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A Crisisof Truth in Modern Medicine

The rise oftransgenderism has become one of the most pressing cultural and medical issuesof our time. For psychiatrist Dr. Mark McDonald, this isn’t aboutpolitics or identity—it’s about honesty. In his Grand Rounds presentation for GoldCare’sZelenko Memorial Series, Dr. McDonald examined how medicine has beenovertaken by ideology and how patients, especially children, are paying theprice.

When“Affirmation” Becomes Harm

Dr. McDonaldbegan by confronting one of the central claims of modern gender medicine—thattransgender individuals are at risk of suicide unless they receive“gender-affirming care.”

While it’strue that suicide rates are high in this population, decades of researchfrom Sweden and the Netherlands show that medical transition does notreduce that risk. In one thirty-year Swedish study, people who underwentsurgery were found to have suicide rates twenty times higher than thegeneral population.

“Youdon’t treat mental illness by cutting off healthy organs.
That is not care—it’s abuse.”

Thesefindings, Dr. McDonald explained, expose a hard truth: surgery and hormonesare not treatments—they are medical malpractice disguised as compassion.

A SocialContagion, Not a Medical Condition

Historically,gender dysphoria was rare and usually appeared in adult males. But over thelast fifteen years, the number of cases—especially among teenage girls—hasexploded.

Dr. McDonalddescribed this as a social contagion, fueled by cultural influence andpeer reinforcement rather than biology. Citing journalist Abigail Shrier’s bookIrreversible Damage, he explained how clusters of girls “come out” astransgender together, often supported and celebrated in schools, onlinecommunities, and therapy groups.

Social mediahas magnified this trend, turning identity confusion into validation andstruggle into status. What used to be a private developmental challenge hasbecome a public performance of belonging.

TheDifferent Faces of Transgenderism

Dr. McDonalddrew a sharp contrast between the new wave of teenage girls identifying as boysand the rise of adult men identifying as women.

Many ofthese men, he argued, are not seeking peace but exploiting the system—especiallyin prisons and sports—to access women’s spaces or evade consequences forcriminal behavior. He warned that predators are using transgender identityas a shield, while vulnerable young girls are being victimized by the sameideology that claims to protect them.

The RealIllness—and the Real Treatment

At its core,Dr. McDonald said, transgenderism is not a biological problem—it’spsychological. It stems from trauma, family dysfunction, and culturaldecay.

The properresponse, therefore, isn’t surgery or hormones—it’s therapy. But the therapistswho could help are being silenced. Across the U.S., professionals who refuse to“affirm” a child’s new identity risk losing their licenses, reputations, orlivelihoods.

Dr. McDonaldcalled this a medical and cultural emergency—one driven by fear,intimidation, and censorship.

WhyGoldCare Exists

When Dr.Simone Gold joined the discussion, she explained that this is precisely whyGoldCare was created:
to connect families with ethical doctors who can still speak the truth.

In stateswhere expressing biological reality can be considered discrimination, GoldCareprovides a lifeline—access to physicians who will not be silenced andcare rooted in honesty, not politics.

Dr. Goldreminded viewers that ethical medicine must protect both patients andpractitioners, ensuring that families can find support without fear ofretaliation or deception.

Protectingthe Next Generation

Dr. McDonaldand Dr. Gold urged parents to recognize where much of the danger begins: inschools and on screens.
Public education systems, they warned, are introducing gender ideology early,sometimes changing children’s names and pronouns without parental consent.

“If youdo one thing—remove your children from government schools.”

He alsocautioned that smartphones and online chat programs are among the most powerfultools spreading gender confusion. Parents must take back authority, he said, byreclaiming both education and digital access.

TheCollapse of Academic and Medical Integrity

Thediscussion turned to how academia helped fuel this crisis. What began inuniversity “gender studies” programs has now spread to medical schools. Dr.McDonald recalled an incident at UCLA where an obstetrics lecturer wasreprimanded for using the term “pregnant women” instead of “pregnantpersons.”

For him,this marked a breaking point: when even language must be rewritten toprotect ideology, truth itself becomes forbidden.

ReclaimingMedicine Through Courage

Dr. McDonaldclosed with a call to moral courage. Medicine, he said, must return to itsfoundation—first, do no harm.
That means telling the truth, even when it’s costly, and refusing toparticipate in deception masquerading as compassion.

Dr. Goldechoed this conviction, affirming that GoldCare exists to restore ethical care,honest dialogue, and freedom for both doctors and patients.

Real carestill exists—if we’re willing to stand for it.