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Genspect Bigger Picture Conference

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 […]

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A response to Dr Helen Webberley’s open letter to Dr Hilary Cass

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 […]

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Comment and Analysis

When we are at our most vulnerable

CAN-SG’s review of Women’s Rights Network Report on sexual assaults in NHS hospitals, “When we are at our most vulnerable”, published 16.04.2023 This report (1) documents the outcome of an investigation by members of the UK national Women’s Rights Network (WRN), who submitted Freedom of Information (FoI) requests to all UK police forces. These FoI […]

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Review of book by Hannah Barnes: ‘Time to Think: The Inside Story of the Collapse of the Tavistock’s Gender Service for Children’

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 […]

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Open Letter to NHS chiefs: The importance of the word “woman” in communication about women’s health

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: […]

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GIDS Homepage slider

Dr David Bell letter to Guardian about Gender Identity Development Service

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 […]

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review

NEWS: GETA produces different guidance from WPATH

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 […]

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review

Scottish Gender Recognition Reform Bill – an update

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 […]

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review

CAN-SG Response to Interim Service Specification Consultation November 2022

Response to the Interim Service Specification for Specialist Gender Dysphoria Services for Children and Young People – Public Consultation

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rapid response

Rapid Response: Clinical standards and negligence in gender identity services

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 […]

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identity politics open letter

Why is the NHS Confederation ignoring the Cass review in pursuit of trans allyship?

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 […]

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open letter

Time for honest reflection, not defence

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 […]

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GIDS official statement

Official statement in response to the closure of GIDS

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 […]

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conversion therapy review

Should UK medical schools sign GLADD Charter on So-Called LGBTQ+ ‘Conversion Therapy’?

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 […]

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informed consent review

What is the informed consent model in gender care? 

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 […]

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book launch identity politics

Join David Pilgrim for the free online launch of his upcoming book Identity Politics: Where Did It All Go Wrong?

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 […]