More transgender - regretters than advocates
In a ground-breaking recent report, eminent psychiatrists Dr Lawrence Mayer and Dr Paul McHugh have found that "only a small percentage of children who experience confusion about their gender identity will continue to experience this confusion into adolescence or adulthood".
Confusion has certainly been the hallmark of Walt Heyer's life. From his own experience, he has emerged as a strong reminder that a change of gender is not always the end of the matter.
"The world of regretters that I see and support is vastly different from the world of the transition advocates, those in a relentless pursuit to convince the world that being transgender is the ultimate of all genders," he said.
"The advocate world includes intellectuals and medical practitioners, who benefit financially and professionally from providing transition services to this population of hurting people".
Walt Heyer was 42, married for 16 years and a father of two. He describes the fantasy of changing genders as a passionate longing since he was 15 when he first heard someone had done it.
Now, he openly regrets his decision. His surgery cannot be reversed. He has no choice but to remain with his surgically-altered transgender female body but lives as a man again.
"The regretters who have contacted me report that none of their doctors recommended treatment for underlying psychological distress. Instead, the psychologists were quick to diagnose them with gender dysphoria.
"The media are hell-bent on glamorising transgenders. The media find stories of transition newsworthy. Warning signs such as robust objective research findings apparently are not newsworthy and not reported.
