Christina Hineman, 20, is a self-proclaimed “detransitioner” who is suing Planned Parenthood for providing her with gender-affirming care.
Hineman alleges that the organization “recklessly” provided her with hormone replacement therapy by prescribing her testosterone without “adequately pushing back” against her desire to transition. The claim names Planned Parenthood Federation of America, the Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood facility in Albany, as well as several mental health and medical professionals as the defendants in a 35-page lawsuit. Accusations of malpractice and medical negligence appear in the filing recorded by the Albany County Clerk. Hineman is seeking compensation and punitive action against the organization. She is also requesting a jury trial to determine the outcome of her case.
Allegations relevant to Christina’s claims refer to her battle with mental illness as she sought care for varying conditions as a teenager. At 18, Hineman began her transition through Planned Parenthood. The Plaintiff’s claim cites Hineman’s diagnostic criteria for “Asperger’s Syndrome,” a defunct medical term that until 2021 outlined specific criteria in the DSM for patients with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) who tend to present with lower support needs.
In addition to the terminology relevant to Christina’s mental health, the document also identifies the internet as a contributing factor to Christina’s “suddenly onset new identity.” This would follow a similar narrative as played out by the controversial hypothesis of “Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria,” which was coined by Dr. Lisa Littman, a physician scientist who conducts research on gender, dysphoria, and detransition. ROGD as a concept overall suggests that gender dysphoria in adolescents is a result of “social contagion” and “peer influence.” This hypothesis has been debunked by many of Littman’s peers. In Hineman’s claim, the 20 year-old alleges that social media influenced her transition, citing YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok, which would overlap with the piece on “social contagion.”
It is important to note that Planned Parenthood operates on an “informed consent” treatment model when it comes to gender-affirming care. The lawsuit alleges that a nurse at Planned Parenthood “never saw anybody read” the three-page document before signing off on the informed consent agreement to begin receiving hormone replacement therapy. According to the claim, Christina’s records demonstrate the requirements of informed consent being delivered while still alleging that there was “inadequate” information provided about the risks involved with taking testosterone. It also describes the side effects of testosterone therapy as being something listed within the document attached to Christina’s signature.
After starting testosterone in 2020, the lawsuit describes the hormone’s influence of Christina’s mind as “anti-depressive and addictive.” It is important to address that the “addictive” influence is more often linked to steroidal abuse and concerns from cisgender men over low testosterone. When used as directed, data suggests testosterone is safe and reliable medication.
The lawsuit additionally asserts that after Christina Hineman underwent top surgery in 2023, she “had a breakthrough and realized her ‘trans’ identity was never right.” It also claims her top surgery was “botched” due to desensitization and nerve pain in her nipple grafts. While Planned Parenthood was not responsible for Christina’s top surgery, it is still of importance to highlight that these are not abnormal complications patients report post-top surgery and that informed consent models often detail these risks and complications.
Informed consent requires the patient to take responsibility for their own treatment. Many of the arguments within this claim derive from anti-trans narratives like ROGD. However, the lawsuit directly references an “irreversible damage” narrative as well in addressing the changes to Hineman’s body as a result of signing off on her own treatment plan, taking the medication regularly enough to induce changes to her own body, and consciously seeking out surgical intervention. The “irreversible changes” described follow a rhetoric which suggests that transgender people are incapable of making these conscious decisions about determining the outcomes of their own healthcare.
As for “detranstioning,” transition-related regret rates are still at an all-time low according to The National Library of Medicine’s investigation into the factors leading to “detransitioning.”
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