{"id":5222,"date":"2023-08-29T12:24:46","date_gmt":"2023-08-29T17:24:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/?p=5222"},"modified":"2023-08-29T12:35:20","modified_gmt":"2023-08-29T17:35:20","slug":"norway-transgender-doctor-whose-license-was-suspended-after-privately-transitioning-minors-given-feminist-achievement-award","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/?p=5222","title":{"rendered":"NORWAY: Transgender Doctor Whose License was Suspended After Privately Transitioning Minors Given Feminist Achievement Award"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%20370%20247'%3E%3C\/svg%3E\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-154.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"zeen-lazy-load-base zeen-lazy-load wp-image-5223\"\/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-154.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5223\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-154.png 696w, https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-154-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-154-293x165.png 293w, https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-154-390x220.png 390w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" \/><\/noscript><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A gender clinician and sexologist who recently had his medical license suspended following an investigation by the Norwegian Health Authority (NHA) has been&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/psykologisk.no\/2023\/07\/hederspris-til-esben-esther-pirelli-benestad\/\">granted an award<\/a>&nbsp;named after a prominent Norwegian feminist. Dr. Esben \u2018Esther Pirelli\u2019 Benestad, a male who identifies as transgender, was given the Ottesen award by non-profit membership organization&nbsp;<em>Sex og Politikk<\/em>&nbsp;despite having had his medical license revoked at the start of this year due to \u201csubstantial breaches of duty.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Ottesen award is the namesake of Norwegian-Swedish women\u2019s rights activist and social worker Elise Ottesen-Jensen, who was&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/sci-hub.se\/10.2307\/2135318\">involved in the foundation<\/a>&nbsp;of the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) in 1953. Benestad, 74, was presented with the award for his career as a \u201cstandard-bearer for trans people and transsexuals in Norway and an ambassador for gender and sexuality diversity in Norwegian society,\u201d reported Norwegian outlet&nbsp;<em>Psykologisk<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/kommunikasjon.ntb.no\/pressemelding\/esben-esther-pirelli-benestad-far-overrakt-%22arets-ottesen%22?publisherId=17847780&amp;releaseId=17985432\">issuing the award<\/a>, which was presented at a ceremony on July 12 in Oslo,&nbsp;<em>Sex og Politikk&nbsp;<\/em>representatives praised Benestad as \u201can important practitioner of patients with gender incongruence.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe have been through a year with a relatively high noise level in the trans and gender debate, and Esben Esther Pirelli Benestad has stood tall, if somewhat controversial, in this storm. In the fight for sexual rights, Esben Esther has held the banner high, she is a genuine heir to Elise,\u201d read&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/kommunikasjon.ntb.no\/pressemelding\/omstridt-lege-tildelt-arets-ottesen?publisherId=17847780&amp;releaseId=17980130&amp;lang=no\">the official statement<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Sex og Politikk<\/em>&nbsp;also celebrated Benestad for&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nrk.no\/innlandet\/kristen-gruppe-prover-a-stoppe-teaterstykke-der-jesus-framstilles-som-transperson-1.16078483\">acting in the role of Jesus Christ<\/a>&nbsp;last year in a play titled \u201c<em>Evangeliet etern Jesus, Himmelens dr\u00f8ning<\/em>,\u201d or, \u201cThe Gospel according to Jesus, Heaven\u2019s Queen.\u201d They noted that \u201cChristian conservatives became so provoked that police protection was necessary at several of the performances.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%20370%20247'%3E%3C\/svg%3E\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/reduxx.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Himmelens-Dronning-for-nettside-g.jpg.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"zeen-lazy-load-base zeen-lazy-load wp-image-25043\"\/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/reduxx.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Himmelens-Dronning-for-nettside-g.jpg.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-25043\"\/><\/noscript><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dr. Esben \u2018Esther Pirelli\u2019 Benestad, in his role as a female version of Jesus.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, the official justification for honoring Benestad with the award failed to mention that the former WPATH gender clinician has recently had his medical license revoked after being investigated by the Norwegian Health Authority (NHA) on multiple occasions throughout his career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In January, the NHA handed down&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/reduxx.info\/norway-prominent-trans-clinician-with-ties-to-wpath-has-medical-license-revoked-by-authorities\/\">a 42-page report detailing the rationale<\/a>&nbsp;behind their decision to revoke Benestad\u2019s license to practice as a clinician. The health authorities stated that Benestad was declared \u201cunfit to practice responsibly due to a substantial lack of professional insight, irresponsible activity, and substantial breaches of duty.