Clinical Advisory Network on Sex and Gender
The recent decision by NHS England to ban routine use of puberty blockers is a positive step to protect children. Concerns remain about private providers, cross-sex hormones for 16-18 year olds, lack of research, and care for detransitioners. We hope the Cass final report will provide further clarity, but regardless of what is in the final review, the principle of evidence-based care for gender questioning youth has been established by Cass.
Recently released documentation of internal discussions between members of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, including authors of WPATH’s Standards of Care, reveal profound ignorance and lack of concern for the harms and lack of evidence for gender medical and surgical interventions, and a shocking disregard for medial ethics. The WPATH Files Leaked internal […]
We’ve just uploaded our recent webinar on childhood social transition. The context for this webinar is the recent guidance from the government to schools on social transition, and the current public consultation on the matter. This consultation will run until the 12 March. We hope that after listening to the webinar people may feel inspired […]
Professor Sallie Baxendale’s article in Unherd discusses her challenges in publishing a paper on puberty blockers’ impact on cognitive function. Despite facing rejection from three journals, her paper has now been published in a well-respected peer reviewed journal, shedding light on the minimal evidence and concerns about the impact of puberty blockers. Prof Baxendale’s Unherd article sheds light on issues in the peer review process.
Clinical, educational & safeguarding perspectives Wed 31 Jan 2024 7:00 PM – 8:15 PM GMT Online, Zoom Register Now! The Clinical Advisory Network On Sex & Gender welcomes you to the third in our series of interactive webinars. These webinars will begin to cover the scope of our concerns and our work in the field of sex and gender in health care. Our […]
The review of the literature found that no well-designed studies have ever been conducted to properly assess the impact of puberty blockers on cognitive function.
Our current understanding of the importance of puberty in the development of cognitive function, animal studies and very limited data from human studies do not support the notion that puberty blockers have no impact on cognitive development or that any effects are reversible.
Indeed, the evidence to date points in the other direction.
This is a brief overview of some of CAN-SG’s activities in 2023 The group has grown to over 100 healthcare professionals with members across many specialities including medicine, nursing, psychiatry, psychology and psychotherapy, general practice, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, radiology and radiography, midwifery and surgery. Hundreds of people have signed our Declaration and […]
A group of professionals in Scotland formed ScotPAG to address the impact of gender ideology in public services. They aim to understand the situation, engage with authorities, and raise awareness. Facing challenges from professional bodies and government, they plan to use FOI requests and build alliances to push for transparency and influence policy.
BREAKING Extended deadline for feedback on development of a WHO guideline on the health of trans and gender diverse people. Submissions now close 2 Feb 2024 In June 2023, the World Health Organisation (WHO) announced it was planning to develop a guideline on the health of trans and gender diverse people; a further notice on 18 December […]
A recent documentary aired by Ireland’s national broadcaster RTÉ brought to light concerns raised by leading doctors of Ireland’s Adult National Gender Service (NGS) regarding the treatment of Irish children with gender dysphoria. Their concerns have largely been ignored. Dr Moran and Prof O’Shea have lodged a formal complaint against the HSE with the health standards watchdog in Ireland(HIQA) alleging that the HSE have directed children from Ireland to gender clinics abroad which adhere to a model of care which can harm children, an allegation which the HSE firmly denies.
Dr. Jane Martin discusses the UK government’s promise to issue guidance for teachers on supporting children dealing with gender identity issues. She explains the complex issue of “social transition”, which is increasingly prevalent in children today. This shift can lead to more invasive and irreversible medical decisions later on. She criticizes educational materials endorsing gender ideology, stating they capitalize on the younger children’s suggestibility and difficulty discerning reality from fantasy. She highlights concerns about the potential for social pressure and suggests the process of persuasion towards social transition amounts to grooming and child exploitation.
