Right-Wing "American College Of Pediatricians" Releases Trans Youth Conversion Therapy Site

The website leans heavily on religious therapy and "gender exploratory therapy" a misleadingly named type of therapy meant to convince trans people they are not truly transgender.

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

The deceptively titled organization, “The American College of Pediatricians,” has introduced a new website aimed at aiding families in subjecting their transgender children to conversion therapy. This new effort, called the “Biological Integrity Initiative,” offers an abundance of resources on preventing a child from identifying as transgender and provides links to therapists from groups “critical of gender ideology.” Their objective? Based on information from the site, it's to encourage transgender youth to “embrace their biological sex” and adopt a “clear heterosexual identity.” Notably, they rely on a method being used in various US states banning trans care and in the United Kingdom: gender exploratory therapy, a new type of conversion therapy which seeks to persuade transgender individuals that their gender identity stems from anything but authentic transness.

This organization, misleadingly named to be easily confused with the American Academy of Pediatrics (a far more extensive body with a membership of 67,000 pediatric medicine practitioners), has traveled across the United States to advocate for bans on gender-affirming care. Leaders of the organization have been deeply engaged in the drafting and defending of numerous laws nationwide. Now, with the introduction of the “Biological Integrity Initiative,” they've broadened their scope to directly offer conversion therapy resources to parents, teens, and providers.

The therapy they prominently promote is termed “gender exploratory therapy.” While it purports to “help transgender youth explore their gender identity,” the actual intent is far more sinister. In these sessions, therapists repeatedly "explore" a seemingly endless list of possible "reasons" for being transgender, despite lacking evidence that any specific factor "causes" someone to be trans. Crucially, there's no scenario where being transgender is acknowledged or accepted. Letters endorsing hormone therapy for trans youth are never issued, and often their social transition is not allowed. Instead, the therapy aims to psychologically manipulate teenagers, sometimes for years, until they abandon their pursuit of transitioning. This stance is further highlighted by several practitioners who assert that transgender individuals shouldn’t be allowed to transition until the age of 25.

The Gender Exploratory Therapy Association frequently denies that it engages in conversion therapy. They assert that their therapeutic approach is “neutral in nature” and “does not prejudge outcomes.” Yet, this association opposes bans on conversion therapy, submits public comments in favor of blocking Title IX protections against gender discrimination for trans students, and its official account has been observed endorsing tweets like “trans healthcare is the latest in a long line of medical fads.” Such actions hardly mirror the claims of a “neutral, non-prejudiced” entity.

The new initiative by the American College of Pediatricians meant to funnel transgender youth into conversion therapy makes claims of “neutrality” even harder to justify. Gender exploratory therapy is listed as the primary pathway for transgender people under the “find a therapist” section of the site. The association is then placed alongside a slew of conversion therapy organizations, such as the “Christian Counselors Network,” which offers referrals to over 100 conversion therapists for treatment of “homosexuality issues” or “gender identity issues.”

See the list of organizations here:

“Find A Therapist” section of the Biological Integrity Initiative

The new initiative rolls out resources geared toward parents, doctors, and teens. Prominently featured for teens is a documentary with Chloe Cole. In an FAQ section, several questions seem aimed to deter transgender teens from transitioning, suggesting they'll face “a lot of pain” and asking, “are you ready to give up your ability to ever have biological children for life?” It's worth noting that reproductive counseling is a component of gender-affirming care for trans youth and adults. For doctors, the organization suggests telling trans men that using “package pouches is unhealthy” because it “increases the likelihood of them pursuing a medical pathway.” They also advise doctors to warn against parents allowing trans teens to use a new name, use different pronouns, or wear clothing that doesn't align with their birth sex.

The section offering advice to parents might harbor some of the most overt conversion therapy content. In a handout titled “how do I affirm my child’s birth sex?", parents are informed that boys “raised right” stand a “97% chance” of developing a clear heterosexual (and, impliedly, cisgender) identity. The guide to raising boys "right" includes activities like fathers “wrestling with their sons,” sons being encouraged to “fix the car and mow the lawn,” and discussions highlighting their “strong muscles.” Mothers are advised to frequently “compliment the father” and to refrain from showing him “angry emotions.” For daughters, fathers are guided to tenderly reinforce their feminine identities, referencing “Out of Egypt: One Woman’s Journey Out Of Lesbianism.” Mothers receive cautionary advice suggesting that a “lack of an intimate, fulfilling relationship with the father” can lead to having transgender children.

See this list of potential things that parents are told they can do to help enforce their child’s birth sex:

Pages from handout on the Biological Integrity Initiative’s section on “affirming my child’s sex”

There is no evidence that any of these things can cause a kid to be transgender, or that adjusting these will cause a transgender kid to “change back” to being cisgender. There is evidence, however, that conversion therapy is harmful. Transgender people who have gone through conversion therapy are more than twice as likely to attempt suicide, and that there was no significant difference in risk between secular conversion therapists and religion conversion therapists.

Meanwhile, the methods endorsed by the American College of Pediatricians’ Biological Integrity Initiative are finding their way into laws in several states. Nebraska recently mandated a 5-month duration for therapy that is “non-gender-affirming,” a thinly-veiled reference to gender-exploratory therapy and the methods promoted by this initiative. Florida’s care guidelines invoke “gender exploratory therapy” to rationalize its prohibition on Medicaid funding for gender-affirming treatments. The United Kingdom’s NHS Trust has incorporated “gender exploratory therapy” in its training resources and seems to be contemplating its usage for trans youth treatment. The growing adoption of gender-exploratory therapy, particularly as bans on gender affirming care take effect, essentially amounts to state-enforced conversion therapy as the only remaining treatment option.

The American College of Pediatricians will continue to testify in state houses and courtrooms nationwide, presenting itself as a “concerned group of physicians” while exploiting a name that easily confuses it with a far more expansive professional body. Gender exploratory therapy will continue to be promoted as a “neutral alternative,” even when it clearly aligns with conversion therapy and the organization that sponsors it consistently implies that transition is never an option. It's imperative for lawmakers, journalists, and healthcare professionals to be apprised of this escalating movement targeting trans youth across governmental bodies, the media, and our healthcare institutions.

The author has reached out to the American College of Pediatricians for comment on whether or not it worked with the Gender Exploratory Therapy Association and received no response.