Dr. Phil Invites Bigots On TV To Taunt Mother of Trans Teen

Auuugh! Head exploding! Fake therapist and lawsuit magnet Dr. Phil is using his made-up witch doctor talk-show to discuss with the mother of a transgendered teenager, the difficulty she’s had with watching her son become a woman. So, who does Dr. Phil have on as guests? Well, on one-side (of an artificially created dichotomy that makes it look like there’s real scientific debate about whether gender-identity is inborn or not) is psychiatrist Dr. Dan Siegel and psychotherapist Dr. Michele Angello and on the “other side of the the debate” is “family researcher Glenn Stanton and psychologist Dr. Joseph Nicolosi.”

Glenn Stanton is a shill for Focus on the Family and Dr. Joseph Nicolosi is a leading proponent of ‘ex-gay’ therapies. We hate these guys! And we hate you, Dr. Phil!

On the upside, Mom totally let’s them have it.

From the Dr. Phil website, which provides a rundown of the episode:

“Dr. Nicolosi asks, “How did the dad deal with the boy wanting to be female? When he would act feminine, how did he deal with it?”

“We just dealt with it. I tried to say, ‘No, I’m not doing this anymore,’” she says. “He dealt with it like I did. The child was adamant. This is what he wanted, and we tried to do everything unisex, as much as you could do unisex.”

“This is different than what we would do at our clinic,” Dr. Nicolosi says to Dr. Phil. “We would involve the father more. We would encourage a bonding between the father and the son. We would discourage – not to shame the child – but to discourage the feminine interests, really build up his boy identity, make him feel good as a boy, and get Mother out of her over-enmeshment with the boy.”

“My son I was not close to at all, my second son,” she argues. “As a matter of fact, that’s how my fiancé became so close to him, because I wasn’t close to him, I wasn’t enmeshed with him. So, I really think your theory sucks.”

And later:

“Dr. Phil notices his guest’s demeanor. “Toni, you’re very upset with what these guys are saying,” he says, indicating Glenn and Dr. Nicolosi.

“Mm-hm,” she says, “because they’re the reason I have to worry every day my child walks out the door. They’re the reason I have to wonder what’s going to happen to her, that people don’t accept, people don’t understand.”

Toni addresses the two men. “You’re showing something that is wrong. You are wrong,” she says strongly. “Do you have a transgendered child?” she asks Dr. Nicolosi.

“I’m providing a therapy – ” he begins.

“Do you have a transgendered child?” she repeats, louder.

“Does that exclude me from the conversation?” he asks.

“No, but I’m asking you a question. Do you have a transgendered child?”

“How does that make it relevant to the conversation?”

“Why can’t you answer the question? I can answer it,” Toni says.

“So, everyone here, everyone on the stage has to have a transgendered child to talk to you?”

Glenn says, “That can’t exclude you from the conversation.”

“Oh, my God, you guys are nuts,” Toni says in frustration. “

So, hurray for Toni for defending herself and her daughter, but boo on Dr. Phil for presenting these quacks as part of a legitimate debate. Toni hits it on the head that it’s people like Stanton and Nicolosi who make life dangerous and sad and depressing for transgendered and gay and lesbian teenagers, by permitting it to be socially acceptable to tease and taunt and try to change kids who are just being who they are. Why are we still having a debate about whether sexuality and gender-identity is a choice? Does Dr. Phil do shows where he brings on “creation sciences” experts who debate about whether the world was created in seven days or not?

Actually, I bet he totally does.