Close the CAMH Gender Identity Clinic – Facebook group
There’s a new Facebook group (link here) aimed at highlighting the controversial policies and practises which are carried out at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in Toronto.
Lynn Conway has also posted a wealth of information on the TSRoadmap site (link here) about CAMH and its staff, including Ken Zucker and Ray Blanchard. In addition to their favoured ‘reparative therapy’ approach at CAMH, they have also been the subjects of some controversy following their appointments to the American Psychiatric Association’s Sexual & Gender Identity Disorders Work Group, which is charged with reviewing the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) – a hugely influential document which includes five different diagnoses for ‘Gender Identity Disorder’ (GID).
The Clarke Institute is a Toronto mental institution charged with serving gender-variant clients in the area. Under the direction of Ray Blanchard, it has become widely known as one of the most notorious facilities in the world in terms of controlling access to medical services.
According to their website they offer services, including for “those who wish to manage their cross-gender feelings and the expression of those feelings while remaining in their original gender role.” This is another way to describe reparative therapy similar to groups who claim to “cure” gays and lesbians.
Much of the anti-trans thinking in the world today emanates from The Clarke, long nicknamed “Jurassic Clarke” in the trans community for its regressive policies.
(Via TSRoadmap)
However, even a recent internal report has voiced concerns about “dismissive, condescending and authoritarian attitudes” at CAMH and cites the following key concerns:
1. Homophobia has been cited as one of 3 major internal issues
2. LGBTTTQQI issues are not part of the cultural competency of all staff
3. Although there are Queer & Trans-specific services in the Addictions program, these are not offered in Mental Health
4. The Gender Identity Clinic (GIC) and the Gender Identity Disorder Service (GIDS) have not been well regarded by some members of LGBTTTQQI communities due to negative experiences, underlying operational theories, approach, and treatment philosophy.
(Direct link here to PDF of the full report – and – direct link here to PDF of the executive summary)
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(Cross-posted at Bird of Paradox)
Just wanted to add that this is especially important since Ontario reenlisted SRS. The only way to get coverage for surgeries in Ontario is to go through the CAMH, which effectively prevents a huge portion of us from ever being covered. Their regressive policies are obvious even from their website, in which they stress that the WPATH guidelines are a bare minimum and in their program they require a full year of real life experience before they’ll let you start hormone therapy. Ugh.
verberantia
28 Apr 09 at 7:03 am
One of my friends had her life ruined by CAMH. I cannot wish enough bad things on those fucks.
Ellie
28 Apr 09 at 9:07 am
> and in their program they require a full year of real life experience before they’ll let you start hormone therapy
Thats standart in Switzerland, too. I only bypassed it be self administering Hormones I bought in spain. The gatekeeper was not happy with that, and labeld my disordered, not TS. I could bypass him, too,because my decision was already for surgery with Dr. Suporn (who wants a letter of recommendation along the WPATH SOCs).
But theres a thing in common. While Ontario only has the CAMH, Swizterland has just two so called competence centres that are closeley meshed. Seems like monopoly plays a hugh part in misstreatment.
sarahsbadhairdays
28 Apr 09 at 12:03 pm
Now there’s a place I’d love to see ruined.
Unfortunately, I threw out the hilarious questionnaire they sent me, but one of the questions it asked was ‘have you ever been arrested?’ Not charged, not convicted before a court of law nor any of that due process shit.
I’m lucky and have money so I told them to fuck off, but the fact that they’re actually getting paid by the province to abuse and degrade trans people is just unreal.
marsmannetje
28 Apr 09 at 1:08 pm
marsmannetje, I hope you won’t think I’m trying to diminish your expereience at all, because it sounds awful, but…a part of my mind immediately conjured up Arlo Guthrie. “There, on the other side, in the middle of the other side, way away from everything else on the other side, in capital letters, quotated, I read the following words: Kid, have you rehabilitated yourself?”
“Alice’s Restaurant”, a hardy perennial of truth.
Back at reality, I’ve signed up for Facebook today to join in this effort. Display of numbers does count.
cericonversion
28 Apr 09 at 1:31 pm
It seems to me that the healthcare profession worldwide is invested in gatekeeping (rather than facilitating) medical transitioning – the Charing Cross gender clinic in London doesn’t exactly have a shining reputation and my own experience of transitioning via private healthcare wasn’t without some not-so-good moments.
But it has to be said that CAMH seems to have caused huge distress and damage to far too many people, for far too long. And that is an absolute disgrace.
Helen G
28 Apr 09 at 1:55 pm
Apropos quote cericonversion! The real criminals sit in their towers, in this case a study in 60s brutalism on Queen Street. At least they picked an appropriate architectural style.
It wasn’t an awful experience for me, because I already knew their reputation and wasn’t expecting much; I thought I’d at least try that route before using Other Means. You know, to see if they’d changed or anything. Nope.
The letter really hardened my decision to maintain complete control over my transition at all stages. ‘Professionals’ just can’t be trusted.
Ironically, I have never been arrested. But that’s not the point.
marsmannetje
28 Apr 09 at 4:15 pm
HBSOC/WPATH standards have never existed to facilitate medical transition for trans people. They exist to:
* Protect cis people from accidentally transitioning
* Protect medical professionals from trans people
* Protect society from people becoming trans
In other words, trans people’s needs don’t even come dead last – they’re not even on the radar. If you can assure that no cis person will be harmed in your transition, and jump through an arbitrary number of hoops (depending on who you see or where you go), then they’ll let you through. Maybe. But then your insurance probably won’t cover it and you’ll get to live in a kind of legal limbo where your sex/gender are concerned, which will legitimize certain kinds of harassment anywhere that trans rights are not protected.
Lisa Harney
28 Apr 09 at 6:29 pm
ah, yeah, i also thought of Alice’s Restaurant when i saw the “have you ever been arrested?” question!!!!
what if 50 of us walked into the CAMH clinic every day, sang a bar of Alice’s Restaurant, and walked out???
why, they’d think it’s a movement! and that’s what it is!!!!! it’s the movement to shut down the CAMH clinic, and all you got to do to join is sing it the next time it comes around on the guitar…with feelin!’
and the people who run the CAMH do sound pretty much like the military officials that Arlo describes in the song…and they will make us sit on the Group W bench if they think we are not worthy of getting treatment.
Good ol’ Arlo!!!!
and i, like cericonversion, hope that no one is offended or thinks i am making light of this. but sometimes you just have to laugh at the absurdity and stupidity of the world, or you’ll end up going totally nuts.
Lady vanessa
29 Apr 09 at 1:57 pm