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A RESOURCE & COMMUNITY FOR SAME-SEX ATTRACTED PEOPLE WHO WANT TO PROMOTE THE LONG-TERM PHYSICAL & MENTAL HEALTH OF GENDER DYSPHORIC YOUTH.

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Blog/News About Large Increases in Trans-identified Youth

Updates about increasing numbers of youth diagnosed with gender dysphoria & cultural commentary on the influence of gender ideology on LGBT & non-binary youth.

Interview by 4thWaveNow, A Site Run By Parents Questioning the Current Enthusiasm To Transition Minors & Young Adults

July 28, 2019 Justine Deterling
4thwavenow, childhood gender dysphoria, medical treatment skeptics site

Opinion

Early social transition and medical transition skeptics site, 4thWaveNow, run by parents, has interviewed GHQ board member Justine Kreher. Thank you for the opportunity for a GHQ member to air concerns many people who are part of GHQ, or otherwise watching this issue, have.

“Gender Health Query: New LGBT organization will address the “child/teen medical transition movement”

 

We do not have open comments on the Gender Health Query website. But that doesn’t mean we aren’t interested in what you have to say. If you have a comment, blog post idea, or any other feedback, we would be interested if the information can be supported by science research, an informed opinion, real-world observations, or personal experiences. Please contact us.

In Trans Youth Ethics, LGBT Trans Conflict Tags trans activism priorities, trans ideology

Sociologist Investigates the Use of Hormone Blockers in Children in the U.K.

July 24, 2019 Justine Deterling
Tavistock, hormone blockers may cause problems

News

Micheal Biggs is a sociologist at Oxford who has been investigating the Nation Health Service (U.K.) and their policy to give children hormone blockers for the treatment of gender dysphoria due to questions about safety. His recent commentary can be found on Transgendertrend.

Calling this “an experiment,” Dr. Biggs says that in reviewing the data about these practices he:

…discovered unpublished evidence that initial results, after the drugs had been administered for one year, were predominantly negative.

He has asked the clinicians why they haven’t published the results yet of this experiment:

Following my original investigation, I wrote to Professor Russell Viner at University College London (UCL), the experiment’s principal investigator, and Dr Polly Carmichael, Director of the Tavistock’s Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS), asking why they failed to publish results. I also contacted the Research Ethics Committee which originally granted permission, pointing out that the researchers consistently failed to provide annual progress reports.

He mentions a controversial trans support group, Mermaids, helped the push for administering blockers at younger ages (under 16):

First, in the years before 2011, families and transgendering organizations like Mermaids lobbied vigorously to lower the age at which GnRHa drugs were administered to children, and the Tavistock could not resist this pressure. Second, the researchers could not employ the standard randomized trial to assess the effects of blocking puberty.

With a randomized trial, one can’t know the true effects of social transitions or hormone blockers.

Some of the commentary from Tavistock staff appears contradictory:

Five years ago, in 2014, Carmichael told the Mail on Sunday that the study demonstrated favourable outcomes: ‘Now we’ve done the study and the results thus far have been positive we’ve decided to continue with it’ (italics added). She even appeared in a BBC television programme – ‘I Am Leo’, aimed at audiences aged 6 to 12 – to promote the benefits of GnRHa drugs…

The Tavistock’s statement says remarkably little about the experiment’s outcomes. It cites Carmichael and Viner’s presentation to the 2014 World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) conference showing ‘there was no overall improvement in mood or psychological wellbeing using standardized psychological measures’ (italics added). This finding was presented in February 2014, but just four months later Carmichael claimed ‘the results thus far have been positive’. I cannot find slides from this 2014 presentation, but Carmichael’s presentation to the 2016 WPATH conference apparently recycles the same finding. It also acknowledges that ‘Natal girls showed an increase in internalising problems from t0 to t1 [after 12 months on GnRHa] as reported by their parents’ (italics added). This negative outcome is omitted from the Tavistock’s statement.

There is allegedly some negative data Tavistock has not communicated:

I cannot find slides from this 2014 presentation, but Carmichael’s presentation to the 2016 WPATH conference apparently recycles the same finding. It also acknowledges that ‘Natal girls showed an increase in internalising problems from t0 to t1 [after 12 months on GnRHa] as reported by their parents’ (italics added). This negative outcome is omitted from the Tavistock’s statement.

On the GHQ site, there are many examples of how the identity politics of this complicated subject may be affecting researchers behavior and willingness to admit there may be dangers in child/teen transition protocols.

Other inconsistencies and issues he believes are problems are listed in the article.

Update 07/30/19: TransgenderTrend published another post regarding the Guardian’s total lack of interest in reporting on concerns of clinicians in the GIDS.

It has been a great disappointment to many on the Left that the Guardian has been largely silent on this issue. But two former GIDS clinicians sent a letter to the Guardian back in 2017 to alert them to serious concerns about what was going on within GIDS. One of the authors of the submission to the Guardian commented to us “we really really tried.” However, rather than jumping to publish such a devastating testimony – the kind of exclusive most journalists would give their right arm for – the Guardian chose to ignore it.

