Ronete Cohen

Psychotherapist: GSRD/LGBTQ+, race, culture, neurodivergence, disability, trauma. She/her. Cis. Pink Therapy clinical associate. Save Twitter from Lone Skum.

[Ryan Hamilton @TheRyanHamilton]

My heart is broken💔: As friends & family know, my wife was pregnant with our 2nd child, & about to begin her 2nd trimester. A few days ago she had severe pains, & bleeding, and had to go to the emergency room. There, it was discovered that our baby no longer had a heartbeat. Devastated doesn't come close to what that feels like.
Unfortunately for people like us, because of the current laws in the state of Texas, that was only the beginning of this nightmare. Jess (my wife) had an "incomplete miscarriage", and what needed to happen, what was best for HER, and her health, was to terminate the pregnancy, and get the baby out.
The doctor gave her a medication that would move this process along, and sent her home. Where, apparently we would be handling it ourselves. We were told it might take a couple of attempts before it worked.
I'll let you decide how you feel about that.
After a long, painful night of the equivalent of early labor, the baby was still with her. So, we went back to the Emergency Center to get the 2nd dose. A new doctor was on call. He was an older man. You could hear him in the hallway as he said, "I'm not giving her a pill so she can go home and have an ab*rtion!". Being well aware that our baby no longer had a heartbeat. Then, he came into the room to say, and I quote: "Considering the current stance. I'm not going to prescribe you this pill". Then, just sent us on our way.
The "CURRENT STANCE"?! Did he really just say that?!
No one should ever have to hear their wife say: "Get this dead baby out of me!".
Can you even imagine how that must feel?
The pain, and the bleeding continued. So, we decided to go to another hospital, about an hour away. There was a female doctor on call there, and we thought we might have better luck.
I should probably mention, the procedure to get the baby out is called a D & C. It's scary, & traumatizing, but sometimes necessary in situations like ours. Especially in emergency circumstances.
So we get to the next hospital. They take Jess in, ask her a bunch of questions, do a new scan... confirm that the baby is still there, with no heartbeat, and then disappear... for hours. Only to come back in and keep asking the same questions over and over. It's becoming clear that they're primary concern is NOT my wife's health. Instead, they seem to be worried about the legalities involved.
So, they decide it is not "enough of an emergency" to perform the D & C.
They do, however, prescribe another, stronger, final dose of the medication for us to try again... at home.
So, we go home to try again. Another long day/night of early labor pains. Only to discover my wife UNCONSCIOUS in the bathroom. Having to pick my wife's cold, limp body off of that bathroom floor, not sure if I was about to lose her, is something I will NEVER forget.
She had to be rushed to the hospital.
By this point she had lost so much blood, and bodily fluid, her body gave out.
They were able to stabilize her, give her the fluids she needed, and we came back home yesterday afternoon. We were also able to confirm that our baby was no longer with her.
Now, not only do we have to live with the loss of our baby... we have to live with the nightmare of what we just experienced because of political and religious beliefs. MY WIFE'S HEALTH SHOULD HAVE COME FIRST. PERIOD!
God knows what mental and emotional damage this has done.
If you consider yourself a staunch "pro-lifer" ... 1) You've never been through what we just went through, and 2) You should take a long, hard look in the mirror and reevaluate your reasons for supporting such a cold, barbaric, ignorant point of view.
It's not that black & white, and it's never going to be.
If you think your "Pray To End Ab*rtion" sign in your yard is "Christian", I suggest you revisit the teachings of Jesus and try again. If you support these laws that make ab*rtion illegal, and result in people being put through what we just were, you should be ashamed of yourself. I've never been so angry, or heartbroken... and the devastation I'm feeling must pale in comparison to what my poor wife is feeling.

[Mens Mental Health and Media Study @MensHealthStudy]

New study "Mens Mental Health and Media Use" seeks volunteers!
https://t.co/L1hxXMWmJi
Volunteers may qualify for paid interview after online study.

[Ronete Cohen @rainbowcouch]

Here's a petition started with @AllOut that could really change things for LGBT+ people. Add your name to join the fight for LGBT+ rights! 🌈 https://t.co/r5VJFwGo6U

[Nose Coloured Glasses - Stavros Prineas @nosecglasses]

1/11 My good deed for the week. A 🧵

Halfway through my endo list yesterday the DSU nurse came in.
“The last patient's arrived with his mother. He’s autistic and says he gets seizures when he is overstimulated.” She handed me his file. “There’s a letter from the neurologist”.

[Erin Stevens same handle elsewhere @aclientfirst]

🚨 All ethical therapy is explorative. This term has been hijacked as a euphemism for conversion therapy. Don't fall for it 🚨

[Ronete Cohen @rainbowcouch]

@aclientfirst Wow. Sorry I can't be more eloquent than that. Just wow.

