Gainesville, Florida – February 28, 2012 - The American College of Pediatricians (The College) is alarmed by physicians at Boston Children's Hospital who are using hormone therapy (HT) and sex-reassignment surgery (SRS) in children.

There is no evidence that children are born "transgender." Instead, children who have a strong desire to be the opposite sex, or the belief that they are the opposite sex suffer from a treatable psychological condition called Gender Identity Disorder (GID).

Children and adults with GID experience higher rates of psychological distress. However, when the impact of hormone therapy (HT) and sexual reassignment surgery (SRS) was studied among adults, the individuals continued to suffer with the same pre-treatment mental health disorders. Consequently, Johns Hopkins University shut down its premier program. When asked about HT and SRS in children Dr. Paul McHugh, professor of psychiatry at John's Hopkins remarked, "This is child abuse. It's like performing liposuction on an anorexic child."

Dr. Kenneth Zucker, Psychologist-in-Chief of the Child and Adolescent Gender Identity Clinic in Toronto, Canada, has documented that psychotherapy heals families, reduces bullying, and leads children to accept their biological sex in the vast majority of cases. Dr. Den Trumbull, President of the College stated, "Sadly, advocates of HT and SRS in children are often driven by politics rather than objective science and optimal health."

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The American College of pediatricians is a national medical association of licensed physicians and healthcare professionals who specialize in the care of infants, children, and adolescents. The mission of the College is to enable all children to reach their optimal physical and emotional health and well-being. For more information about the College, please visit our website www.Best4Children.org.