Conversion “therapy” for trans youth – a warning
November 22, 2011 § 17 Comments
Yet another update: Just bringing this from the comments to the top of the page:
“Hi everyone, as the person who found this/wrote the warning, just to let you know all the stuff I didn’t know when I wrote it: it’s most definitely a hoax, but what is worrying is that this person offered to meet a few of the young people on the website they posted this on. For whatever reasons they want to meet them (and it’s more sinister given that it’s obviously faked), so that’s why I put the warning out there. Please share the message widely but please keep in the part about the University of Leicester not knowing anything about this. The phone number in the ad is their english department. They obviously knew nothing about it but are now aware and are forwarding anyone who calls to Pink Therapy. I emailed the uni in the states yesterday and am awaiting a response.”
Update: Thanks for the responses and reposting – all the UK trans academics and activists I know are trying to unravel this. At the moment it seems like a mash-up of different names and works, with a nasty bent to it – there’s a Dr Susan Collins on the GMC register (graduated University of Manchester in 2006), “Dreaming Gender: Restoration and Transformation” is an article by a Vittorio Lingiardi (Studies in Gender and Sexuality, 2007) – there are no links to the universities mentioned. Whoever this person is, they’ve been trying to contact vulnerable young trans people on UK LGBTQ youth forums, and offering to meet them. University of Leicester is forwarding any callers to Pink Therapy – personally, I feel that, regardless of whether this is a hoax or something more sinister, people in the target group deserve to be warned. Thanks again.
I’ve just been alerted to this by a fellow UK activist – please read and share as widely as you can:
“I just wanted to make you all aware that there’s someone out there offering young trans people the chance to get involved in a conversion therapy study. I have pasted the message this person has posted on Queer Youth Network’s website at the bottom of this message. It apparently comes from a Dr Susan Collins who claims to have links with the University of Leicester (something I’ve checked with them and they’ve denied) I’m currently awaiting a response from Clarkson University in the USA, who they also claim to be working with.
Very worrying that they’ve pretty much claimed to offer a cure to transgenderism and “to see the Christ identity restored and embraced” as well as potential funding for surgery.
The university is now investigating so please let me know if you see this anywhere else, and obviously do not respond to it. The number listed is from the University of Leicester’s English department who are aware it’s being used but have no idea why.
“Are you a post-operative female to male transsexual?
Looking for guidance and potential funding for surgery?
Pioneering new research into the advancement of Gender Restoration therapies, psychological and alternative pharmaceutical treatments to unnecessary gender re-assignment might be able to provide you with the answers, and hope in treating your condition.
We are particularly keen to hear from females aged 16 to 25 years old, as a primary group who currently identify as suffering from gender dysphoria disorders (FTM).
The research is independent and funded by a partnership of number of educational medical institutions and private medical bodies. We are hoping to recruit a sample group of between 20 and 30 volunteers who will be fully re-reimbursed for their time and all treatments and out-of-pocket expenses will be reimbursed.
Interested participants in the United States will be monitored at the facilities based at Clarkson University’s Chemistry and Bimolecular Science department,
in the United Kingdom and Europe we are exploring a partnership with the University of Leicester.
If you would like to be part of this ground-breaking study please email Dr Susan Collins – dr.susan.collins@scientist.com – or call (0)116 252 3943
Dr Susan Collins is an award winning advocate of the women’s and transsexual rights movement and contributor to numerous social scientific programs including ‘Dreaming Gender: Restoration and Transformation’. Author of ‘Are You Sure? – Female to Male Surgery, the dangers and what you need to know.’ ‘Gender Restoration’ – To study the biblical foundation of manhood and womanhood and how then to restore them from a state of fallenness to their true image in Christ. ‘Identity Restoration’ – To recognise and renounce unreal identities including confusion in gender and sexual identity. To see the Christ identity restored and embraced.”
a gentleman and a scholar 
I dunno. This looks like a hoax to me. But I guess it’s worth checking just to be sure.
“Dr Susan Collins is an award winning advocate of the women’s and transsexual rights movement”
Then I should for sure know her. But titles like “Are you sure?” or Restoration” do not sound as trans-advocacy but indeed more as reparative ‘therapy’ which has been abjured by APA and others.
Somebody who is apparently so prominent in the field should be very easy to check and locate.. Not so in this case, a dentist, a political historian and a doctor of internal medicine (nothing trans related whatsoever). I recognise a dangerous fraud when I see it. Thanks for flagging this up.
This sounds like a joke! “Author of ‘Are You Sure? – Female to Male Surgery, the dangers and what you need to know.’ ” REALLY????? REALLY???? It made me want to laugh.
On the darker side, there are vulnerable people out there who could easily be confused by this message – more like not read between the lines – and who knows why these people / group is putting out a trick call like this. Could be dangerous.
It’s worth noting that scientist.com is a parked portal (basically a form of spam) and that, at least the first book attributed to “Dr. Susan Collins” was actually written by another author entirely… and the remaining books don’t seem to exist at all.
In other words, the entire “ad” is fake, start to end.
Every time I read something like this, it reinforces why I feel the NEED to be stealth.
how is she an advocate for me exactly? I want to fight this bitch lol I dont care im tired of the verbal abuse and sub human treatment.
Hey dude,
Not sure this is true. Looks more like a spam than any true thing.
Where does this come from? I emailed the three books she apparently published, and couldn’t find any of them, but two of them seem to be titles for an Australian biblical speaker which I found here. http://thefreedomjourney.com.au/Freedom_Recovery_Training%20Aus.pdf where as “‘Are You Sure? – Female to Male Surgery, the dangers and what you need to know.’ ‘” doesn’t seem to exist on the internet, the only references too it as the reposts of this call out.
[…] got linked this on twitter short version is that it appears that a person going by the name of Susan Collins is looking to […]
There is no “Susan Collins” listed as faculty or staff at Clarkson University’s web site. The whole thing is a hoax.
I sent her/him an e-mail asking for more information. I’ll post here if I get anything back.
Hi everyone, as the person who found this/wrote the warning, just to let you know all the stuff I didn’t know when I wrote it: it’s most definitely a hoax, but what is worrying is that this person offered to meet a few of the young people on the website they posted this on. For whatever reasons they want to meet them (and it’s more sinister given that it’s obviously faked), so that’s why I put the warning out there. Please share the message widely but please keep in the part about the University of Leicester not knowing anything about this. The phone number in the ad is their english department. They obviously knew nothing about it but are now aware and are forwarding anyone who calls to Pink Therapy. I emailed the uni in the states yesterday and am awaiting a response.
Would it be useful to move this to the top of the post?
I’ve also heard some people saying they’re contacting various people – please don’t contact the one Susan Collins on the GMC register. It’s a very common name and it’s unlikely to be her. This person claimed they were based in the states. That may well be a lie as well, but there’s investigations going on by various people who are able to do so properly and I don’t want an innocent person getting targeted over this.
Make sure someone notifies the admins at QYN. They should be able to pull an IP address from the posting made by this person, which could potentially help nail down their location and give a better idea if any of our youth are at risk.
Please do keep us updated as you’re able to… if someone is trying to lure our youth into a bad situation, we need to keep on top of this.
Just to reiterate what everyone’s been saying here: as the co-chair of the University of Leicester LGBTQ Association and being under the trans umbrella myself, this has nothing at all to do with my university, and from my own standpoint it looks like a complete hoax. Why anyone would invent it is beyond my understanding, though.