a) It's timely and vaguely related to the Iowa transgender material,
b) It's about a psychology professor,
c) It mentions Univ. of Florida turning over to the state government the mental health records of transgender students (!!)
See below.
Thank you Dr. Pope.
--- Forwarded Message ---
Subject: Psychology Prof Brought Millions to FL State U, Now Warns of Unsafe "Hostile Environment" for Black & LGBTQ Students, Faculty, & Staff
Date: Fri, 08 Dec 2023 07:01:51 -0800
From: ken@kenpope.com
The Tallahassee Democrat includes an article: “This professor brought millions to Florida State. Now he's leaving a 'hostile’ environment” by Walter R. Boot, Ph.D.
Here’s the author note:
Walter R. Boot, Ph.D., is a professor of psychology at Florida State University and has been a member of the FSU faculty since 2008.
Here are some excerpts:
In early 2022, “Don’t Say Gay'' became law based on the premise that the mere mention of LGBTQ people is dangerous. The run-up and aftermath of its passage involved hostile rhetoric painting queer and trans individuals as pedophiles and groomers, rhetoric that came not just from citizens but from state officials.
As it became increasingly clear that LGBTQ students, faculty, and staff at Florida State University had targets on their backs, I explained my concerns in an April 2022 email and made a simple request of FSU President Richard McCullough: give us a reason to stay.
<snip>
His response was something along the lines of, “If I say or do anything, I will be fired, and my replacement will be worse.” His office tells me that he disputes this account.
Later, I was told his refusal to express support was because “the University’s 501(c)(3) status limits the University’s participation in political advocacy.” My concerns were dismissed as mere politics. Since then, matters have only gotten worse.
In December 2022, the FBI alerted FSU to a threat of mass violence against gay people on campus. FSU has yet to acknowledge this threat publicly. We learned about it only through a newspaper article the next month after an arrest had been made.
Alarmed by this incident and concerned for campus safety, I again pressed President McCullough’s office to express support for queer and trans community members publicly. They did not.
Gov. DeSantis then demanded that universities turn over information about transgender students. Information requested included intimate information about treatments, surgeries, mental health diagnoses, and facilities that transgender students were referred to for care. FSU complied with this request, shifting its response from silence to active harm.
<snip>
Equality Florida and the Human Rights Campaign have issued travel advisories citing the very real perils of traveling to or living in Florida while queer or trans. At FSU, these perils are exacerbated by uncaring leadership.
I will be leaving FSU at the end of this year. The purpose of my message is not to change the mind of members of the administration. Any additional efforts seem futile. It is to foreshadow the experience of anyone considering FSU as their home, particularly individuals who are Black, trans, gay or lesbian, queer, or who belong to any other group currently under siege by the state of Florida.
I brought millions of dollars of funding to FSU, volunteered for service roles demanding significant commitments, and stepped up to teach classes no one else could or would. I went above and beyond what is required again and again.
Yet, President McCullough remains unwilling to even offer a few words of public support for queer and trans members of the FSU community.
If you are considering FSU as your home, do not expect them to make any effort to support or protect you in an increasingly hostile and dangerous environment for people like us. Consider your options carefully. You deserve better than what FSU has to offer.
Ken Pope
Ken Pope, Nayeli Y. Chavez-Dueñas, Hector Y. Adames, Janet L. Sonne, and Beverly A. Greene
Speaking the Unspoken: Breaking the Silence, Myths, and Taboos That Hurt Therapists and Patients (APA, 2023)
Hector Y. Adames, Nayeli Y. Chavez-Dueñas, Melba J.T. Vasquez, & Ken Pope:
Succeeding as a Therapist: How to Create a Thriving Practice in a Changing World (APA, 2022)
Ken Pope, Melba J.T. Vasquez, Nayeli Y. Chavez-Dueñas, & Hector Y. Adames:
Ethics in Psychotherapy & Counseling: A Practical Guide, 6th Edition (Wiley, 2021)
“When people show you who they are, believe them the first time.”
—Maya Angelou
Hodson ran for the federal #Conservatives in #VictoriaBC during the 2021 election, making her the party's first openly #transgender candidate. She has since withdrawn her membership.
Dr McElroy hits it out of the park again. Gender-affirming care for trans kids is not medically controversial and not even new!
Science and evidence-based medicine say that A: the best thing to do for trans adults is help them transition, B: the best thing to do for trans kids is pause puberty until they're adults, C: all of the medicine behind this is extremely well understood, safe, reliable, has excellent patient outcomes, and from a medical standpoint practically routine!
I learned a hell of a lot. If you're also cis, chances are you'll learn a lot too. Well, well worth a listen.
This is an incredibly well presented piece by Ali Velshi. Truly superb.
"Understanding Gender-Affirming Care
There’s a lot of misinformation about what gender-affirming care actually is. Make no mistake - it’s considered necessary, life-saving medical care by every major medical and mental health organization. More than half of trans youth have seriously considered ending their lives. And according to a study by the American Medical Association, that number decreases by 73% when those kids receive gender affirming care. A 73% decrease in suicidal ideation is an astounding outcome. No drug or antidepressant even comes close to having that kind of impact. Gender-affirming care saves lives."
1.1) MATT WALSH: I have appeared on FNC many times. I appreciate the platform they’ve given me. If what I’m about to say ruins that relationship, so be it. We have to call this evil lunacy out wherever we see it. Especially on our own side.
Today Fox ran a long segment for Pride Month celebrating a “trans kid” who “came out as a boy” at the age of five. The piece did not simply report on the controversy surrounding child transitioning. It outright promotes the practice. https://twitter.com/MattWalshBlog/status/1535346487877672960