AFFIRMATION GENERATION
Early access – 18 février 2023
https://affirmationgenerationmovie.com
A deep dive into the current medical scandal entangling youth around the globe, this documentary will take you beyond the controversial headlines and into the authentic lives of people with real regrets, but also true hopes for the future
Michael K. Laidlaw, M.D. Endocrinologist, Rocklin, CA
AFFIRMATION GENERATION, an original feature-length documentary on medical ethics examining current medical practices with irrevocable impact upon vulnerable youth. The stories of Detransitioners expose the failure of the one-size-fits-all youth transgender medicalization. Without diagnostic clarity or treatment of their co-morbidities, these individuals were ushered mindlessly by their doctors towards wrong-sex hormones and surgeries. Later, each of them detransitioned. Twelve experts in mental health, pediatrics, sociology and endocrinology with decades of clinical practice argue that “gender-affirming care” is a radical departure from how we treat any other distress, because the patient (no matter how young or unwell) dictates to the medical expert what he/she wants. The documentary cites 45 peer-reviewed medical and journalist articles. There is no consensus among all medical providers on how to treat gender identity disorders in the exploding new cohort of children and teenagers with no previous history of dysphoria.
The detransitioners’ testimonies detail medical malpractice in treating vulnerable youth with comorbidities such as autism, ADHD, PTSD, mental illnesses, trauma, obesity, PCOS, BPD, eating disorders. The film also highlights youth distressed over their same-sex attraction. The endocrine experts prove that wrong-sex hormones and surgeries are sterilizing youth and destroying their sexual function. Experts argue that if these young people were left unmedicated, they would grow up to be gay / lesbian / bisexual adults.
Alongside the rising awareness of Detransitioners, the medical scandal of pediatric transgender medicalization is exploding worldwide (Boston Children’s Hospital advertisements on YouTube for sexreassignment surgeries to kids under 18, and the shuttering of Tavistock Clinic – UK’s largest pediatric gender clinic). Many European countries have recently abolished transgender medicalization for minors as experimental, not evidence-based, and harmful. Steeped in science, facts, medical evidence and compassion towards gender non-conforming and dysphoric young people, AFFIRMATION GENERATION is positioned to make a profound contribution to the conversation.
SYNOPSIS
Detransitioners Michelle, Laura, Cat, David, Joel and Abel tell their stories of their gender distress, transgender medicalization, and subsequent detransition. Without diagnostic clarity or mental health evaluations, they were affirmed on their first appointment and sent on a path of medical transition by their doctors. These young people were harmed irrevocably by the doctors they trusted. The documentary demonstrates how the “one-size-fits-all” medicalization (the so-called “gender-affirmative care”) has failed these patients.
The stories of the detransitioners are examined by twelve leading experts with decades of clinical practice treating gender-distressed patients: psychotherapists Lisa Marchiano, Sasha Ayad, Stella O’Malley, physician-scientist Lisa Littman, endocrinologist Dr. William Malone, MD; Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist Stephanie Winn, sociologist Dr. Michael Biggs, pediatrician Dr. Julia Mason, NYT best-selling writer Lisa Selin Davis, and LGB activist & lifelong Liberal Democrat Joey Brite, among others.