Less Like Me - Jonathan Voos

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Less Like Me

On my car accident, a Texas detransitioner lawsuit, and more...

On my car accident, a Texas detransitioner lawsuit, and more...

July 24, 2023

Dear reader,

Perspective matters. We all get caught up in the busyness of life—weighed down by problems and decisions. Little things capture the attention of our stress, fear, and anxiety. Instead of practicing gratitude for the blessings in our lives, we worry almost exclusively about “me”.

Of course, when I say “we” in the above paragraph, I’m currently talking about “me.” Due to a hit-and-run car accident a few weeks ago (on the way to the last day of my Dallas internship no less!), I have a separated AC joint, post-concussion syndrome, a slightly-herniated disc in my neck, a reaggravated left shoulder impingement, and a possibly totaled vehicle that suffered an estimated $7,000—$12,000 in damages.

Furthermore, several big decisions about summer jobs, post-graduate judicial clerkships, my living situation, and other things require action soon. At times, I struggle to make big decisions. I want to get it right and I want to follow God’s will, but I don’t always know how to discern the correct path. And when I overanalyze these decisions, I often have trouble discerning the difference between my self-induced stress and the Holy Spirit’s warnings.

I don’t write this to say that I plan on rushing into future decisions. Waiting on the Lord and prayerfully asking for guidance in each decision is wise and even Biblically prescribed. The problem with over-analysis does not lie in prayer or in employing our reason. Rather, the problem begins with the subject of my first paragraph: our overly self-centered focus and need for perspective. Now, like newly-minted Inter Miami star Lionel Messi after a goal, it’s time to get to the point.

On Sunday, I got a much needed perspective shift after reading an article about a heartbreaking situation just miles from my current abode. On Friday in Tarrant County, a Texas woman filed a lawsuit over an allegedly botched double mastectomy and the gender modification she underwent as a teenager and minor. Because I would not want my name publicized if I were in her shoes, I will refer to her as “Plaintiff” as I sum up her claims.

The petition first details how Plaintiff struggled with her identity from an early age and tells us she suffers from Major Depressive Disorder, ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, and other diagnoses. Plaintiff then alleges several things (skip the fourth one if you’d like to avoid gruesome details):

• First, she alleges that after a manic episode as a minor, her psychiatrist betrayed her doctor/patient confidentiality and pressured her to pursue a transgender male identity.

  
  

• Second, she alleges she received several cross-sex hormones as a minor after her transgender children support group recommended her to a nurse practitioner known to prescribe testosterone upon request. She further alleges that she continued to take these hormones at the insistence of the person who prescribed them, despite suffering from medical complications and getting advice to stop from an actual medical doctor. This same person allegedly attended many of the transgender children’s group meetings despite not being transgender or a child.

  
  

• Third, she alleges that as a nineteen-year-old, her therapist wrongly authored a recommendation letter qualifying her to receive a double mastectomy “despite never having conducted a comprehensive assessment of [her] gender struggles or mental health.” She further alleges that this letter made several false statements.

  
  

• Fourth, she alleges that two doctors at Crane Clinic “negligently approve[d] and performe[d] a double mastectomy on her and then negligently fail[ed] to provide post-surgical care.” Despite having knowledge of Plaintiff’s comorbidities, mental health problems, age, etc., the Clinic allegedly took the recommendation letter at face value without further testing, approved Plaintiff’s surgery, and “put [her] under the knife, permanently and irreversibly disfiguring and disabling her.” Regarding the post-surgical care, Plaintiff alleges that the doctors negligently supervised her recovery and wrote her complications off as normal despite Plaintiff “sending graphic pictures of the pools of blood forming subcutaneously within her torso, her nipples literally peeling off of her chest, and explaining the immense pain she was experiencing.”

  
  

I have no clue how this lawsuit will turn out. No evidence has been proffered as Plaintiff only filed suit three days ago (hence my Oprah-like use of “alleges”). But one thing is for certain: This is a heartbreaking situation. Objectively speaking, this woman seems to have gone through a lot of pain and suffering.

I don’t know what it’s like to feel uncomfortable in my own body or to (allegedly) feel pressured into making irreversible, life-altering medical decisions. I don’t know what it’s like to have to (allegedly) drain pools of blood from my body for a week due to a surgery. And I don’t know what it’s like to feel as lost or hopeless as Plaintiff clearly felt and possibly still feels.

This story shook me to the core because most of the alleged events happened less than ten miles from my current address. I’ve had to re-realize that people in my own backyard deal with gargantuan issues such as this one—not to mention homelessness, family problems, food insecurity, etc.—every day. Yet, I’ve been too worried about figuring out which cushy law job I want to pursue to even recognize their plight—much less help. Again, perspective matters.

Three quick notes before I let you leave: First, best of luck to all the recent law school graduates taking the bar exam tomorrow and Wednesday! I’m sure so, so, so many of you are reading this tonight in lieu of studying.

Second, Spotify and Apple Music must be stopped! $10.99/month for Spotify premium?? In this economy? Outrageous. I need these companies to start treating their subscription prices like the NFL treats its runningbacks. Or, at least like a Rays-Rangers series.