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Though the report acknowledges that Benestad has had support and praise from some of his clients, the inspectors pointed to several specific cases which were made known to them through complaints lodged by either family members or unnamed individuals.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Of particular concern to the health authorities was Benestad\u2019s tendency to neglect both the opinions of colleagues and nationally recommended protocols. \u201cWe consider that you do not cooperate with other health personnel to a sufficient extent,\u201d stated the authorities in their report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe National Health Inspectorate has also assessed that you do not follow the Norwegian Health Authority\u2019s national guidance in your treatment of patients with gender incongruence. We consider it worrying that you justify this by saying that no one else has enough expertise or resources to provide this treatment, or that they advocate a method of treatment that you do not agree with.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Benestad had been giving puberty-halting drugs to adolescents under questionable circumstances.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The treatment of \u201cgender incongruence\u201d is overseen by Oslo University Hospital, or&nbsp;<em>Rikshospitalet<\/em>, which requires that a psychiatric assessment be undertaken prior to the implementation of medical intervention. Despite this regulation, Benestad had been repeatedly providing hormones and puberty-halting drugs to patients who were refused the medications following an assessment by professionals at&nbsp;<em>Rikshospitalet<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The ages of the patients were redacted to protect their identities, and therefore it is unclear how young the children were at the time that medical intervention was initiated. However, in the past, Benestad has indicated that he has prescribed puberty-halting drugs to a boy that he began treating at the age of nine, an incident that spurred the first investigation into his practice by health authorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Benestad was&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/reduxx.info\/prominent-norwegian-gender-clinician-facing-investigation-by-health-authorities\/\">previously investigated twice<\/a>&nbsp;by the NHA for disregarding recommended safe practice policies in his medical treatment of minors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2021 it was revealed that he had privately administered puberty-blocking drugs and hormones to a teenager who went on&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/reduxx.info\/suicide-of-norwegian-youth-calls-into-question-transitioning-of-minors\/\">to die by suicide<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The parents of the minor gave permission to the media to publish on their experience. Speaking with&nbsp;<em><a href=\"https:\/\/blikk.no\/helse-helsedirektoratet-helsepolitikk\/de-driver-profesjonskamp-pa-vart-barns-grav\/217627\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Blikk Magazine<\/a><\/em>, they explained that the youth was placed on drugs to halt puberty by National Treatment Service for Gender Incongruence (NBTK) at Rikshospitalet. The NBTK, which was then called the National Treatment Service for Transsexualism, is under the authority of Oslo University Hospital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While on puberty blockers, the teen was also privately being administered hormones by prominent sexologist and trans-identified Dr. Benestad, thereby undermining the NBTK\u2019s policy banning cross-sex hormones for minors under the age of 16. Shortly after, the youth\u2019s treatment was again overtaken by NBTK. Approximately four months later, the unnamed minor took their own life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Benestad has&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.lister24.no\/nyheter\/i\/O8jAPb\/esben-esther-pirelli-benestad-mister-legelisensen\">recently estimated<\/a>&nbsp;the number of patients he has seen in his 37-year-long career to be between approximately 1,800\u20132,000 in total. Prior to administering puberty-blocking drugs to under-18\u2019s, Benestad was&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.vg.no\/nyheter\/innenriks\/i\/1kB3GQ\/210-000-kan-begaa-overgrep\">treating child sexual abusers<\/a>, which he has referred to as \u201cpedosexuals,\u201d and insisted pedophilia was a common human trait.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe\u2019ve all been pedosexuals once,\u201d Benestad told&nbsp;<em>VG<\/em>&nbsp;in 1998, and cited \u201cprevailing taboo notions\u201d around pedophilia as a cause for child sexual abuse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Norwegian gender clinician and former WPATH member Dr. Esben Benestad &#8211; a man who identifies as transgender &#8211; boasted about medically \u201ctransitioning\u201d children by circumventing protocols.<br><br>In 2009, he joked that he could not be sent to prison, and even if he were, his cell would\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/RUNjO9xRD3\">pic.twitter.com\/RUNjO9xRD3<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Genevieve Gluck (@WomenReadWomen) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WomenReadWomen\/status\/1686702336486563840?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 2, 2023<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In addition to his clinical work, Benestad has an academic career which spans two decades, with his primary focus being on paraphilias. He is a professor emeritus at the University of Adger.