transgender youth, and expressed concern that the gender identity clinic was not following accepted practices.[17] Others linked the Gender Identity Clinic's practices to suicide of transgender youth caused by conversion therapy, and referenced the high-profile case of Leelah Alcorn, a transgender teen from Ohio.[35]
In February 2015, CAMH ordered an external review of its gender identity clinic for children and teens.[36] A report from March 2015 stated that the review was the result of growing online scrutiny of CAMH for alleged conversion therapy practices.[7] The same report stated that the clinic would not be accepting new patients until the review was finished.[7]
In March 2015, the
External review
The external reviewers for the gender identity clinic were child and adolescent psychiatrists Suzanne Zinck of Halifax, and Antonio Pignatiello of Toronto. They invited stakeholders to comment on their experiences in the clinic.
In November 2015, the external review was published.
Closure
In December 2015, CAMH announced that it was "winding down" the clinic and that Zucker was no longer employed there. Kwame McKenzie, medical director of CAMH's child, youth, and family services, said "We want to apologize for the fact that not all of the practices in our childhood gender identity clinic are in step with the latest thinking".[40] CAMH announced a process of consultation with community leaders to examine how best to offer care.[41]
McKenzie said that Zucker's treatments were against the centre's guidelines. Prior to the review, he stated that there existed two schools of thought on such therapy for children under 11 among professionals.[7][42][43]
Settlement
The client who accused Zucker of calling him a "vermin" withdrew his accusation, which was reported as false.[44][45]
CAMH removed the report from its website and apologized, and replaced it with a summary of the report which has not survived a move to its new website.[45]
Zucker sought legal justification with McKenzie and CAMH, for which CAMH again apologized to, and settled with Zucker,[46] paying $586,000 in damages, legal fees, and interest.[8]
When the settlement was announced, CAMH stated that it "stands by its decision to close the child and youth gender identity clinic following an external review which concluded the clinic was not meeting the needs of
DSM-5 appointment
For several years prior to the publication of the DSM-5,
According to a response released by American Psychiatric Association, Zucker does not advocate conversion therapy for transgender adults or for trans youth in all cases, and he opposes change therapy for gay people under all circumstances.[52]
Archives of Sexual Behavior
As editor of Archives of Sexual Behavior, Zucker published a controversial study on
Publications
According to the
- Gender Identity Disorder and Psychosexual Problems in Children and Adolescents (1995)
- Attachment and Psychopathology (1997)
- Ex-Gay Research: Analyzing the Spitzer Study And Its Relation to Science, Religion, Politics, and Culture (2006)
References
- ^ a b "Dr. Kenneth Zucker". Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. Archived from the original on April 17, 2015. Retrieved October 22, 2017.
- ^ Ubelacker, Sheryl (December 15, 2015). "CAMH to 'wind down' controversial gender identity clinic services". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
- ^ .
- S2CID 22048269.
- Xtra. Retrieved March 23, 2015.
- S2CID 149606144.
- ^ a b c d e Cross, Jessica Smith (March 18, 2015). "Outcry prompts CAMH to review its controversial treatment of trans youth". Metro. Metro International. Archived from the original on March 20, 2015. Retrieved November 1, 2022.
- ^ a b Rizza, Alanna (October 7, 2018). "CAMH reaches settlement with former head of gender-identity clinic". Toronto Star.
- ^ a b Schwartzapfel, Beth (March 14, 2013). "Born This Way?". The American Prospect. Retrieved March 23, 2015.
- )
- ^ ISBN 978-3030389086.
- ISBN 978-1119257585.
- ^ ISBN 978-0880481878.
- ISBN 978-0898622669.
- ISBN 978-1939594303.
- ISBN 978-1138013926.
- ^ ISBN 978-0774866958.
- ^ PMID 30073625.
- ^ ISBN 978-0743236713.
- ^ Tosh, Jemma (2011). "'Zuck Off'! A commentary on the protest against Ken Zucker and his 'treatment' of Childhood Gender Identity Disorder" (PDF). Psychology of Women Section Review. 13 (1): 10.
Zucker and Bradley (2004) emphasize homosexuality as a common 'psychosexual outcome' of childhood GID and Zucker (2006) states that the prevention of transsexualism and homosexuality are both rationales for its treatment (although he considers the prevention of homosexuality somewhat 'problematic'). Subsequently, this 'treatment' has been compared to reparative therapy (Pickstone-Taylor, 2003) that was condemned by the American Psychiatric Association in 2000 (APA, 2000).