The post goes on with the letter the clinicians sent the Guardian in 2017 who had to remain anonymous for fear of their jobs:

At the end of our tethers, in the summer of 2017, we wrote this letter and sent it to the ‘Do you know what I’m really thinking?’ column at the Guardian. Although only a couple of years ago, this was a different time. Gender critical therapists did not yet exist, publicly at least. We thought we would lose our careers if anyone traced it back to us. In fact, we were so paranoid that we posted the letter so it would never be traced. One of us then called the Guardian news desk.

The letter titled “Do you REALLY want to know ‘WHAT I AM REALLY THINKING’?” reflects all of the concerns raised on the GHQ website::

What I am really thinking is that mostly you are caught in a terrible moment of social contagion. You and your children are swirling in a toxic storm of psychological and emotional distress meeting homophobia, sexism, misogyny against the back drop of the most appalling ‘bad science’. There is no such thing as a male or female brain and you cannot be ‘born into the wrong body’. The sloppiness of the language of both the internet and the politicians does you no favours with their conflation of sex and gender. This chimes so well in the era of post Truth anti expert hatred.

The fact these clinicians were afraid to speak out using their names fits a pattern that can be found on our website covering a long history of abusive activist tactics.

References:

Biggs, M. (2019, July 22). Tavistock’s Experiment with Puberty Blockers: an Update. Transgendertrend. Retrieved from https://www.transgendertrend.com/tavistock-experiment-puberty-blockers-update/

TransgenderTrend. (2019, July 28). “We Really Really Tried.” A 2017 Letter from GIDS Clinicians Ignored by The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.transgendertrend.com/2017-letter-gids-clinicians-ignored-guardian/?fbclid=IwAR3g8_Z4fEISWtP9oWqLP8uzYIh5wJ-gjWljzbmM1BhWrE_EK7lKeb12KHA

 

We do not have open comments on the Gender Health Query website. But that doesn’t mean we aren’t interested in what you have to say. If you have a comment, blog post idea, or any other feedback, we would be interested if the information can be supported by science research, an informed opinion, real-world observations, or personal experiences. Please contact us.

In Trans Youth Ethics Tags trans mental health, trans activism priorities, trans activist extremism, trans youth negligence, trans ideology

A Recent Flurry of Articles in the British Press Concerning the Affirmative Model & Increasing Numbers of Medicalized Gender Dysphoric Youth

July 21, 2019 Justine Deterling
increase, trans youth, UK, worries

News

Several articles have recently been published that are airing concerns and painting complicated pictures of the issue of childhood/teen gender dysphoria in the United Kingdom. This is almost non-existent in the United States, as of now, in any media other than conservative news sites. Part of the reason is likely that the U.K. has a public health care system, and the public is being informed of the statistics showing large increases of youth identifying as trans.

An article in The Telegraph contains quotes from an expert in the National Health Service who believes socially transitioning children may harm them:

Parents are risking psychologically damaging their children by allowing them to “socially transition” their gender without medical or psychiatric advice, NHS experts have warned…

The GIDS psychologists, who practise at London’s Tavistock Clinic, said that younger children who believe they may have been born with the wrong body should be permitted to explore behavioural aspects of the opposite gender, such as dress or types of play.

However, they warned that many such children end up preferring to remain the biological gender they were born, and that to formally socially transition before puberty risks pre-determining the outcome.

GHQ covers the many statements by gender dysphoria affirming mental health and medical professionals who say that social transitions are fully reversible. Some health professionals do not believe there is any proof social transitions are reversible.

Dr. Wren from the Tavistock clinic is not sure a child who may desist will be able to re-identify with their natal sex after years of living transitioned as a child. GHQ members are also skeptical of this.

Dr Bernadette Wren, head of clinical psychology at the trust, said: “Social transitioning has become a really big topic. 

“We have never recommended complete social transitioning but it has become a really popular thing and many advocacy groups really promote it.

“We take the long view because our concern has been that what might work to lower anxiety in a younger child may become the thing that is problematic when they get older.

“It can become harder for children as they move into adolescence, they are moving into puberty and the young person suddenly faces a wall of puberty.

“We think that is setting up problems for later.”

Daily Mail also published an article “Parents are encouraging children as young as three to change gender without consulting specialists, experts warn about social transition” discussing the subject of social transition.

The BBC and the Guardian have been promoting, almost entirely, positive transition stories and narratives around dysphoric youth and the affirmative model. A new BBC article quotes people calling for more caution in “Children with gender identity issues 'need help from all sides”:

Dr Polly Carmichael, consultant clinical psychologist and director of the Gender Identity Development Service (Gids), said many had complex social and personal histories.

"We think about all the needs of young people and try and work closely with local services to clearly manage risk around self-harm, and other difficulties, but also to raise awareness around gender issues," she said.

"I think there is sometimes a danger there can be a split - if someone is presenting with issues around their gender identity, that local services perhaps think that's going to be the answer to everything.

