A therapist in Washington state resigned from her position at a hospital because she could no longer support her employer’s insistence to push gender transitions on young patients, irrespective of their diagnoses.
Clinical worker Tamara Pietzke worked at Multicare, one of the largest hospital systems in Washington state. She claims that the hospital has been aggressively pushing gender transitions over the past year.
She also claims that the hospital received a $100,000 donation in May 2022 to study healthcare disparities in transgender youth. “I was getting the message from my supervisors that when a young person expressed discomfort with their gender, I should throw out all my training,” Pietzke said.
“No matter the patient’s history or other mental conditions that could be complicating the situation.” She continued in a report, “I was told to simply affirm that the patient was transgender. I was also told to approve the start of a medical transition.”
She raised basic research-based questions about such a blind and unprofessional approach to patients. However, her colleagues told her it wasn’t appropriate to bring politics into this. They also said she was demonstrating hostility toward trans folk, which is a direct violation of the Hippocratic Oath.
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“I believe that the rise of affirmative care for young people with gender dysphoria challenges are the very fundamentals of what therapy is supposed to provide,” Pietzke argued. “If the patient can self-diagnose, and the professional can only affirm, then the whole system of medical care breaks down.”
Furthermore, Pietzke described instances where the hospital swiftly recommended medical transitions for patients with autism, sexual abuse trauma, and other severe mental health issues. These recommendations include cross-sex hormones and surgeries without potential risks.
Pietzke spoke about one of her former patients, a 13-year-old. She said the patient had depression, PTSD, anxiety, intermittent explosive disorder, autism, and was suicidal. She added that the patient grew up in an abusive home with a bipolar mother. The clinical worker claims several individuals sexually assaulted the patient multiple times.
However, Pietzke noted that despite these complexities, the patient’s guardian requested cross-sex hormones after a few visits. The potential consequences of such a decision alarmed her, and she expressed her concerns to her supervisor.
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Surprisingly, the unnamed supervisor dismissed her and accused her of causing harm to the patient’s mental health. Subsequently, the hospital removed her from the teen’s care. Pietzke claims the hospital thought she posed a greater risk to her patient than a life-altering procedure with no long-term benefit.
Also, she noted that colleagues pressured her to adjust to the “gender-affirming care” model. Even if it meant disregarding the well-being of her patients. In one instance, a colleague argued that even if a patient identified as a “wounded male dog” and expressed a desire for ears and a tail.
Her job was to affirm it without question. Pietzke’s experience highlights a disturbing trend in the medical community, where ideologies override sound medical judgment. Her decision to speak out highlights the urgent need for a balanced and evidence-based approach to addressing gender dysphoria in children and adolescents.
Furthermore, it emphasizes prioritizing their overall well-being and long-term health outcomes. “I am speaking out because nothing will change unless people like me, who know the risks of medicalizing troubled young people, blow the whistle,” Pietzke said.
“I am desperate to help my patients. And I believe, if I don’t speak out, I will have betrayed them,” she concluded.
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