- ^ ISSN 0890-8567.
- LCCN 2020018448.
- ^ Brown, Patricia Leigh (December 2, 2006). "Supporting Boys or Girls When the Line Isn't Clear". The New York Times.
- ^ Rizza, Alanna (October 9, 2018). "Former CAMH psychologist defends his work at youth gender identity clinic". CityNews.
- National Public Radio.
- ^ a b Goleman, Daniel (March 22, 1994). "The 'Wrong' Sex: A New Definition Of Childhood Pain". The New York Times.
- ISBN 978-0-7890-3214-0.
- ^ Dingfelder, Sadie F. (2004). "Gender bender". Monitor on Psychology. 35 (4): 48. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
- .
- S2CID 13696265.
- .
- PMID 12595778.
- ^ Lostracco, Marc (May 9, 2008). "But for today I am a boy". Torontoist. Archived from the original on August 16, 2022. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
- ^ a b c Bazelon, Emily (June 15, 2022). "The Battle Over Gender Therapy". The New York Times Magazine. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
- ^ a b Singal, Jesse (February 7, 2016). "How the Fight Over Transgender Kids Got a Leading Sex Researcher Fired". New York Magazine. Retrieved October 30, 2022.
- ^ a b c Ubelacker, Sheryl (June 12, 2015). "Ont. conversion therapy ban may see some gender identity clinics change approach". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved November 1, 2022.
- ^ The Canadian Press (June 4, 2015). "Ontario passes NDP bill to ban conversion therapy for LGBTQ children". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved November 1, 2022.
- ^ Lenti, Erica (June 25, 2015). "CAMH Supports Bill 77 Despite Criticism of Controversial Gender Identity Clinic". Torontoist. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
- ^ a b c "External Review of the Gender Identity Clinic of the Child, Youth and Family Services in the Underserved Populations Program at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health" (PDF). CAMH. November 26, 2015. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
- ^ Ubelacker, Sheryl (December 15, 2015). "CAMH to 'wind down' controversial gender identity clinic services". The Globe and Mail. Canadian Press. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
- ^ "CAMH to 'wind down' gender identity clinic after review of services". CBC News. Canadian Press. December 15, 2015. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
- ^ Paterson, Tara (February 21, 2015). "As trans issues become mainstream, question of how to address variant gender expression comes to forefront". National Post.
- ^ "Gender Identity Service Review Announced". Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. Archived from the original on March 16, 2015. Retrieved November 1, 2022.
- ^ Singal, Jesse (January 27, 2016). "A False Accusation Helped Bring Down Kenneth Zucker, a Controversial Sex Researcher". NYMag.
- ^ a b Roberts, Jennifer (January 29, 2016). "Alleged exchange with gender identity doctor didn't happen, CAMH says". The Globe and Mail.
- ^ "CAMH Apology". CAMH. 2018. Archived from the original on October 6, 2018. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
- ^ Rizza, Alanna (October 7, 2018). "CAMH to pay more than half a million settlement to head of gender identity clinic after releasing fallacious report". National Post.
- ^ "CAMH reaches settlement with former head of gender identity clinic". The Canadian Press. October 7, 2018. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
- ^ Chibarro, Lou Jr. (May 30, 2008). "Activists alarmed over APA: Head of psychiatry panel favors 'change' therapy for some trans teens". Washington Blade. Archived from the original on June 2, 2008.
- Xtra. Archived from the originalon August 30, 2009. Retrieved July 7, 2008.
- ^ Sarda-Sorensen, Inga (May 28, 2008). "Task Force questions critical appointments to APA's Committee on Sexual and Gender Identity Disorders". National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. Archived from the original on July 25, 2012. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
- ^ "Statement on Dr. Kenneth Zucker and Gender Identity Disorder". May 23, 2008. Archived from the original on October 15, 2011. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ^ a b c Carey, Benedict (May 18, 2012). "Psychiatry Giant Sorry for Backing Gay 'Cure'". The New York Times. Retrieved August 12, 2012.
- ISBN 978-1452945521.
- ^ "Kenneth J Zucker". scholar.google.com. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
External links
Further reading
- Article on Kenneth Zucker's work in The Atlantic (2008).
- Interview with Dr. Kenneth Zucker in GayOut (no date).