"Whereas in reality it's a complicated picture that needs to be addressed from all sides."

The BBC also covered the investigation on the use of puberty blockers happening in the U.K. in the article “Transgender treatment: Puberty blockers study under investigation.”

The study's full findings have not been published - but early data showed some taking the drugs reported an increase in thoughts of suicide and self-harm.

A Gender Identity Development Service psychologist, Kirsty Entwistle, who quit due to ethics concerns, posted an article on Medium recounting her experiences with the GIDs. She believes political pressure is guiding care. GHQ covers the political environment, often veering into extremism. She also talks about how some affirmative model advocates level accusations of transphobia at any suggestion of caution.

Daily Mail also covered the story of her concerns and how political pressure is driving a very pro-medicalization environment and that children with trauma and other issues are being transitioned too enthusiastically in some health professionals’ views:

In her message to the service’s director, Dr Polly Carmichael, she said ‘clinicians are afraid of raising their concerns for fear of being labelled transphobic by colleagues’…

Dr Entwistle raised another red flag about young people with a wide variety of problems, not related to their gender, being diagnosed as transgender and put on drugs to help them change sex. In addition to sex-abuse victims, she said significant numbers coming to the clinic were living in poverty and ‘risky situations’.

The Spectator also reported on the increase of health professionals expressing concerns about gender dysphoria treatment in Britain.

The Gender Identity Development Service gave The Spectator a statement regarding their treatment approach:

Update: The Gender Identity Development Service gave The Spectator the following statement:

The Gender Identity Development Service operates in a contentious field and appreciates and holds in mind the concerns raised by staff about the complexity and background of many of the referrals we see. There have always been many spaces for staff to share their concerns about the work in general and specific cases they are involved with. These include weekly team meetings, a fortnightly case discussion group, a monthly psychoanalytic group, monthly CPD meetings, a monthly reflective group and a monthly research meeting. In addition, all staff have regular supervision and line management. Senior members of the team are regularly meeting with clinicians to consider more complex issues as the need arises. GIDS, and the Tavistock more widely, is a thoughtful, reflective place to work. Our assessments are co-worked so there is space for discussion between colleagues who were both present with a young person. We also run two service-wide away days per year to discuss developments in the field and in our practice as well as encouraging staff to attend national and international conferences. The service organises regular CPD events which cover topics raised by members of the service. Obviously, specific safeguarding concerns should be raised with line managers and our safeguarding lead. Staff can also avail themselves of the Trust’s Freedom to Speak Up Guardian.

It remains that there are different views about how best to support young people with gender dysphoria. Fewer than half of patients who present to the service go on to our endocrine clinics and we do not hold a view on what the outcome will be for a child when they come in to the service. There is no pressure to provide medical intervention from the service, though there can often be from the young person or family. Our work seeks to minimise the impact of distress associated with gender development on general development, whilst spending time exploring gender identity and the range of possible pathways which may or may not include physical treatment.

We appreciate that people may want wider discussions about how best to care for this population and for this reason we continue to engage with a range of stakeholders, including our staff and patients. It is vital that the voices of young people are heard. We will continue to deliver our service in a considered, ethical and caring manner, as endorsed in our CQC inspections.

Other articles:

“Use of puberty blockers on transgender children to be investigated”

”Puberty blocking drugs: ‘For the past four years I’ve been stuck as a child’”

“Politicised trans groups put children at risk, says expert”

References:

Bannerman, L. (2019, July 26). Puberty blocking drugs: ‘For the past four years I’ve been stuck as a child’. The Times [London]. Retrieved from https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/experts-investigate-use-of-puberty-blockers-on-transgender-children-6l695lflf

Bannerman, L. (2019, July 26). Use of puberty blockers on transgender children to be investigated. The Times [London]. Retrieved from https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/experts-investigate-use-of-puberty-blockers-on-transgender-children-6l695lflf

Bodkin, H. (2019, July 17). Encouraging children to 'socially transition' gender risks long-term harm, say NHS experts. The Telegraph. Retrieved from https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/07/17/encouraging-children-socially-transition-gender-risks-long-term/

Children with gender identity issues 'need help from all sides'. (2019, July 17). BBC. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/health-49020371

Cohen, D., Barnes, H. (2019, July 22). Transgender treatment: Puberty blockers study under investigation. BBC. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/health-49036145

Doward. J. (2019, July 27th). Politicised trans groups put children at risk, says expert. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/jul/27/trans-lobby-pressure-pushing-young-people-to-transition?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other&fbclid=IwAR3V8gNC4D6Z_qmT20be6euLDKth1J5fpHbYplGBAMGnQC25S-ggEuuam-M

Entwistle, K. (2019, July 18). An open letter to Dr Polly Carmichael from a former GIDS clinician. Medium. Retrieved from https://medium.com/@kirstyentwistle/an-open-letter-to-dr-polly-carmichael-from-a-former-gids-clinician-53c541276b8d

