The UK 'debate' around the treatment of transgender children - dominated by hobbyists and the politically motivated - increasingly resembles anti-vaxism.
psychologytoday.com/blog/political…
psychologytoday.com/blog/political…
The best available evidence of the right way to treat transgender children is the international guidelines produced by WPATH and the Endocrine Society.
The @TaviAndPort - the only place in England you can be treated as a transgender child - operates those guidelines.
The @TaviAndPort - the only place in England you can be treated as a transgender child - operates those guidelines.
There are questions - very serious questions - to answer about the adequacy of treatment provision for transgender children. Those questions arise (mostly) because very few transgender children can access the services offered by @TaviAndPort and there is no alternative provision.
A doctor faces with a pubescent transgender child has a choice. They either (1) prescribe puberty blockers or (2) do nothing and expose that child to psychological distress now and the risk of much more serious surgery later. Those are that doctor's only choices.
If a transgender child cannot access provision, the choice is (in reality) made for them. They get (2).
Constraining supply is a truly terrible way to distinguish between children who have a settled wish to transition (who should have (1)) and children who do not.
Constraining supply is a truly terrible way to distinguish between children who have a settled wish to transition (who should have (1)) and children who do not.
It's a terrible way because it means lots of children can't access the only treament which might help them. It's also terrible because some of those children will find - do find - other ways to access puberty blockers but without proper regulatory and medical safeguards.
If you *actually* care what happens to transgender children - if you're not just grinding some axe - you should be arguing for more provision so that those kids who should get puberty blockers do - and no child is forced to try and access this stuff on the shadow market.
And if you *actually* care what happens to transgender children you'll allow actual international experts - WPATH and the Endocrine Society - to set treatment guidelines rather than irresponsibly tweeting papers from whoever buttresses your pet theory.