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Benestad has advocated for&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.researchgate.net\/publication\/317249053_Autogynephilia_and_Autoandrophilia_Revisited\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">normalizing sexual fetishes<\/a>&nbsp;and, along with his spouse and co-professor, Elsa Alm\u00e5s, founder of the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/no.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Norsk_forening_for_klinisk_sexologi_(NFKS)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Norwegian Association for Clinical Sexology (NFKS)<\/a>&nbsp;co-authored an article in the&nbsp;<em>Journal of Sexual Medicine<\/em>&nbsp;titled,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.researchgate.net\/publication\/317249053_Autogynephilia_and_Autoandrophilia_Revisited\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Autogynephilia and Autoandrophilia Revisited<\/em><\/a>, which argues that the sexual arousal men experience through transvestic crossdressing should be normalized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Benestad was also&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20210301225548\/https:\/\/www.wpath.org\/member\/3108\">listed as a member<\/a>&nbsp;of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) until as recently as November. The gender clinician has also spoken at and attended conferences hosted by WPATH and has exerted influence on their policies.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Benestad was present at a WPATH conference held in June of 2009&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/reduxx.info\/top-academic-behind-fetish-site-hosting-child-sexual-abuse-fantasy-push-to-revise-wpath-guidelines\/\">where academics involved in a pedophilic and sadomasochistic fetish forum<\/a>&nbsp;presented a concept of a \u201ceunuch\u201d gender identity. The concept would later be incorporated into the most recent WPATH Standards of Care guidance, and the WPATH conference and presentation by academics involved with the fetish forum appears to have influenced Benestad\u2019s own interest in the subject.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Women\u2019s rights campaigner and the Norwegian representative for&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.womensdeclaration.com\/en\/\">Women\u2019s Declaration International<\/a>&nbsp;told&nbsp;<em>Reduxx<\/em>&nbsp;that she was disappointed with the silence from the feminist community regarding not only Benestad\u2019s career, but also his recent award. She pointed to one active feminist campaign group in Norway which is named after Elise Ottesen-Jensen, whose work inspired the prize.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ottesen-Jensen\u2019s&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20070927013729\/http:\/\/www.yelah.net\/articles\/omottar0305\">personal motto<\/a>&nbsp;was \u201cI dream of the day when every new born child is welcome, when men and women are equal, and when sexuality is an expression of intimacy, joy and tenderness.\u201d She wrote for the Swedish anarcho-syndicalist paper&nbsp;<em>Arbetaren<\/em>&nbsp;(<em>The Worker<\/em>) under the pseudonym Ottar.&nbsp;<em>Reduxx<\/em>&nbsp;reached out to feminist group&nbsp;<em>Kvinnegruppa Ottar<\/em>&nbsp;for comment, but did not receive a response in time for publication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe note that the radical feminist group Ottar, who has deliberately refused to take a stand against the erasure of women\u2019s sex-based rights, continue to stay silent even as trans activists appropriate and pervert historical figures such as Elise Ottesen \u2018Ottar\u2019 Jensen,\u201d Ellingsen said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe find this lack of reaction very telling, as it exemplifies the reach of conformity to trans ideology. Many women have found priceless insights in radical feminist thinkers and activism for the liberation of women from patriarchy, objectification and exploitation. Unfortunately, too many radical feminist organizations ignore the patriarchy, objectification and exploitation conducted by men doing woman-face, such as Benestad.&nbsp;It&nbsp;is&nbsp;a&nbsp;shame.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Original Article: <a href=\"https:\/\/reduxx.info\/norway-doctor-whose-license-was-suspended-after-privately-transitioning-minors-given-feminist-achievement-award\/\">https:\/\/reduxx.info\/norway-doctor-whose-license-was-suspended-after-privately-transitioning-minors-given-feminist-achievement-award\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A gender clinician and sexologist who recently had his medical license suspended following an investigation by the Norwegian Health Authority (NHA) has been&nbsp;granted an award&nbsp;named after a prominent Norwegian feminist. Dr. Esben \u2018Esther Pirelli\u2019 Benestad, a male who identifies as transgender, was given the Ottesen award by non-profit membership organization&nbsp;Sex og Politikk&nbsp;despite having had his medical license revoked at the start of this year due to \u201csubstantial breaches of duty.\u201d The Ottesen award is the namesake of Norwegian-Swedish women\u2019s rights [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":65,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5222","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-woke-agenda"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5222","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/65"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5222"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5222\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5227,"href":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5222\/revisions\/5227"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5222"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5222"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5222"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}