Who is Dr Erica Anderson? Expert claims 'peer pressure' behind rise in teens identifying as trans
A leading psychologist caused a stir on April 14, 2022, after claiming "peer pressure" is behind the rise in LGBTQ+ teens. Dr Erica Anderson, a trans person herself, claimed that clinics were not doing enough to ensure those that wanted transitions were actually committed to the process. "I think it's gone too far," she claimed amidst the sharp rise in the number of people identifying as trans or non-binary.
Anderson's controversial comments come as the US is gripped in a culture war over the place of LGBTQ+ members in society. Republicans have attempted to clamp down heavily on trans and non-binary individuals with a series of stunning bills across states. In Alabama for example, gender transition is now a felony for all minors. However, a few bills are causing as much controversy as Florida's 'Don't Say Gay' bill.
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Transgenders find themselves uniquely targeted because of the GOP's belief that there are only two genders, which has caused much controversy over their ability to participate in things like sports. The storm has now only gotten worse, with Anderson offering a rather controversial take on the issue, during an interview with the Los Angeles Times.
Who is Dr Erica Anderson?
A clinical psychologist with over 30 years of experience, Anderson is best known for her work on sexual and gender identity for teens. Currently living and practicing in Oakland, California, she is also licensed in Minnesota and Pennsylvania. Originally born as Eric from Minneapolis, Anderson worked at the University of Minnesota while running a private practice for over 5 years, after graduating from the institution.
Anderson then spent the next few decades working at multiple healthcare facilities, including Columbia General Life Insurance Company, Integra, The Psychological Center in Pasadena, and the University of California San Francisco's Child and Adolescent Gender Clinic. In her 50s, Anderson transitioned while being married and raising two children. Since then, she has become associated with trans groups but taken a widely different stance from her peers.
She reportedly believes that trans healthcare should not be offered to those under 26 under the popular "informed consent" model. She also promotes using a year of "gatekeeping" for people who wish to transition. She also has a long history of calling transitions a result of peer pressure, something that has been widely criticized. Irrespective, she continues to promote that claim, once telling The Washington Post, "A fair number of kids are getting into it because it’s trendy. think in our haste to be supportive, we’re missing that element."
"To flatly say there couldn’t be any social influence information of gender identity flies in the face of reality. Teenagers influence each other," Anderson told the Times. She went on to say, "I think it’s gone too far. For a while, we were all happy that society was becoming more accepting, and more families than ever were embracing children that were gender variant. Now it’s got to the point where there are kids presenting at clinics whose parents say, ‘This just doesn’t make sense'."
"Giving over to hormones on demand will result in many more cases of poor outcomes and many more disappointed kids and parents," she panned. Anderson then went on to shift the focus to clinics, experts, and the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH). She questioned the new standards the WPATH imposed for transition-related medical intervention.
Her ideas may not be popular, but Anderson made it clear she's not going anywhere. For now, her goal is clear -- to bring "some kind of sanity to a highly polarized environment."