Jayne McFadyen, one of the country’s foremost advocates for transgender rights, has courageously opened up about her terrifying experiences. She shares her experience of being held in a state-run psychiatric hospital in Perth. At only ten years of age, this was the reason that she was admitted to Stubbs Terrace Children’s Psychiatric Hospital. There, she lived for almost six months under the care of doctors who subsequently stigmatized her as “gender disordered.” McFadyen’s story sheds light on the harmful practices of the past. It emphasizes that these actions are still impacting people today.
While it was an accomplishment for her tenure at Stubbs Terrace, personnel challenges quickly arose. Instead, she endured months of life-saving treatment far from her loved ones. As for her family, each weekend she was only able to go home for one night. Beyond her control, the hospital administrators and staff were always watching and judging her behavior. They monitored her bathroom breaks to ensure that she was adhering to masculine standards. These invasive practices created lasting psychological wounds. In hindsight, McFadyen called her experience a type of conversion therapy.
A Troubling Connection to Past Research
Herdegen’s study McFadyen’s admission records reveal a big picture that directly relates to a 1987 study by Dr. Kosky. This action-oriented paper centered the experiences of children pathologized as “gender disordered.” She identified closely with one of the case studies in the paper, stating, “The one I immediately identified with was case study five,” which read: ’10 [years old], male, wants to be a girl.’ Given the importance of this connection, serious questions arise about the validity of this research through its implications on today’s understandings of gender identity.
Former faculty member Dr. Anja Ravine joined McFadyen to chastise the work of Dr. Kosky. She is particularly concerned about the continued use of these largely dated studies in ongoing debates over transgender healthcare today. She noted, “Older studies are being used to influence the current debate about trans healthcare.” Ravine just touched upon a big thing. Yet the expectations they put on children in these studies looked a lot like practices that were used in conversion therapy.
“It’s implicit that they were expecting gender identity to return to what was expected. So that is really within the definition of conversion therapy.” – Anja Ravine
The Long Road to Acceptance
After being repressed for years after her institutionalization, McFadyen only started her transition 22 years after being released from the hospital. Looking back down her own long road, she opened up about how much those experiences deeply affected how she feels about herself. “When I came out, I had suppressed my sense of gender so far down because I was worried that should I express anything feminine … I would be sent back to the psych hospital,” she recounted.
Her experience there began to reveal the long-term impact of her treatment at Stubbs Terrace as she continued on her path to self-acceptance. In describing her experience, McFadyen reflected on how the hospital’s treatment made her feel the need to fit into society’s standards for masculinity. “It was very much trying to get me to be a lot more masculine and to associate with men and other boys,” she explained.
Reflecting on her treatment, McFadyen stated, “I just thought: ‘that is so wrong’ … supposedly they’d ‘cured’ me. Yet here I was, I was trans.” Her journey toward acceptance would eventually lead her to marry Deb, which she did in 2019. Together they have held each other’s heads above the choppy waves of life’s uncertainties.
Advocating for Change
Now an outspoken advocate for transgender rights, McFadyen travels the world, fighting to raise awareness. He sounds the alarm on the damaging practices that those suffering with gender dysphoria experienced in previous generations. Her work with Dr. Ravine highlights a dedication to making sure others don’t go through what she went through.
Perhaps the most important lesson from their discussions is evidenced by the tenacity of McFadyen’s efforts to stop the detrimental legacy of years of stale research. “One thing that became very clear out of our conversations was that [Jayne] really wanted to ensure that the harm that this paper is now causing is stopped,” stated Ravine.
In the rapidly shifting landscape of debates surrounding transgender healthcare, McFadyen’s story should serve as a powerful reminder of how important compassionate, informed care is for anyone undergoing the journey of finding their gender identity.
