WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Independent Women’s Forum (IWF) announced Isabelle Ayala, a 20-year-old woman from Hollywood, Florida, who is suing the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) for its alleged role in “transitioning” children, will join IWF as an ambassador. Ayala first broke her story on-video through IWF’s documentary series, “Identity Crisis,” where she shared that she was first recommended for testosterone injections as a 14-year-old girl suffering from numerous mental health comorbidities. Ayala is now suing the AAP and her healthcare providers, alleging civil conspiracy, fraud, and medical malpractice, with the help of her legal team.
At 14, Ayala began her medical transition under the guidance of Dr. Jason Rafferty, MD, MPH, EdM and Chair of the AAP’s LGBTQ+ Health and Wellness Committee. According to Ayala, Dr. Rafferty and his team convinced her mother to drop objections to the testosterone treatment by misrepresenting injections as the only available option and suggesting that if she did not receive the hormones, Ayala would commit suicide.
As Ayala’s legal complaint states, Dr. Rafferty, as one of her key providers, was also the lead author of the 2018 AAP policy statement that recommended pediatricians, parents, and schools nationwide adopt a “gender-affirming” model of care. Ayala is living proof that Dr. Rafferty’s recommendations failed his own patient, as he continued to prescribe more testosterone even after Ayala attempted suicide while allegedly under his watch at just 14 years old.
As an ambassador for IWF, Ayala will continue to share her story and shed light on what is happening to children across the country under the so-called “gender-affirming” model of care.
“I don’t want girls who are struggling to go through what I and other women had to go through,” said Isabelle Ayala.
Kelsey Bolar, director of storytelling at Independent Women’s Forum who first told Ayala’s story on-video, said: “Isabelle is a courageous young woman for vulnerably sharing her story and attempting to hold accountable one of the most powerful medical organizations in the country, if not the world. Without stories like hers, the public would still be in the dark about the harms of so-called ‘gender affirming care.’”
Watch IWF’s “Identity Crisis” documentary featuring Isabelle Ayala HERE.
As more individuals come to experience the harms of the gender ideology movement first-hand, the stories of detransitioners, parents, and experts are impossible to ignore. To protect children from the harms of gender ideology, and to stand up for biological truth, Independent Women’s Forum is committed to giving them a voice.
Watch, learn, and share HERE.
To book Isabelle Ayala for an interview, email [email protected].