Hayward, E. (20189, July 17). Parents are encouraging children as young as three to change gender without consulting specialists, experts warn. Daily Mail. Retrieved from https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7258767/Parents-encouraging-children-young-three-change-gender-without-consulting-specialists.html

Kirkup, J. (2019, July). It’s time to listen to the NHS gender clinic whistleblowers. The Spectator. Retrieved from https://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2019/07/its-time-to-listen-to-the-nhs-gender-clinic-whistleblowers/

Manning, S. (2019, July 20). NHS psychologist claims poor and abused children are wrongly being labelled transgender and prescribed sex-change treatments without appropriate testing by clinicians who 'fear being labelled transphobic.’ Daily Mail. Retrieved from https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7268807/NHS-psychologist-claims-poor-abused-kids-wrongly-labelled-transgender.html

 

We do not have open comments on the Gender Health Query website. But that doesn’t mean we aren’t interested in what you have to say. If you have a comment, blog post idea, or any other feedback, we would be interested if the information can be supported by science research, an informed opinion, real-world observations, or personal experiences. Please contact us.

In Medical Effects Trans, Trans Youth Ethics, Trans Identity Politics Tags trans safety unknown, bioethics, trans youth negligence, trans ideology

Professionals from Various Backgrounds Described as "Whistleblowers" are Releasing a Book Challenging the Affirmative Model Used in Britain.

July 15, 2019 Justine Deterling
Daily Mail, whistleblowers, affirmative model, trans youth healthcare

News

The Daily Mail has published an article about a book being released by an array of health professionals and academics challenging the ethics of the affirmative model used in Britain and rapidly being adopted (see here and here) everywhere in the West.

Their opinions will be highlighted in an upcoming book called Inventing Transgender Children And Young People:

The book warns:

-Doctors are failing to tell young people they are 'sacrificing' their chance to have children by taking powerful sex-change drugs;

-Psychologists are scared to question transgender ideology;

-Clinicians who resist diagnosing children as transgender face accusations of transphobia;

-Britain's only NHS child gender service is failing to acknowledge other reasons for youngsters wanting to change sex, such as autism;

-Teenagers who have 'normal feelings' of discomfort with their bodies are being classified as transgender.

Many worries and negative opinions are expressed by social science, mental health, and medical professionals:

A whistleblower from Britain's only NHS gender clinic for children said: 'I'm really angry at what's happening to these children. What I've witnessed feels incredibly distressing and disturbing and like something that should be stopped.'

The psychiatrist, who last year produced a critical internal report on GIDS which branded the service 'not fit for purpose', further warned: 'Many services have championed the use of medical and surgical intervention with nowhere near sufficient attention to the serious, irreversible damage this can cause and with very disturbingly superficial attitudes to the issue of consent in young children.'

One of the NHS gender specialists said: 'I keep thinking about all of the children, adolescents and families who are being harmed by the one-dimensional discussion and the attack on truth and on thinking and on what we know about adolescent well-being.'

Another added: 'I'm angry with all the grown-ups, all the clever people, all the thoughtful people, who are letting this happen.' One of the issues causing 'turmoil' at the clinic is the prospect that children are being rendered infertile by the medication prescribed for them.

Some of the other comments reflect issues raised by GHQ about medical consequences, the increasing numbers of females coming out as trans, trans activist pressure influencing professionals, and homophobia fueling trans identification.

The Gender Identity Services in Britain denies that they are behaving unethically and that they aren’t properly informing youth about the risks:

Last night a spokesman for GIDS insisted the service took a 'thoughtful and safe approach'. He said an internal review in response to concerns about the clinic's practices had made recommendations to address certain issues.

'However, we strongly refute the blanket and generalised criticisms of the service,' he said.

References:

Manning, S. (2019, July 13). The book that dares to take on transgender myths told to children: Experts reveal psychologists are scared to question transgender ideology, GPs are afraid of being branded transphobic and teens are being wrongly diagnosed. Daily Mail. Retrieved from https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7244783/Academics-medical-experts-fears-children-number-seeking-sex-change-operations-sky-rockets.html

 

We do not have open comments on the Gender Health Query website. But that doesn’t mean we aren’t interested in what you have to say. If you have a comment, blog post idea, or any other feedback, we would be interested if the information can be supported by science research, an informed opinion, real-world observations, or personal experiences. Please contact us.

In Increase Trans Females, Trans Youth Ethics Tags trans safety unknown, bioethics, trans activism priorities, trans activist extremism, trans minors consent

The U.K. Government Will Commission Research into Adolescent Gender Identity

July 12, 2019 Justine Deterling
geo.jpg

News

The United Kingdom Government has issued a press release in response to large increases in youth, particularly female youth, seeking treatment for gender dysphoria.

“Government set to begin next phase of gender transition research” was issued by the Government Equalities Office and posted on the GOV.UK site:

In 2018/19, 2,590 children and young people were referred to GIDS, with the service continuing to see an increasing number of girls referred. Nearly three quarters of those referred last year were female, mostly of adolescent age.

