Doctors in New Brunswick say forcing LGBTQ students to see a psychologist, as suggested by changes to Policy 713, could create bias and discrimination.
The New Brunswick Medical Society made a submission to Child, Youth and Seniors’ Advocate Kelly Lamrock about the new requirement for children under the age of 16 to see a psychologist or school professional if there is an expression related to gender identity or sexual orientation.
“One thing I heard from professionals, which is, don’t pathologize the normal questions,” Lamrock said, speaking with reporters on Tuesday. “Saying to a child right away, if you’re questioning your identity, we better get you to a psychologist — if you can even find one — is something that plays into that perception of mental illness which is simply not true.”
The submission said “following a comprehensive review of scientific literature, this group of physicians expressed significant concerns regarding the apparent absence of clinical and expert advice regarding the changes made to Policy 713.”
“Furthermore, it was stressed that the review directly contradicts international medical recommendations and has the potential to negatively impact children and youth in New Brunswick who are exploring their sexual orientation or gender identity as part of a normal and healthy development process.”
It took aim at the changes, which the organization said had not been done with proper consultation.
“Diversity of identity including gender should not be perceived as negative or pathological,” the submission said. “Unfortunately, the reality is that it is stigmatized, leading to bias and discrimination, and ultimately resulting in ‘minority stress.’ ”
It said minority stress has an impact on rates of depression and anxiety. Gender-diverse people are also 10 times more likely to attempt suicide.
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“The hostility towards transgender and gender-diverse people, including from their family and friends, is perpetuated systemically by discriminatory laws, policies and practices that hinder access to housing, public spaces, education, employment, and health care — all of which are basic human rights,” the submission reads.
It also took aim at statement made by Premier Blaine Higgs, who said in the legislature during Question Period in the spring, that gender identity was trendy and popular.
“The research also specifies that ideologically based narratives framing gender dysphoria as ‘trendy or popular,’ as opposed to an actual medical diagnosis, lead to further prejudice and misinformation,” it said.
The submission also specified that “rapid onset gender dysphoria” is “not a recognized medical condition and should not be used in medical, social, or political narrative as this has no scientific basis.”
In its list of issues with the changes, the medical society included concerns about forcing queer students to see a psychologist when expressing or exploring their identity.
“It is our clinical judgment, based on evidence and experience, that the process which requires parental consent or to be directed to professionals to obtain consent will effectively pathologize normal exploration of identity of children,” the submission reads.
The College of Psychologists of New Brunswick shared the medical society’s sentiments.
It raided concerns about the lack of psychologists in schools in addition to the stigmatization associated with the changes.
“Such (a) ‘solution’ has many issues and does not reflect the reality of the public school system, which is faced with well-documented issues with recruitment and retention of these professionals with even fewer of these professionals specializing in working with 2SLGBTQIA+ youth and their families,” the statement said.
Those shortages, they said which have remained unaddressed, place queer students at risk waiting for their identity to be affirmed.
“Further, these revisions ignore the legal and ethical responsibilities for psychologists to obtain parental consent for their services for children under the age of 16. These further increase barriers to access, as parents can deny consent for these services, effectively leading to continued misgendering and deadnaming of students,” the statement read.
“Referring 2SLGBTQIA+ students to a mental health professional for no other reason but to be affirmed stigmatizes and pathologizes their identity.”
Lamrock said the issue actually comes down to capacity, a definition left out of the rewritten policy 713.
In Policy 713 — the Advocate’s Version — Lamrock added capacity as a definition and term of reference, where capacity “refers to the ability of the student to understand the nature and impact of a decision, considering their age, development, maturity, and the gravity of the decision, and the student’s ability to make and communicate that decision with appropriate seriousness and reflection.”
He said in the rare cases where elementary school children might raise questions about their identity or pronoun, a school principal or teacher, with adequate training, can make the assessment, he explained.
Lamrock has called on the government to adopt his changes to the Policy 713 by Sept. 1.
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