204 - Clementine Breen Sues Famous Gender Doctor, After Rushed Medical Transition

Looking for support as a parent of a gender-questioning youth or young adult? Attend a Wider Lens Parent Retreat in 2025! Registration is now open. Visit https://widerlens.events/parent-retreat-2025 to learn more and secure your spot.Sasha and Stella welcome Clementine Breen, a 20-year-old young woman who detransitioned after undergoing rapid medicalization as a child. Clementine was a patient of Dr. Johanna Olson-Kennedy, one of the most prominent advocates for pediatric gender medicine. Beginning at age 12, she was placed on puberty blockers, prescribed testosterone, and underwent a double mastectomy—all by the age of 14.In this episode, she shares her story, shedding light on the devastating consequences of fast-tracked gender-affirming care. Clementine discusses how following her surgery, she experienced severe mental health struggles, including dissociation, self-harm, and a suicide attempt, yet clinicians remained focused solely on continuing her transition despite her worsening mental status. Clementine shares how, years later, proper therapy allowed her to uncover deeper psychological and childhood issues, exposing the failure of superficial gender-affirming care to address underlying trauma.This conversation exposes the dangerous flaws in the gender medicine model and the lack of psychological evaluation for vulnerable youth. Clementine’s experience underscores the failures of the pediatric gender medical establishment, and the urgent need for accountability in a system that prioritizes affirmation over comprehensive care.For links and resources relevant to this episode, access the full show notes at https://www.widerlenspod.com/p/episode-204 Buy Our Book – When Kids Say They’re Trans: A Guide for Thoughtful Parents at https://whenkidssaytheyretrans.com/   Join Our Listener Community to Access Exclusive Content at https://www.widerlenspod.com/   Support the Show at https://www.widerlenspod.com/p/support-the-show   Join the conversation on YouTube at www.youtube.com/@widerlenspod  For more information about Sasha’s & Stella’s parent coaching membership groups, visit:Sasha Ayad: https://sashaayad.com/parenting-coaching   Stella O’Malley: http://www.stellaomalley.com/parent-coaching  To learn more about our sponsors, visit:Therapy First at https://www.therapyfirst.org/  Genspect at https://genspect.org/  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.widerlenspod.com/subscribe   This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.widerlenspod.com/subscribe

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In this podcast, now in its fourth year, therapists Stella O'Malley and Sasha Ayad take a deep dive into the psychological and cultural forces impacting the social changes around "gender." Through interviews with researchers, doctors, therapists, parents, detransitioners, and others, Sasha and Stella's podcast is a "must listen" for anyone trying to navigate the current gender landscape. With their sharp analytical minds and deep compassionate hearts, Stella and Sasha have also become known throughout many parent networks as lighthouses in the midst of some very stormy seas. Previous guests include Helen Joyce, Jesse Singal, Leor Sapir, Kathleen Stock, Jamie Reed, Peter Boghossian and more. www.widerlenspod.com