James Esses, trainee psychotherapist, had taken UKCP to court for discrimination against him for expressing gender critical beliefs which led to him being expelled from his psychotherapy training course. (You can get more information about his case here.) Today Esses announced he had reached a settlement with UKCP and, although he was not able to reveal […]
The United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy has recognised therapists with ‘gender critical’ views, who aim to help clients resolve their gender related distress psychologically rather than through invasive medical treatments. They acknowledge these views are protected by law. Amid major shifts towards ‘gender critical’ therapeutic approaches for children and young adults with gender dysphoria, a proposed bill banning ‘conversion therapy’ raises concerns of criminalising these ‘exploratory therapies’. Critics claim the bill would leave gender affirmative therapy as the sole legal option, despite its potential physical and mental health risks, and could discourage therapists from treating individuals with gender dysphoria.
Medical, legal, and cultural debate over the practice of youth gender transitions has come to the birthplace of the Dutch Protocol The following is an extract from an article on the Society for Evidence Based Gender Medicine’s website about the beginnings of discussion and debate in the Netherlands about the practice of gender transition in […]
This paper by Professor David Pilgrim, Department of Psychology at University of Southampton, is a timely examination of the history of two distinct current clinical positions, that could help us understand and contextualise concerns about legislation to include gender identity in a ban on “conversion therapy”. The first is from those advocating an ‘affirmative approach’ […]
Against the weaponisation of youthful suffering An article by a child psychiatrist on the abuse of “suicide risk” in promoting medical intervention for children who identify as trans was recently published in The Critic. The author wrote: When a child identifies as trans, the spectre of suicide is frequently raised by campaigners — sometimes in […]
A recent review paper by Halasz and Amos in the journal Australasian Psychiatry, gives a history of the GIDS service at the Tavistock centre from its inception in 1989 to its closure in 2022 and compares “gender-affirming” and “comprehensive care” approaches. The term “gender-affirming care” refers to social, medical and surgical interventions that change the […]
CAN-SG’s submission to NHS England’s consultation on interim clinical policy on use of puberty suppressing hormones for children and young people with gender dysphoria/gender incongruence CAN -SG has submitted its response to the NHS England consultation. The consultation closes on 1 November. Anyone who has an interest in this policy can contribute to the consultation. […]
The Clinical Advisory Network on Sex and Gender has submitted its response to NHS England’s consultation on its interim clinical policy for puberty suppressing hormones. We welcome the proposal to end the routine prescription of puberty suppressing hormones (PSH) to children and young people with gender dysphoria or gender incongruence and to focus on psychosocial […]
As a cautionary tale of what happens when we lose sight of ‘primum non nocere’ (first do no harm) as our guiding principle in medicine, the story of epilepsy surgery is exemplary.
This article appeared on the website of the Society for Evidence Based Gender Medicine and is reproduced here with their permission. segm.org 17 Aug 2023 The journal of the Danish Medical Association “Ugeskrift for Læger” confirms the change has occurred quietly but resolutely A major medical journal Ugeskrift for Læger, the Journal of the Danish Medical Association, […]
In May 2023 a group of doctors and therapists who are members of CAN-SG gave evidence to two cross party groups of parliamentarians, both MPs and Peers, about the risks of including gender identity in legislation to ban conversion practices, especially for the clinical care of gender questioning children and young people. The bill has […]
Kilarney April 2023 Review by Robin Ion I spent four days at the end of April 2023 at the Genspect Bigger Picture conference in Kilarney, Ireland. The aim of the event was to promote exploration of how best to support people who experience gender dysphoria, including those who have regrets about social and/or medical transition […]
A response from the Clinical Advisory Network on Sex and Gender to Dr Helen Webberley’s open letter to Dr Hilary Cass, Chair of the Independent Review of Gender Identity Services for Children and Young PeopleC Dr Helen Webberley’s challenge to Dr Hilary Cass recycles the inaccuracies and misconceptions that have resulted in far too many […]
The Women’s Rights Network (WRN) reviewed police data revealing 6,539 reported cases of sexual assault in UK hospitals from 2019 to 2022. The WRN’s report suggests that NHS Trusts are failing in their duty to protect patients and staff due to inadequate data on sexual offences. The report recommends more comprehensive data collection and improved safety measures, including single-sex exemptions for hospital wards. The goal is to better understand and address the causes of hospital-based violence leading to a safer environment.
