The Pro Ana Link
Harm reduction or thinspiration?
Just when I think I’ve heard all the demented justifications associated with gender ideology, I learn about a secretive support system known as Pro-Ana.
Pro-Ana stands for the promotion of anorexia, particularly behaviours related to the eating disorder. Not surprisingly, it is an online creation featuring groups that are small, vulnerable and covert. Pro-ana groups vary from those acting as a non-judgmental support group for anorexics to those who believe that anorexia nervosa is a lifestyle choice and not a mental disorder.
Most physicians recognise it as a serious illness with a high rate of mortality.
The reason I and others are now learning about Pro-Ana is of course the death, two years ago, of the anorexic teen with trans ideation revealed in an RNZ story last week.
In what I’m sure he believes is an A-grade scoop, writer David Farrier posted some of the teens' 6000 comments found on an online forum during 2022 and up to her death in 2023 on his substack page. Farrier insists upon using the teen’s male pronouns and name - Alex. The RNZ story refers to the young woman as Vanessa, as per her parents wishes.
Farrier describes the online forum as focussed on “harm reduction for those struggling with eating disorders.” In other words, a type of Pro-Ana forum. Farrier also spoke to the forum’s moderator who said Vanessa was “very active on our forum. I believe the (RNZ) article misrepresents Alex’s life, voice and the reality of his situation.”
The moderator went on to state:
“I want to say that Alex did not want to die from his eating disorder, and I fully believe that he would still be here today if he had been accepted for his identity. He had a deep profound love for people, his parents and family especially, even by his own admission they failed him.
“He would still be alive if not for the countless individuals and systems that failed him.”
In airing the views of the moderator of an online eating disorder forum, Farrier obviously intends the reader to take them seriously. He also says publicly broadcasting the teen’s comments gives the story a perspective missing in the RNZ story - her point of view.
That was not the perspective of her psychiatrist who believed her trans ideation masked her anorexia. In response, Farrier quoted Vanessa’s online comments that the psychiatrist dead-named and misgendered her and she had the “sense that she kinda is unaware about the whole trans thing.”
These comments and many others like it only reveal the confused thinking of a seriously ill young woman. Fern Hickson from Resist Gender Education who, with the parents brought the story to the media, is aghast that Vanessa’s private thoughts have been shared with the public. She called it “ethically wrong” and likened it to sharing a teenager’s diary with the world.
“The messages are relevant to the coroner’s court but not to the general public. There’s no consideration given to the parents who will be devastated by this.”
In Farrier’s world, the perspective of a teen with severely disordered thinking about her body is more valid than her parents or an adult with expertise in the field. This is the basis of gender affirming care, the go-to treatment for gender dysphoric teens in New Zealand.
Vanessa died of starvation due to anorexia nervosa. Her support people all used her correct pronouns and her assumed male name. That didn’t save her. That’s because there is no evidence that gender affirming care prevents suicidal ideation. In fact, the UK Cass Review debunked the claim that gender affirming care prevented suicidal ideation.
Farrier’s response does little more than reveal his ignorance about the factors prompting young people to embrace ‘gender identities’. The Cass review found these young people had high rates of mental health disorders, including depression, anxiety, eating disorders, autism and high rates of childhood trauma. Vanessa was diagnosed wth three of those factors - autism, anorexia and childhood trauma.
What Farrier’s story does achieve is to reveal how captured he is by gender ideology. Little empathy is shown for the parents who have lost a daughter in the most horrific manner. Instead his concern is that they misgendered and dead-named Vanessa.
If nothing else, Farrier’s story successfully exposes the tactics of the gender zealots. Ideology trumps reality and, in this case, compassion.
Cripes - what other groups does this remind us of: “Pro-ana groups vary from those acting as a non-judgmental support group for anorexics to those who believe that anorexia nervosa is a lifestyle choice and not a mental disorder.”
I second Fern’s judgement of David Farrier as being so focussed on the horse he’s backed - i.e. gender ideology - winning, he’s prepared to be totally unethical. Revolting behaviour!
In the last nine months of her life, Vanessa’s trans identity was fully endorsed by everyone around her - teachers, social workers, housing providers, doctor - EVERYONE. It was not lack of gender affirmation that killed her, it was the lack of the state to properly look after the welfare of a severely ill teenager, after alienating her from her parents.