K Oteng
Jay Langadinos, a thirty-nine year old Sydney woman who transitioned to a man is suing her psychiatrist for professional negligence after he approved her hormone therapy despite only seeing her for a single appointment.
The first time Jay Langadinos saw psychiatrist Dr Patrick Toohey she was 19, living at home and identifying as male.
It was May 2010.
Jay Langadinos wanted to start on masculinising hormones and her endocrinologist had referred her to Toohey to assess if she was suitable for the treatment.
The transition process
Jay Langadinos was 19 years old when she first visited psychiatrist Dr Patrick Toohey, in May 2010.
At the time, Dr Toohey diagnosed her with gender dysphoria and found her eligible to take masculinising hormones.
In 2012, Dr Toohey approved Langadinos’ request to undergo double mastectomy and seven months later a hysterectomy.
In an interview with The Age and the Herald, she explained the background to her gender confusion.
Her complicated home life had given rise to a feeling she was somehow defective.
The feeling grew in her mid-teens when she realised she was attracted to other girls.
In 2020, Ms Langadinos said she realised that ‘she should not have undergone the hormone therapy or the first and second surgeries’.
In January 2020, she also took advice on ending testosterone treatment.
Ms Langadinos said she had a complicated home life and attraction to girls led to her feeling ‘defective’ at 17.
Searching for answers online, she came across gender dysphoria and thought ‘that’s what I have’.
However, she said her transition led to even more unhappiness.
‘As my unhappiness grew, I felt the cause of my unhappiness was because I was not male, so the answer was to change my body even more,’ she said.
‘I had a breakdown, couldn’t function for an entire year. I couldn’t get out of bed. I wish at the time I knew how much I was hurting and why.’
Solicitor Anna Kerr, of NSW’s Feminist Legal Clinic, referred Ms Langadinos’ case to legal firm Slater and Gordon.
‘We can expect to see extensive litigation in future years related to gender-affirming cross-sex hormones and surgeries,’ she said.
Lawsuit
Now, at 31 years of age, Langadinos no longer identifies as a male and is suing Dr Toohey for professional negligence.
She is alleging that he “knew or ought to have known” she required further psychiatric and specialist evaluation prior to approving the procedures.
In her statement of claim, Ms Langadinos said Dr Toohey should have realised she might be autistic and referred her for further assessment by a specialist.
She also says her social phobia should have been treated before any hormone therapy and that she wasn’t given any information on how the transition would affect her fertility.
Ms Langadinos claims the surgeries have left her suffering with ‘injuries and disabilities’.
She also listed several issues she has faced ‘as a result of the negligence’.
They include masculinisation as a result of hormone therapy, loss of her breasts, uterus and ovaries.
She also cited complications from hormone therapy including early menopause, anxiety and depression.
