Camille Kiefel, a woman who once believed she was “non-binary,” won a settlement against two therapists who referred her for a double mastectomy as a “gender affirming” medical procedure.
She’s the second young woman to receive compensation after undergoing disfiguring “transgender” medical interventions, as a New York jury recently awarded Fox Varian $2 million dollars in a malpractice lawsuit against medical professionals who attempted to “transition” her to look like the opposite sex.
Investigative journalist Benjamin Ryan was the first to report the confidential settlement, saying it was reached “just days before the trial was slated to begin.” Kiefel had asked for $3.5 million in her malpractice lawsuit.
The Women’s Liberation Front (WoLF), a self-described “radical feminist group” which opposes transgender ideology, supported Kiefel in her legal battle as her financial sponsor. The initial malpractice complaint, filed in December 2022, targeted Licensed Clinical Social Worker Amy Ruff and Licensed Professional Counselor Mara Burmeister, along with the two Oregon health care clinics that employed them.
The lawsuit described some of the difficulties Kiefel struggled with, saying she “experienced severe childhood traumatic events leading to her feeling discomfort and dissociation with her body.”
In addition, Kiefel “had a history of mental health diagnosis,” including attention deficithyperactivity disorder, complex post-traumatic stress disorder, major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder. These conditions “proved treatment-resistant despite nearly two decades of psychotherapy and prescribed medications for ADHD, depression, and anxiety with a variety of therapists over many years.”
Kiefel began “identifying” as “non-binary” in 2016, underwent breast removal surgery in 2020 at age 30. In 2022, Kiefel accepted that she was a woman.
But the damage was done.
In a Newsweek article, Kiefel described the ridiculous ideology that supports surgery to become “non-binary”:
And the weird thing, too, about being non-binary, is what do you even transition to? There’s no non-binary sex to transition to.
The suit alleged that “Ruff held one Zoom session with [Kiefel], lasting approximately an hour,” before writing a referral for her to have “chest reduction to relieve gender dysphoria.” The suit said Ruff’s letter had statements she “knew were factually false and/or misleading,” and she did not exercise “reasonable care” in her assessment or even review Kiefel’s medical or mental health records before recommending surgery, the complaint added.
Kiefel learned “a second assessment letter was required in order for Medicaid to pay for breast removal surgery.” Her lawsuit said, “Burmeister failed to conduct an individualized, comprehensive mental health assessment prior to recommending that Plaintiff undergo double mastectomy surgery.”
Ruff and Burmeister, according to an amended lawsuit, did not discuss with Kiefel the risks involved with the proposed surgery, including:
- Surgery might not alleviate her social, health and mental health problems, and it might even exacerbate them.
- Surgery could not mute her feminine features to more closely resemble a ‘non-binary’ gender identity.
- Reproductive dysfunction, through lack of sexual function, and inability to breastfeed.
- Reclaiming her female identity after surgery might lead to greater anxiety, distress and shame.
Camille Kiefel’s struggles with trauma and mental health issues are typical of adolescents and young adults who embrace transgender ideology.
Although many will go on to desist from believing they can become the opposite sex – or someother “gender” altogether, this may only occur after they have been irreparably damaged by transgender medical interventions like drugs, hormones and surgeries.
True compassion means protecting young men and women and helping them embrace biological reality.
Legal victories can’t undo the irreversible damage caused by these medical interventions, but they may cause mental health and medical professionals to think twice before engaging in such barbarous practices.
For those struggling with transgenderism, and their families, Focus on the Family’s Counseling Department offers help from licensed counselors. To request a conversation with Focus on the Family’s Counseling Department, call 1-855-771-HELP (4357) weekdays from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. (Mountain Time), or complete our Counseling Consultation Request Form. Please be prepared to leave your contact information for a counselor to return a call to you as soon as possible. The consultation is available at no cost to you due to generous donor support.
Related articles and resources:
DOJ Targets Those Mutilating Children with ‘Transgender’ Drugs and Surgeries
Expert in ‘Transitioning’ Children Admits ‘We Were Wrong’ About Puberty Blockers
Focus on the Family: Counseling Consultation & Referrals
Focus on the Family: Transgender Resources
Four Brave Young Women File Lawsuits Alleging Harm from ‘Transgender’ Interventions
Jury Awards $2 Million to Young Woman Who Underwent ‘Transgender’ Surgery at 16
More Hospitals Stop Mutilation of Sexually Confused Children
New Video Equips Parents and Counselors to Help ‘Gender Dysphoric’ Children
ReFOCUS with Jim Daly: Addressing Gender Identity with Honesty and Compassion
ReFOCUS with Jim Daly: Chloe Cole: Gender Reassignment Surgery Regret
