Transgender activists concerned about film featuring former CAMH psychologist Ken Zucker

A documentary scheduled to airon British television Thursday is raising concernsamong transgender activists in this city, partly because it features a Toronto psychologist widely accused of trying to prevent transgender children from gettingsexreassignment treatment.

As of this writing, almost 11,000people have signed an online petition demanding thatthe BBC2documentary Transgender Kids: Who Knows Best?be independently reviewed by an expert before it airs.

"Ultimately, this TV show could spark a trail of prejudice; belittling transgenderchildren, leading them to not being socially accepted by society," wrote Lucas Johnston, on hischange.org petition.

Johnston's concerns stem from thedocumentary's interview withDr. Kenneth Zucker, the former director of the Child Youth and Family Gender Identity Clinic at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. In December 2015,CAMHannounced it was "winding down" the clinicand Zucker was no longer employed there.

Jennifer Lynn, 62, signed the petition and donated money to the cause.

"I'm concerned this is going to expose others to this kind of treatment. I'm telling you: I don't want to see these kids go through the hell that I had to go through."

The transgender activist was a former outpatient at the adult clinic. In 1983, she sought help to transition to a woman but that effort ended badlywith her attempted suicide, she said.

She tried again to make the transition more than a decade later, which ended with her making several more attempts to kill herself.

"The purpose in those two attempts was not to help you transition. Those who could get through the process usually ended up being more effeminate men because they could pass as women already, but I didn't pass well," saidLynn. "That forced me back into the male role and that's the worst thing that could happen to me because my life has been in shambles."

Gender Identity Clinic

Some transgender activists have suggested the Gender Identity Clinic for youth Zucker ran was practising "conversion"or "reparative therapy," whichcounsels queer youth to accept their biological sex, an accusation clinic staff denied.

Hundreds of sexuality and gender experts from around the worldsigned an open letter to CAMHsupporting Zuckerafter he lost his job.

The psychologistdeclined to comment.

"I want to see [the documentary]before I say anything," Zuckersaid when CBC Torontoreached him on the phone.

I don't want to see these kids go through the hell that I had to go through.- Jennifer Lynn, trans activist

The film is said to present evidence the majority of kids with gender dysphoria the conditionof feeling one's emotional and psychological identity as that of theopposite biological sex would overcome it without gender reassignment.

"That could potentially mislead people or misguide people in the truth because it's showing our lives as something that's a mental illness," said Danielle Araya, a trans advocate and co-ordinator at The 519, a centre thatprovides services for the LGBTQ community.

Araya was a patient at the clinic when she was looking to transition at the age of15.

"Hopefully it gets to the truth of it and shows many perspectives and hopefully there'll be more stories that don't just depict us as fad human beings with mental illnesses."