Whilst the number of referrals last year still represents only a small fraction of the UK population (0.05% or around 1 in 1,900 of 13-17 year olds), it is clear that more young people, particularly adolescent girls, are seeking support around their gender identity from health services.

And:

What it is not clear is what might be driving these increases. Despite a wide variety of theories, there is little hard evidence to support these at present.

That is why the government has been reviewing existing evidence, including information from other countries, to better understand whether the trends seen in the UK are also happening elsewhere. Following on from this, the GEO will now commission brand new research to explore the nature of adolescent gender identity and transitioning.

And:

This trend of higher numbers of adolescent girls presenting as transgender was also observed in responses to the government’s own National LGBT Survey. Of the 2,040 trans respondents aged 16-17, 39% identified as trans men, compared to 10% trans women. 51% identified as non-binary.

We cover that survey and others in a discussion of the increase in females coming out as trans/non-binary.

References:

Government Equalities Office (UK). (2019, July 8). Government set to begin next phase of gender transition research. Retrieved https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-set-to-begin-next-phase-of-gender-transition-research?utm_source=ea10e16a-f79d-4af9-866f-394cecd72fd4&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=govuk-notifications&utm_content=immediate

 

We do not have open comments on the Gender Health Query website. But that doesn’t mean we aren’t interested in what you have to say. If you have a comment, blog post idea, or any other feedback, we would be interested if the information can be supported by science research, an informed opinion, real-world observations, or personal experiences. Please contact us.

In Increase Trans Females, Trans Youth Ethics Tags trans youth negligence

Royal College of General Practitioners Has Issued a Position Statement Expressing Alarm About Treatments of Children with Gender Dysphoria

July 7, 2019 Justine Deterling
Doctors issue warning about treatments of children with gender dysphoria

News

The Royal College of General Practitioners, described as “highly influential” in this Daily Mail article, has issued a position statement warning about the lack of evidence of safety of current protocols used to treat trans-identified minors, whose numbers are increasing drastically.

Here are some quotes from the article “GPs risk causing transgender storm after issuing unprecedented warning over 'lack of evidence' on treatments that pave way for children to have a sex change”:

And it says there needs to be far more research into the pros and cons of treatment, including medical intervention being compared with a 'wait and see' approach…

And it says there needs to be far more research into the pros and cons of treatment, including medical intervention being compared with a 'wait and see' approach…

Last night, doctors said it was the first time a major UK medical institution had called into serious question how transgender patients are treated on the NHS…

The number of 13-year-olds seeking treatment at England's only child gender identity clinic has risen by 30 per cent in just one year, while referrals for 14-year-olds are up 25 per cent, recently released figures show.

For the first time, most patients are under 15.

Equally significantly, girls wanting to transition to being male dominate, making up 74 per cent of patients at the Tavistock Clinic in London.

The original policy statement can be found on the RCGP.org website.

More information on the increasing numbers of females identifying as trans can be found on our website here.

Statements that indicate clinicians themselves acknowledge they are experimenting on minors can be found here.

References:

Adams, S. (2019, July 16). GPs risk causing transgender storm after issuing unprecedented warning over 'lack of evidence' on treatments that pave way for children to have a sex change. Daily Mail. Retrieved from https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7220897/GPs-risk-transgender-storm-issuing-unprecedented-warning-lack-evidence-treatments.html?fbclid=IwAR0wz9KZm5QEb76K0fPs4AJP_j50rq4Qd6MttA5Hr-kCj9DVeySRJgmFX9k

Royal College of General Practitioners. (2019, June). The role of the GP in caring for gender-questioning and transgender patients. Retrieved from https://www.rcgp.org.uk/-/media/Files/Policy/A-Z-policy/2019/RCGP-transgender-care-position-statement-june-2019.ashx?la=en

 

We do not have open comments on the Gender Health Query website. But that doesn’t mean we aren’t interested in what you have to say. If you have a comment, blog post idea, or any other feedback, we would be interested if the information can be supported by science research, an informed opinion, real-world observations, or personal experiences. Please contact us.

In Increase Trans Females, Trans Youth Ethics Tags trans safety unknown, trans youth negligence

750 Academics Call for a Professor to be Fired for Statements About Transitioning Youth

June 23, 2019 Justine Deterling
censorship, UK, trans youth

News

There are some issues in the article “Academic faces sack for letter to Sunday Times that criticised training on trans issues” relevant to the GHQ section on trans activism and gender dysphoria in youth.

There are calls from academics from the UK to fire a professor of education and editor of the journal, Disability & Society for her concern about autistic youth and rigid thinking and gender dysphoria. It should be noted gender dysphoria experts such a Dr. Susan Bradley, some mental health professionals from the Tavistock clinic in the UK, and autism expert Tania Marshall, as well as others, have expressed the same concerns. Anyone who expresses worry about grey area dysphoric youth will be attacked by the academic left, including calls for censorship and job loss.

