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Riittakerttu Kaltiala vs. transgender people

Riittakerttu Kaltiala is a conservative Finnish psychiatrist critical of the affirmative model of care for gender diverse youth, claiming “What is happening to dysphoric children reminds me of the recovered memory craze of the 1980s and ’90s.”

Background

Some papers are published under the name Riittakerttu Kaltiala-Heino.

In 2011, Kaltaia was directed to start an adolescent gender clinic, one of two within Finland’s nationalized healthcare system.

Anti-trans activism

Finland’s centralized bureaucratic clinic has the same problems as similar clinics that have been closed: long wait times, inadequate staffing, and poor follow-up.

Kaltaia engages in strict conservative gatekeeping of trans healthcare: “In early years, our psychiatric department agreed to transition for about half of those referred. In recent years, this has dropped to about twenty percent.”

Kaltiala was a signatory on a Wall Street Journal article criticizing mainstream medical consensus on trans healthcare for youth.

In 2023, Kaltiala wrote a piece for anti-trans publication The Free Press critical of gender affirming youth care in Finland. Kaltaia also appeared in a 2023 anti-trans media piece by Sander Rietveld titled Het transgenderprotocol (“The Transgender Protocol”).

Kaltaia is affiliated with anti-trans organization Genspect.

References

Reed, Erin (October 31, 2023). Abusive Practices And Conversion Therapy Ties: The Right Latches Onto Finnish Doctor Kaltiala. Erin in the Morning https://www.erininthemorning.com/p/abusive-practices-and-conversion

Peltonen, Julia (March 19, 2021). “Kuvaile minulle miten masturboit?” – transnuorten asema hoitojärjestelmässä on synkkä. [“Describe to me how you masturbate?” – the position of trans youth in the treatment system is bleak]. Kehrääjä https://kehraaja.com/kuvaile-minulle-miten-masturboit-julkikuvan-takaa-paljastuu-transpolien-nuorten-synkka-tilanne/

Mutanen, Annikka (January 27, 2023). Nuoruusiän suku­puoli­ahdistusta hoitava professori sanoo ei ala­ikäisten juridisen suku­puolen korjaukselle. [A professor who treats adolescent gender anxiety says no to minors’ legal gender correction]. Helsingen Sanomat https://www.hs.fi/tiede/art-2000009348478.html

Selected publications by Kaltiala

Conservative signatories (July 14, 2023). Youth Gender Transition Is Pushed Without Evidence. Wall Street Journal https://www.wsj.com/articles/trans-gender-affirming-care-transition-hormone-surgery-evidence-c1961e27

Kaltiala, Riittakerttu (October 30, 2023). ‘Gender-Affirming Care Is Dangerous. I Know Because I Helped Pioneer It.’ The Free Press https://www.thefp.com/p/gender-affirming-care-dangerous-finland-doctor

References

Reed, Erin (February 25, 2024). Fact Checked: New Problematic “Finnish Study” Actually Shows Trans Care Saves Lives. Erin in the Morning https://www.erininthemorning.com/p/fact-checked-new-problematic-finnish

Resources

Gender Analysis (genderanalysis.net)

Transgender Agency (transgender.agency)

Riittakerttu Kaltiala (riittakerttu.fi)

LinkedIn (linkedin.com)

ResearchGate (researchgate.net)