A young detransitioned woman is seeking justice from the medical group and hospital that facilitated her medical transition between the ages
By: Christina Buttons
Published: Feb 17, 2023
A young detransitioned woman is seeking justice from the medical group and hospital that facilitated her medical transition between the ages of 12 to 17, which included puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and a double mastectomy at just 13 years old.
The plaintiff, Layla Jane, is represented by the Dhillon Law Group and LiMandri & Jonna LLP in conjunction with the Center for American Liberty. On Wednesday, a letter of intent to sue was sent to the Permanente Medical Group and Kaiser Foundation Hospitals alleging “gross negligence” on behalf of their client, and accusing Kaiser of allowing “radical, inadequately studied, off-label, and essentially experimental treatment to occur on minors.”
The Intent to Sue further alleges that Layla’s doctors medically “affirmed” her without meaningful evaluation, failed to adequately disclose the health risks associated with puberty blockers and cross-sex hormone treatment, and emotionally manipulated her parents by proposing the false dilemma: “would you rather have a live son, or a dead daughter?”
When Layla was a child, she experienced significant mental health and behavioral challenges. At the age of 11, she started to believe that her unhappiness was due to being "born in the wrong body," which she discovered through online research, and she began identifying as transgender. She was only 12 when she was prescribed puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and was evaluated for surgery. She underwent a double mastectomy to remove her breasts shortly after her 13th birthday. However, Layla eventually came to the realization that she was not, in fact, transgender. She stopped receiving testosterone injections and instead sought proper mental health treatment for her anxiety and mood-related issues.
Layla's transition story bears striking similarities to that of Chloe Cole. Both of them are now 18 years old and are taking legal action against Kaiser Permanente and the doctors who facilitated their chemical and surgical transitions as minors, two of whom they shared.
Layla Jane stated:
Many people have already seen Chloe Cole’s story and the emotional and physical damage she had to go through at the hands of “medical professionals.” I’m ready to announce that these so-called professionals did the exact same thing to me, but at an even younger age. At 12-years-old I began testosterone and puberty blockers and at age 13, I had a double mastectomy. These are decisions I will have to live with for the rest of my life. I’m ready to join the growing group of detransitioners so that no other child has to go through the torment I went through at the hands of doctors I should have been able to trust.
Layla Jane and her lawyer, Harmeet Dhillon, appeared on the Fox News program “The Ingraham Angle” last night to make the announcement. Dhillon stated that she has been contacted by many detransitioners who are seeking justice but, due to the short statute of limitations, she can only represent clients who fall within the specified time period. Experts believe that it may take 5-10 years for young people who have undergone a gender transition to realize that they may have made a mistake.
The Intent to Sue cites a 30-year follow up study conducted in Sweden that found post-operative transgender patients were 19 times more likely to commit suicide as evidence that “gender-affirming care” does not necessarily improve the mental health of recipients. Also cited are 11 studies that found gender dysphoria appears to resolve on its own when children are not socially and medically transitioned between 60-90 percent of the time.
Layla Jane is now the 8th detransitioner worldwide to have brought legal action against the medical providers that facilitated her chemical and surgical transition. She will be seeking punitive damages, the extent of which is currently “being investigated and is not fully known at this time.” The Notice of Intent to Sue will allow the defendants 90 days to respond before an official lawsuit is filed.
A representative from Kaiser responded to a request for comment with the same boilerplate message they gave regarding Cole’s lawsuit, which was to claim that they are following “evidence-based medicine founded on sound research,” despite the fact that no empirical evidence to date supports a biological basis for “gender identity.”
While the exact number of detransitioners is unknown, and more research is needed, cases appear to be steadily rising. A forum created in 2017 for detransitioners on Reddit is adding over 1,000 members a month, and as of this writing has over 45,000 members.
Studies that have shown a small rate of transition regret are frequently used by activists to dismiss or diminish the experience of detransitioners. However, the studies finding that 2 percent or less regret their transition surveyed only adults, not the new cohort that most are concerned about: adolescents.
In the United States, a 2022 study found that 29 percent of 68 patients seeking medical transition care changed their requests for hormone treatment, surgery, or both. Another U.S. study from last year found that 30 percent of patients who began cross-sex hormone treatment discontinued it within four years for unknown reasons. Two smaller studies in the U.K. report that between 7 and 10 percent of patients initially assessed for gender-related medical services later detransitioned.
Layla Jane’s allegations of medical negligence and emotional manipulation by her doctors underscore the importance of meaningful evaluation, informed consent, and comprehensive mental health support for children who believe they are experiencing gender dysphoria.
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