Another signatory of the Sunday Times letter, Michele Moore, honorary professor at Essex University, who has edited the journal Disability & Society for many years, is also facing calls to resign after warning that autistic and other children might be harmed if they are wrongly encouraged to question their gender, which could lead to taking hormones and later surgery.

A petition from 750 colleagues calls on her to step down. She said her career hung in the balance because of the campaign, but the journal’s publishers and people from around the world were being supportive.

She added: “Somebody has to say we will talk about the potential harm of transgenderism of children, as many with autism or other social learning problems are being caught up in this.”

The article also includes some lesbian academics who do not agree with current gender activism.

 

We do not have open comments on the Gender Health Query website. But that doesn’t mean we aren’t interested in what you have to say. If you have a comment, blog post idea, or any other feedback, we would be interested if the information can be supported by science research, an informed opinion, real-world observations, or personal experiences. Please contact us.

In LGBT Trans Conflict, Trans Identity Politics, Trans Youth Ethics Tags campus extremism, trans youth negligence

Parent Group Circulates a Petition to the Surgeon GeneraL

June 20, 2019 Justine Deterling
petition from concerned parents of trans-identified youth, Surgeon General

News Commentary

A petition is circulating from a non-partisan parent group, Kelsey Coalition, to encourage the Surgeon General to look into the medical effects of transitioning minors.

Some comments about the petition:

Parents who consent to these treatments are often misled to believe that their child will be at greater risk of suicide if they do not. There is no evidence to support this claim.

There is some evidence to support the claim that rejecting a child’s trans-identification can have harmful mental health effects. This site does not advocate for making rejecting comments to a trans-identified youth, or indicating they will be devalued if they transition, as they do have higher suicide ideation rates. There hasn’t been any studies with control groups (considered unethical) to compare treatment plans for minors distressed about their gender. But there is evidence that denying the trans youth’s identity or rejecting the youth may be harmful.

Of all of the information around minors transitioning, suicide is one of the most important subjects to try to frame honestly. GHQ reviews the data that denying transition may increase suicide risk, but some data shows it may not help suicide risk. It is a complicated issue and the methodology in studies is far from perfect. And it doesn’t explain why it appears there are more young people are saying they feel suicidal around their gender than ever before, as more and more young people are taking on trans identities. The pro-transition argument would be that these youths always felt this way but just didn’t talk about it.

But suicide rates are going up in young people in general.

It really is an unprecedented surge," said lead author Oren Miron, a research associate at Harvard Medical School in Boston. "You can go back decades and you won't find such a sharp increase."

One objective analysis of suicide risk in youth can be found in this presentation (46:00) by Dr. Ken Zucker where dysphoria clinic patients are isolated. The youths have suicide risk rates similar to other youth presenting for professional help for mental health issues, like depression or bipolar disorder.

There is solid evidence that there are serious health risks in transitioning and ethical questions about having immature children, teens, and young adults making these decisions, the impetus for this petition. Even gender dysphoria affirmative model advocates make statements indicating their treatments are experimental.

 

We do not have open comments on the Gender Health Query website. But that doesn’t mean we aren’t interested in what you have to say. If you have a comment, blog post idea, or any other feedback, we would be interested if the information can be supported by science research, an informed opinion, real-world observations, or personal experiences. Please contact us.

In Trans Youth Suicide, Trans Youth Ethics, Trans Minors Consent Tags trans minors consent, trans safety unknown

Mermaids Trans Youth Charity Breaches Privacy Safeguarding & Receives Internal Criticism

June 16, 2019 Justine Deterling
trans youth charity, Mermaids, scandal

News

The London Times has published a story about a privacy breach committed by Mermaids, a trans support group, who receives public funds from the UK government. Mermaids promotes the gender dysphoria affirmative model for children and parents.

The article is titled “Parents’ anger as child sex change charity Mermaids puts private emails online.”

Many emails were put online where they could be seen by the public:

More than 1,000 pages of Mermaids’ confidential emails, including anguished messages from parents about their children’s suffering, were uploaded for anyone to view.

The charity has received some criticism in the released private emails:

Alongside the client emails were hundreds of revealing internal ones showing trustees’ concerns about Green’s leadership, accusations from parents that Mermaids felt like a “cult” and alcohol problems at residential weekends putting children “at risk”.

The charity has received some criticism from a Tavistock (from a trans youth clinic) clinician in the UK:

A Tavistock clinician said: “Mermaids push simplistic views, emotional blackmail and conscious misinformation at parents. They do so much harm.”

Susie Green is cooperating but also blaming some criticism on transphobia.

 

We do not have open comments on the Gender Health Query website. But that doesn’t mean we aren’t interested in what you have to say. If you have a comment, blog post idea, or any other feedback, we would be interested if the information can be supported by science research, an informed opinion, real-world observations, or personal experiences. Please contact us.

In Trans Identity Politics, Trans Youth Ethics Tags trans activist extremism, trans activism priorities

Will Minors Be Medicalized for Non-Standard Body Modifications?

