“I feel an icy cold panic over the fact that I may lose this part of me,” confessed Amy Sousa, who has a master’s degree in Psychology, after being diagnosed with stage-three breast cancer, an illness that affects more than 300,000 women in the US each year and that can often result in them having to get their breasts removed

For Sousa, the issue is both a health concern as well as an ideological one, as she’s been outspoken against what she perceives as an increase in mastectomies in young girls due to “social indoctrination” rather than gender dysphoria.

“Although I may need it for my own good, this severing is antithetical to the holistic integrity of my embodiment. I have spoken about the values of embodiment as an antithesis to the dissociative values of trans ideology.”

In recent years, the sex reassignment surgery market has been on the rise, reaching a lucrative $733 million in 2023, and it is projected to surpass $2 billion by 2032, according to research done by Global Market Insights. 

The paper also points out that more than 37 percent of these procedures are done in North America alone.

Amy Sousa, a psychologist and activist against breast removal surgeries for trans people, faces the possibility of having her own removed due to breast cancer

Image credits: Amy E. Sousa

Sousa has dedicated herself to dismantling what she describes as “the lies and manipulations within gender ideology.”

Her main thesis rests on what she calls “embodiment,” the idea that bodies are the foundation of all human experiences and not a separate element to be used and modified.

“Rationalism and religious ideologies tend to view the mind and body as separate or the soul and body as separate. But there is no separate or ‘other’ place to experience ourselves outside of our embodiment.”

This puts her at odds with what she describes as “dissociative” values promoted by the transgender movement.

Image credits: knownheretic

For Sousa, it’s not possible to identify as anything other than your body. 

“Bodies are not things we ‘identify as,’ because bodies are not projections of our inner beliefs. Regardless of any identity concepts we may mentally hold about ourselves, we are always experiencing ourselves as our bodies.”

She also doesn’t believe that someone could be born in the “wrong” body.

“No child is born in the wrong body. We are not ‘in’ our bodies, because bodies are not suits we take on and off. We are born as our bodies.”

Regardless of the medical arguments for and against them, Sousa believes there have been deliberate attempts by the health industry to market gender-related surgeries to increase their demand

Image credits: theknownheretic

Facing the real possibility of having to have her breasts removed, Sousa explains that her cancer is “giving [her] a fresh lens through which to view transgender propaganda, marketing, and so-called ‘gender-affirming care.’”

While she may be forced to undergo a mastectomy in the future, the idea that someone, especially teens, may undergo the procedure for other reasons is “unnatural” to her.

For her, the procedures have been relabeled deliberately with contradictory terms in order to make them more “marketable.”

“When breast amputation is sold as ‘top surgery’ as opposed to mastectomy it is a subversion of the natural empathetic wince response. Rather than seeing the procedure as a loss of the whole, it is marketed as ‘gender-affirming,’” she explains.

Image credits: KnownHeretic

Views opposite to Sousa’s argue that gender dysphoria is a real phenomenon caused by a combination of psychological and biological factors outside of the control of the one who experiences it.

The phenomenon, described by the United Kingdom National Health Institute, is “a term that describes a sense of unease that a person may have because of a mismatch between their biological sex and their gender identity.”

While many studies ponder the possibility of it having biological origins, there’s still no consensus among researchers.

“It is suggested that many genes contribute to making gender identity an inherited, complex trait. However, genetic studies, to date, have no conclusive evidence of any gene identified for gender dysphoria,” explains a study published in the National Library of Medicine.

In the United States, some medical professionals have taken a more “lighthearted” approach to the procedures, using TikTok and other platforms to promote their services

Image credits: gottmik

One of them is Dr. Siobhan Gallagher of Miami, who claims to have performed more than 500 gender-affirmation surgeries a year, some of them on teens under 18.

ADVERTISEMENT

Don’t want to see ads?

She advertises herself as “The Vagician” when performing male-to-female procedures and as “Dr. Teetus Deletus” when doing the opposite. She commonly uses the slogan “yeet the teets,” meaning throwing the breasts away, in order to become viral on social media.

Her approach to the issue has elicited concern among other health professionals, and she was reported in 2022 to the Federal Trade Commission. 

“Dr. Gallagher has engaged in unfair, false, and deceptive practices in the aggressive advertising and marketing to minors of their plastic surgery services, namely mastectomies of healthy female breasts,” the complaint reads.

The doctor’s carefree approach to the issue has been especially egregious to those who have had to get their breasts removed due to illnesses, and she has been criticized due to her main audience being teenagers on platforms like TikTok.

“She sells [the procedure] to a vulnerable and impressionable population of children and youth experiencing distress with their gender identity and developing bodies,” the document says.

Sousa, who describes herself as a feminist, saw her activism take a dangerous turn when she began protesting trans people in women’s spaces

Image credits: theknownheretic

Amy Sousa’s life as an activist began advocating for women’s rights, but she saw a turning point in 2018 when attending a march where she encountered what she described as “men who called themselves women.”

“I asked one of them if it is transphobic to talk about my vagina, and he said yes,” the psychologist recalled.

Her activism then focused on organizing multiple protests against biological men in women’s sports and prisons and against child gender clinics in Seattle.

This caused her opponents to reveal her personal information online, including addresses and phone numbers, in an attempt to silence her.

“I was genuinely scared,” Sousa said. “I thought I was just arguing with a bunch of jerks but when I did more research I saw how many women were being silenced by these [trans men].”

Netizens shared their own struggles with breast cancer, with some lamenting the upward trend of breast removal surgeries due to gender dysphoria

ADVERTISEMENT

Don’t want to see ads?

Image credits: theknownheretic

“I’ve had this surgery, it’s not a beautiful thing or experience. I had breast cancer and it’s back too. I feel for these kids who have made this dramatic decision,” expressed one person.

“I too had a double mastectomy for breast cancer. It took me a long time to come to grips with my new body and flat chest at 48! I can’t imagine children being able to make this choice and not regretting it later!” replied another.

“Make no mistake, these medics aren’t doing this because they think it’s the right thing to do, they are doing it because it makes them a lot of money,” one reader wrote.

“The doctors performing these surgeries need to lose their licenses and be thrown in prison. Do no harm means nothing to these greedy criminals,” argued one commenter.

Sousa’s health has improved, with her tumor being reduced from 10 centimeters to 2.5 centimeters after numerous chemotherapy sessions and following a strict diet, according to the New York Post.

“You’re an inspiration” Fans of the psychologist sympathized with her struggles and expressed their support for her message

ADVERTISEMENT

Don’t want to see ads?

Games

View all games

Anyone can write on Bored Panda. Start writing!

Follow Bored Panda on Google News!

Follow us on Flipboard.com/@boredpanda!