First Do Harm: Weird “Science” From Fringe Pediatric Organization

The American College of Pediatricians (ACP) is a fringe medical society described by a charter member as "a Judeo-Christian, traditional values organization". Formed in 2002 and currently reporting approximately 60 members (out of an estimated 60,000 members of the far more reputable American Academy of Pediatrics), the ACP was created in direct response to the American Academy of Pediatrics 2002 policy statement supporting adoption by lesbians and gays.

[NOTE: For a comprehensive list of American College of Pediatricians and NARTH members and advisors, along with additional details about how their professional opinions are tainted by their conservative religious and social ideologies, please click here.]

By almost any measure, the American College of Pediatricians is a collection of socially conservative physicians who, like their counterparts in the equally fringe National Association for the Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH), attempt to disseminate and promote lies, misinformation, discredited statistics, bad science and discriminatory attitudes from behind a (thin) veneer of "medical" or "scientific" credibility. They espouse and endorse ideologically-based rather than science-based cissexist notions of what constitutes a healthy home, school and community environment for children and youth and, as such, present a danger to the psychological and physical safety of all gender non-conforming and transgender children and youth.

Recently, the ACP distributed a letter to more than 14,000 school superintendents nationwide in which they promoted their "Facts About Youth" website, which claims to be "non-political" and "non religious". In the letter they express "[concern]… that in many cases efforts to help students who exhibit same-sex attractions and/or gender confusion are based on incomplete or inaccurate information."

They repeatedly cite the work of Dr. Gary Remafedi (pictured below) from the University of Minnesota and Dr. Robert W. Blum of Johns Hopkins University and imply that a 1992 article they co-authored provides support for the ACP's position. TransActive contacted Dr. Remafedi about the American College of Pediatricians use of his research and received this response [Emphasis is ours]:

"This note is in response to your question about my reaction to the [ACP] statements: 'Rigorous studies demonstrate that most adolescents who initially experience same-sex attraction, or are sexually confused, no longer experience such attractions by age 25. In one study, as many as 26% of 12-year-olds reported being uncertain of their sexual orientation¹ [1]Remafedi G, Resnick M, Blum R, Harris L. Demography of sexual orientation in adolescents. Pediatrics. 1992.89:714-721.'”

"Although the second sentence correctly states the finding of our research, the first sentence misinterprets it. The actual conclusions, as reported in the discussion section of the paper were as follows: "Taken together, these data suggest that uncertainty about sexual orientation and perceptions of bisexuality gradually give way to heterosexual or homosexual identification with passage of time and/or with increasing sexual experience.“

We believe Dr. Remafedi was being overly generous in saying that they "misinterpreted" his research. We believe the American College of Pediatricians knowingly misrepresented Dr. Remafedi's research findings to fit their own ideologically driven purposes. We say this, because the very same misrepresentations have occurred previously by individuals and groups that the ACP is associated with:

For example…

Truth Wins Out, July 22, 2008
Dr. Gary Remafedi Says “Ex-Gay’ Group (PFOX) Manipulated His Study And Should Immediately Take The Distortions Off Its Website. "PFOX, as well as Focus on the Family, distorted his findings to make the case that young people should not learn about homosexuality because they were sexually confused, and could thus be influenced by educational material."

NOTE: Focus on The Family is prominently featured as a recommended resource on the American College of Pediatricians website.

Truth Wins Out, April 30, 2008
Gary Remafedi, M.D., M.P.H., a professor of pediatrics at the University of Minnesota, asked Focus on the Family’ leader James Dobson to stop misrepresenting his findings from a key 1992 study. “I want to draw your attention to a gross misrepresentation of our research at the website of Focus on the Family,” Remafedi wrote in his letter to Dobson. “More important, had the authors of “Myths and Facts” actually read the article, they would have found no support for their contention that many children experience a period of sexual-identity confusion when they can be influenced in either direction.'”

It's not the only misrepresentation of Dr. Remafedi's work that appears in the ACP letter and on the "Facts About Youth" website:

"Among adolescents who claim a 'gay' identity, the health risks include higher rates of sexually transmitted infections, alcoholism, substance abuse, anxiety, depression and suicide… the longer students delay self-labeling as 'gay,' the less likely they are to experience these health risks. In fact, for
each year an adolescent delays, the risk of suicide alone decreases by 20%.⁷" (7. Remafedi G, Farrow JA, Deisher RW, (1991) Risk factors for attempted suicide in gay and bisexual youth. Pediatrics 87:869-875.)

Dr. Gary Remafedi provided the following additional statement to TransActive regarding the above distortion of his research:

"Dear Ms. Burleton… With regards to the reference in question, the authors misquoted the findings as well as the interpretation. As clearly indicated in the discussion section of the paper: 'For each year's delay in bisexual or homosexual self-labeling, the odds of a suicide attempt diminished by 80%. These findings support a previously observed, inverse relationship between psychosocial problems and the age of acquiring a homosexual identity. Compared with older persons, early and middle adolescents may be generally less able to cope with the isolation and stigma of a homosexual identity.'"

These repeated misrepresentations by the members and leadership of the American College of Pediatricians constitute far more than a simple violation of professional integrity or moral responsibility. It perpetuates and facilitates the very risk factors that are associated with the higher suicide rates seen in gender non-conforming children and youth. In point of fact, the irresponsible professional opinions given on their "Facts About Youth" website goes so far as to validate the continued marginalization and abuse inflicted upon these kids in schools nationwide.

Intelligent, objective and caring physicians and clinicians do not adopt the oppressive language of known hate groups. Yet, the American College of Pediatricians mirrors the tactics of organizations and individuals that insist on using quotation marks around the words "gay", "transgender", "anti-bullying" and others in an attempt to dehumanize our children and youth.

To be clear… we believe the misrepresented and misinterpreted "research" disseminated by the American College of Pediatricians provides, and is intended to provide, "scientific" support and cover to organizations like those listed here who desire to perpetuate and even institutionalize (perhaps through letters to school superintendents?) the emotional and physical abuse of transgender and gender non-conforming children and youth of every sexual orientation.