June 7, 2019 Justine Deterling
non-binary identities, top surgery, nullos

News Commentary

A recent story in the Dailystar features two non-binary-identified biological females who have just had top surgery. There has recently been an increase in females who want to bind their breasts or remove them altogether. Ash Hardell is a very popular YouTube celebrity who documented the breast removal process on YouTube. Soon after her partner got top surgery and did the same.

The type of top surgery these two had involves removing the nipples as well.

Nipple dysphoria isn’t something that has been highlighted as it realties to gender dysphoria in previous research. Currently there isn’t really proof that this is true “gender dysphoria” for all of these individuals. It may be some other type of body dysmorphic condition. There is some evidence non-binary-identified individuals have more mental health problems than binary trans people. The worse mental health of the individuals in some of these studies is attributed to some worse form of oppression and lack of understanding they receive from society. The possibility they could have other deep rooted issues is often unexplored by these professional psychologists for some reason.

Non-binary identifying treatment seeking transgender youth are at increased risk of developing anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem compared to binary transgender youth. This may reflect the even greater barriers and feelings of discrimination that may be faced by those whose identity does not fit the notion of binary gender that is pervasive in how society views both cis- and transgender populations.

There are more people modifying their bodies for “nullo” identities as well. Some information on this subject on this website may be found here. A surgeon who performs these surgeries can be found here.

Another quote about non-traditional medical treatments under the umbrella of “non-binary” or “no-gender”:

“People from the 'nullo' community don't want to have body parts like nipples, a belly button or genitals which determine if you're a man or a woman," explains Archaniol.

And:

Nullo is a subculture within the extreme body modification community where men with phalluses surgically remove their genitals. Being nullo is not comparable to being transgender and having sexual reassignment surgery, as nullos desire being completely gender neutral and without genitals. There have been instances of women within the nullo community, in which a female will have her clitoris removed and her labia stitched up. 

These individuals are adults, over the age of 25, who have body autonomy (“my body my choice). Whether insurance and public health care systems should cover “nipple dysphoria” or nullo surgeries is another question. And surgical body modifications on minors who are not cognitively mature is also another question.

Given that there is current positive support from affirmative model advocates to medically transition “non-binary” minors, it is worth asking if minors will be able to request medical techniques for more unusual body modification requests like nipple removal or clitoral amputation for nullo identities. Since these are all basically “non-binary” identities and non-binary identities have support for medical transition from people at UCSF and elsewhere. This may sound odd but doctors are already doing mastectomies on twelve year olds and vaginoplasty under the age of eighteen. And with a “let the child lead” affirmative ethos, why would a youth be given a non-binary double mastectomy as a tween but not nipple removal only. Or just testicle removal or clitoral removal for nullo identities. Given the hormone blocker to estrogen protocol appears to destroy sexual function in trans girls in some cases, a nullo genital aputation for more “body comfort” or “desired esthetic” in reality isn’t much different.

Jesse Singal covers a case demonstrating a young “non-binary” person, fairly ambivalent about hormonal effects, being affirmed by psychologists and medically treated by doctors.

The pair of females in the first article cited received a lot of positive feedback, as many in the current culture have very positive attitudes about binding and top surgery. Should this be the case with minors who are reporting that they become more popular when they come out as trans or non-binary?

The images received a positive response, racking up more than 6,250 likes, shares and comments.

 

We do not have open comments on the Gender Health Query website. But that doesn’t mean we aren’t interested in what you have to say. If you have a comment, blog post idea, or any other feedback, we would be interested if the information can be supported by science research, an informed opinion, real-world observations, or personal experiences. Please contact us.

In Trans Youth Ethics Tags non-binary, nullos, affirmative model trans

British Doctors' Editorial Raises All of the Same Concerns Present on the GHQ Site

June 1, 2019 Justine Deterling
British Doctor editorial, ethics and risks, medical treatments on minors with gender dysphoria

News

British doctors have submitted an editorial to a UK medical journal that reflects the same concerns raised on the GHQ website.

From the abstract of “Gender incongruence in children, adolescents, and adults” by Bewley et al., 2019:

bewley_editorial.png
 

We do not have open comments on the Gender Health Query website. But that doesn’t mean we aren’t interested in what you have to say. If you have a comment, blog post idea, or any other feedback, we would be interested if the information can be supported by science research, an informed opinion, real-world observations, or personal experiences. Please contact us.

In Trans Youth Ethics Tags bioethics, trans safety unknown, trans children & teens, affirmative model trans

Comments from Gender Clinicians Who Resigned from Tavistock in UK Support the Need for Gender Health Query

April 12, 2019 Justine Deterling
tavistock gender clinicians quit

NEWS COMMENTARY

One of the main goals of Gender Health Query is to ensure that gender dysphoric youth are not being over-medicalized. This is in light of the fact minors are being permanently altered and that the demographics of who is seeking treatment has changed rapidly to include many more young females. Unfortunately, a recent newspaper article in the London Times confirms some of our worries.

These concerns are:

  • Some youth are not receiving proper mental health support.

