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 […]