[Ronete Cohen @rainbowcouch]

#dermatologist #allergist

[Ronete Cohen @rainbowcouch]

Hive mind: Tattoo ink without nickel or chromium for someone with known allergies? #tattoo #allergies

[Queer Menopause Project @MenopauseQueer]

New research project into LGBTQ+ experiences of menopause! (University of York). Details and link to survey below. Please share! #Menopause #QueerMenopause https://t.co/c34LbycW7g

[Steph Richards: (She/her) - Say NO to hate. @PompeySteph]

CONTENT WARNING SUICIDE+:

For my followers who know little about so-called "conversion therapy":

According to the British Psychological Society (BPS), conversion therapy - sometimes called "reparative therapy" or "the gay cure therapy" - tries to change someone's sexual orientation or gender identity.

In practice, it means trying to stop or suppress someone from being gay or identifying as a different gender to their sex recorded at birth. It can include talking therapies and prayer, but more extreme forms can include exorcism, shaming, physical violence and food deprivation.

The BPS and other professional bodies, including NHS England and the Royal College of Psychiatrists, have warned that conversion therapy is "unethical and potentially harmful."

In 2021, a government report said: "There is no robust evidence that conversion therapy can change sexual orientation or gender identity, and that conversion therapy is frequently associated with harm."
(LINK:https://t.co/G1RqTWOa8z)

A study published in the Journal of Homosexuality found that "conversion therapy" was associated with higher levels of depression and anxiety among participants.

Another study from the US, published in the Journal of Counseling Psychology, found that conversion therapy was associated with adverse outcomes such as decreased self-esteem, increased self-hatred, and increased suicidal ideation.

In 2019, the American Medical Association Psychiatry found that LGBT people who underwent conversion therapy were more likely to experience mental health problems than LGBT people who did not undergo conversion therapy.

The American Psychological Association (APA) has also stated that no scientific evidence supports the use of conversion therapy. In a 2018 resolution, the APA called for the end of conversion therapy, saying it is "unethical and harmful."

As a child, my parents accepted my gender issues, which, given I am talking about the 1950s, is remarkable - but just a couple of years ago, a guy we shall call Eric messaged me asking me if he could pray with me,....who knows where that could have led. Footnote: I had gender-affirming surgery in 2019, and it was the best day of my life!

Being gay or trans is not an illness. It's not a "mental health issue"; it is simply a matter of human diversity that we should celebrate, not try and cure.

Put simply: "conversion therapy" DOES NOT work and is very harmful!

@miriam_cates #BCT @Conservatives #LGBT #LGBTQIA #BanConversionTherapy

[Untanglednow @untanglednowcom]

@aclientfirst @BACP seem determined to throw the organisation over a cliff in order to follow their disastrous new doctrine.

[Erin Stevens same handle elsewhere @aclientfirst]

These are extremely worrying survey results. On the back of many members of BACP staff and board members leaving in a short space of time.

[Queer Menopause Project @MenopauseQueer]

Still waiting for more high-profile #Menopause organisations, professionals and influencers to include trans and non-binary people in their public facing communications.
Happily there are some honourable exceptions to this. You know who you are - I see you and thank you. 💜🔥💜

[HOPE not hate @hopenothate]

Suella Braverman thinks that multiculturalism is toxic and has failed.

Yesterday, Braverman made the most extreme speech from a Home Secretary in recent years.

Let’s show her how wrong she really is. Add your name✍️
https://t.co/qDMfr6nE6b

[Ronete Cohen @rainbowcouch]

@DrPetra I'm slowly withdrawing but can't find an alternative space. I've not liked anything I've tried.

[Ronete Cohen @rainbowcouch]

Sign this petition today to show your support for equal access at large outdoor events, and let’s make a positive change for disabled individuals in our communities. Together, we can build a more inclusive future. https://t.co/0bTEyPAHQ8

[Ronete Cohen @rainbowcouch]

“This is not Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria, it’s rapid-onset parental discovery,” Diane Ehrensaft, the director of mental health at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Child and Adolescent Gender Center, told the publication. https://t.co/RtSDpf0w9k

[Disability Rights UK @DisRightsUK]

🚨BREAKING NEWS🚨

The UK Government is refusing to attend a meeting at the UN to review its treatment of Disabled people under the UNCRPD. It has told the UN Committee that it does not want to undergo public scrutiny on its progress at the meeting.

https://t.co/4UYxHk2MRE

[Mona Eltahawy @monaeltahawy]

There's a saying that 'Sure he (Fred Astaire) was great, but don't forget that Ginger Rogers did everything he did…backwards and in high heels.’

I say 'Sure male footballers are great, but don't forget that the women do everything they do, and navigate patriarchal fuckery."

[Matthew Hodson @Matthew_Hodson]

Last year homophobic attacks increased by 41%.
Transphobic attacks increased even more.
Politicians and media who stoke ‘culture wars’, to distract from their failures or divide their critics, do so at the expense of LGBTQ safety.
https://t.co/6P6LrBjg80