  • They are not being given time to mature.

  • Inappropriate medical transition of LGB youth is a major risk.

  • Anti-gay attitudes among parents and youth themselves may be fueling transition.

  • Medical procedures will have negative impacts on health.

These concerns are being raised by gender clinicians themselves as “All five have resigned from the Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS) in the past three years as a matter of conscience.”

Some quotes from the article:

“This experimental treatment is being done not only on children, but very vulnerable children, who have experienced mental health difficulties, abuse, family trauma, but sometimes those [other factors] just get whitewashed,” one female clinician said. “If someone was suggesting plastic surgery or any other permanent change we’d be saying, hang on a minute.”

“They believe that physically healthy children are being medicated in response to pressure from transgender lobby groups and parental anxieties.”

So many potentially gay children were being sent down the pathway to change gender, two of the clinicians said there was a dark joke among staff that “there would be no gay people left”.

“It feels like conversion therapy for gay children,” one male clinician said. “I frequently had cases where people started identifying as trans after months of horrendous bullying for being gay,” he told The Times.

Young lesbians considered at the bottom of the heap suddenly found they were really popular when they said they were trans.

Another female clinician said: “We heard a lot of homophobia which we felt nobody was challenging. A lot of the girls would come in and say, ‘I’m not a lesbian. I fell in love with my best girl friend but then I went online and realised I’m not a lesbian, I’m a boy. Phew.’”

Several clinicians suspected that some of the “transgender” adolescents were reacting to homophobia at home.

“For some families, it was easier to say, this is a medical problem, ‘here’s my child, please fix them!’ than dealing with a young, gay kid,” the third female clinician said. At the service’s “family days”, a parent was allegedly heard saying that they did not want their child to have gay friends because they “didn’t want them mixed up in that hedonistic lifestyle”. “It is converting people into heterosexuals,” one of the clinicians said. “We had so many families who would talk about not wanting their daughters to be lesbian.” Young people “repeatedly” confided their own “disgust” that they may be gay, according to the clinician.

“Children’s bodies are being damaged in order to treat societal issues,” she warned. She recalled a case of a 13-year-old child “whose parents were really pressurising us for puberty blockers”. When the clinician refused to refer him, she claims one of the parents, a lawyer, wrote threatening legal letters to the service. The child was eventually referred for blockers.

I list of these consequences can be found here:

She would have nightmares about her years at the Tavistock. “I would talk about it as an ‘atrocity’. I know that sounds quite strong, but it felt as if we were part of something that people would look back on in the future, and ask, what were we thinking? In the future I think there will be lots and lots of de-transitioners who feel their bodies were mutilated as young people and who will ask, why did you let me do this? It is very disturbing.”

All five clinicians expressed concern over how little young people and their families were being told about the impact of hormone treatment on fertility and sexual function as adults. One claimed young people were unable to give “informed consent” because it was regarded as taboo to discuss the impact of medical intervention on later sexual function in such a young cohort.

In what other specialism would physical intervention that leads to permanent change to the body be the first line of treatment for a vulnerable child? Activists will tell you it’s unethical not to intervene. But we know that not everyone with gender dysphoria will go on to identify as trans for the rest of their lives.”

One case has haunted her. “All the pushing was coming from the father to put the kid on puberty blockers. Thinking back on it now, I fear that the father was a paedophile and the child was being abused.” There is no suggestion the service knowingly ignored the case, and the outcome is unknown

These health professionals have differing opinions about the quality of care. The head of the clinic maintains that proper care is taking place and that there is no evidence of harm. Hopefully this assessment will turn out to be correct for the vast majority of children. But some collateral damage is likely inevitable:

The clinic, which is run by the Tavistock and Portman Foundation Trust and whose director is Polly Carmichael, says it is tracking the progress of 44 young people who began puberty blockers in 2011, and that all available evidence is discussed with families. “This is a rapidly developing field and psychosocial and medical professionals are working hard to ensure that we respond to emerging evidence in an appropriate and considered way,” a spokesman said. The growing body of international evidence showed that “thus far, there is little reported evidence of harm,” he added.

And a differing opinion:

The whole service should have been halted when the number of “transgender” cases first exploded, one of the clinicians said. “That’s the point we should have stopped because we didn’t know what we were doing. Are we a service for kids with gender dysphoria, a medical disorder? Or are we a service for ‘transgender kids’?”

One clinician said it was understandable if her former employer was defensive, saying: “If they are getting it wrong, you have to ask, are they making kids infertile by mistake? Because if they are to truly acknowledge [our concerns], then they will have to ask themselves, what the f*** have we done to thousands of children?”

 

We do not have open comments on the Gender Health Query website. But that doesn’t mean we aren’t interested in what you have to say. If you have a comment, blog post idea, or any other feedback, we would be interested if the information can be supported by science research, an informed opinion, real-world observations, or personal experiences. Please contact us.

In Desistance Trans Children, Trans Youth Ethics Tags gay, lesbian, gender-dysphoria, medical-ethics
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