By Stella O’Malley:- When journalist Hannah Barnes carried out an exposé on the Tavistock for Newsnight in 2019, she was so shocked at what was uncovered that she took time out from working at the BBC to write her book, Time To Think: The Inside Story of the Collapse of the Tavistock’s Gender Service for […]
This is an open letter to the NHS chief executives and chief nursing officers of the four UK nations, as well as relevant ministers, calling for the reinstatement of language that uses the word “woman” in NHS communications about women’s health. Please sign our letter to NHS chiefs – all are welcome to sign: To: […]
On 27 January 2023 The Guardian newspaper published the following letter by Dr David Bell, former staff governor at the Tavistock and Portman NHS foundation trust, on its Gender Identity Development Service. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/jan/27/gender-identity-treatment-needs-greater-caution When considering the interim report by Dr Hilary Cass on gender identity services for children and young people, your article overemphasises the […]
The World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) recently published its eighth Standards of Care document (SoC8). It characterises surgery and hormonal interventions for those with a marked sense of gender incongruence as “medically necessary”. It includes a new category of ‘eunuch’ within its remit. Although SOC8 originally specified age limits for surgical and hormonal […]
The current law in Scotland requires applicants who wish to change gender to be aged 18 or over, to provide evidence of a diagnosis of gender dysphoria with assessment by a gender recognition panel, and to have lived in their acquired gender for at least two years. They have to make a declaration that they […]
Response to the Interim Service Specification for Specialist Gender Dysphoria Services for Children and Young People – Public Consultation
Dear Editor, The Clinical Advisory Network on Sex and Gender (CAN-SG) (1), a group of UK and Ireland based clinicians calling for greater understanding of the effects of sex and gender in healthcare, welcomes Dr Hilary Cass’s interim report and recommendations (2). Serious concerns about the Tavistock Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS) were raised by […]
The NHS confederation is launching a tender to create a practical guide to “model meaningful trans and non-binary allyship”. The confederation is a membership organisation that brings together various healthcare systems throughout the UK. It represents its members’ interests, and exerts considerable influence on government. This invitation takes a very particular position with regards to […]
The closure of the Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS) at the Tavistock has attracted significant public and media attention. Closure resulted from the Cass Review of children and young people’s gender services in England. The interim report recommended a new service model which acknowledges multiple routes in and out of gender dysphoria. Elevated rates of same-sex attraction, autism spectrum disorders, mental health issues, and looked […]
CAN-SG welcome this important intervention by Dr Hilary Cass and support her recommendations that gender questioning young people need a comprehensive patient and family centred service, run by experienced providers of tertiary paediatric care to ensure a focus on child health and development with strong links to mental health services. We support her view that the […]
GLADD is the UK’s association of LGBTQ+ doctors, dentists, medical and dental students. All medical schools throughout the UK have been sent a copy of GLADD’s charter relating to the so called ‘conversion therapy ban’. It was co-authored with Lancaster University, and the document has been endorsed by Dr Michael Brady, national LGBT Advisor at […]
Informed consent is the bedrock of medical practice and indicates the explicit permission a patient gives for a specified medical intervention. Consent can only be granted following discussions about the anticipated consequences of the proposed treatment, potential risks and benefits, and the outcomes of alternative treatments including no treatment. The courts regard notions of consent […]
Author David Pilgrim is joined by Pragna Patel of the Southall Black Sisters and Women Against Fundamentalism to discuss the effects of the strong hold taken by identity politics in modern society, in particular online on social media platforms. The pair will consider to what extent these kind of politics have contributed to human flourishing, and discuss whether they have changed […]