Statement[1] of concern by members of The UK Community Psychology Discussion List regarding Dr Kenneth Zucker’s invited keynote lecture at the British Psychological Society Division of Clinical Psychology Conference 2010

To:

Jenny Taylor, Division of Clinical Psychology

Jennifer Unwin, Chair of the Conference Committee of the 2010 Division of Clinical Psychology Annual Conference

Gerry Mulhern, President of the British Psychological Society

Jon Sutton, The Psychologist

Sue Maskrey, BPS Clinical Psychology Forum

The Editor, The Guardian

From:

Members of the UK Community Psychology Discussion List

Date: 1^st December 2010

Statement[1] of concern by members of The UK Community Psychology Discussion List regarding Dr Kenneth Zucker’s invited keynote lecture at the British Psychological Society Division of Clinical Psychology Conference 2010

The work of Dr. Kenneth Zucker functions to undermine support for children’s own gender and gender-associated expression, is discriminatory against people whose own gender differs from their gender assignment (e.g., those often labelled ‘trans’ or ‘gender variant’) and inhibits the legal and social recognition of transgender individuals consistent with their gender identity and expression. The promotion of discourses which position children who self-identify as boys as ‘girls with gender identity disorder’ or self-identified girls as ‘boys with GID’ violates professional ethics which  mandate psychological professionals to avoid causing harm.

In addition to problematic discriminatory discourses, problematic practices, including behavioural reorientation work with children, violate international human rights policies, including the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) by interfering with children’s freedom of play and expression and by failing to provide children the opportunity to be heard and their views to be given due weight in relation to their experiences of their own gender and gender-associated expression. We regard deterring children from wearing clothes associated with any gender, from playing with friends of any gender, or from engaging in play stereotypically associated with any gender as being oppressive.

Members of the UK Community Psychology discussion list are concerned that the problematic discourses and practices, promoted by  Dr Zucker's work, are receiving support from within British psychology by the invitation to him to give an Invited Keynote presentation at the British Psychological Society Division of Clinical Psychology Conference 2010 just as they are being proactively promoted through Dr Zucker being afforded leadership positions on the American Psychological Association Task Force on Gender Identity, Gender Variance, and Intersex Conditions, the American Psychiatric Association Workgroup on Sexual and Gender Identity Disorders preparing the 2012 edition of the DSM-V and the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH, formerly the Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association) Standards of Care (SOC) Workgroup Committee.

We urge the British Psychological Society Division of Clinical Psychology and all psychological professionals to:

·         support legal and social recognition of people of all ages in a manner consistent with their self-designated gender

·         protect the freedom of all children to play, dress, friendship, and expression associated with any gender

·         condemn behavioural reorientation work with children

·         boycott and protest psychological environments that support discriminatory and oppressive discourses and practices which  functions to undermine support for children’s own gender and gender-associated expression, are discriminatory against people whose own gender differs from their gender assignment and inhibit the legal and social recognition of transgender individuals consistent with their gender identity and expression

Issued on behalf of Members of the UK Community Psychology Discussion list on 1^st December 2010

Further information from:

David Fryer

(Co-Moderator of the UK Community Psychology Discussion List)

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