OPINION
The justification for confusing, chemicalising and castrating our children in the name of gender ideology is crumbling before our eyes. A major report out of the UK last week has all but nailed the coffin shut on a grand social experiment that should never have happened. But New Zealand still sleepwalks its way thru the issue because the Ministry of Health and Te Whatu Ora are working with radical activists, and the politicians are either turning a blind eye or they’ve been captured by the ideology.
TRANSCRIPT:
The justification for confusing, chemicalising and castrating our children in the name of gender ideology is crumbling before our eyes – a major report out of the UK last week has all but nailed the coffin shut on a grand social experiment that should never have happened. But New Zealand still sleepwalks its way thru the issue because the Ministry of Health and Te Whatu Ora which is the body that replaced the 120 DHBs are working with radical activists and the politicians are either turning a blind eye or they’ve been captured by the ideology.
Background
According to a report in the DailyWire
Britain’s National Health Service (NHS) will review all transgender medical treatment in the wake of a highly-anticipated review that found such treatment is built on “weak evidence.”
The landmark final report released [last week] by pediatrician Dr. Hilary Cass is the result of a major independent review on children and gender identity commissioned by the NHS in 2020. Cass is a former president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.
Here are some key points from the review – 388 pages of it!
Dr Cass said “The reality is that we have no good evidence on the long-term outcomes of interventions to manage gender-related distress,” “The evidence we do have for gender medicine is built on “shaky foundations,”
Here are some of the key conclusions
Puberty blockers should no longer be prescribed to children except in the context of research due to these powerful drugs’ effects on brain development and bone health
Cross-sex hormones — estrogen and testosterone — should be prescribed to trans-identifying 16 and 17-year-olds only with an “extremely cautious” approach, and there should be a “clear clinical rationale” for not waiting until the teen is 18
The report also warns that children who are referred to gender services present with high rates of abuse and neglect including sexual abuse and parental substance abuse.
Her earlier research has already led to a decision by NHS England to stop prescribing puberty blockers to children and now this new research recommends “extreme caution” before prescribing masculinising and feminising hormones to under-18s – cross-sex hormones.
And in one of the interviews with Dr Cass, she talks about the accompanying mental disorders that include the gender confusion – and also the effect of social media encouraging the confusion
The NHS released a statement on the Cass review a day after its publication, detailing the actions it will take in response. The NHS said it will review all transgender treatment it provides, including to adults, and all new treatment for 16 and 17-year-olds will be paused immediately. In fact, all minors.
The Guardian which is a strongly left-wing paper even decided to report on what Cass had said:
The available evidence is “poor”. Her efforts to conduct a vital and comprehensive study into the outcomes of all 9,000 children and adolescents treated at the Tavistock and Portman gender identity development service (Gids) clinic between 2009 and 2020 were “thwarted”.
Did you hear that? Yep she wanted to do research on the outcomes for 9,000 former Tavistock patients, but guess what – that had been blocked by the adult gender clinics, who refused to contact former patients for permission on her behalf.
What are they covering up?
She also said:
Clinicians have become “fearful”. Medical professionals experienced a sense of fear “of being called transphobic if you take a more cautious approach” said Dr Cass
She reiterated that in another media interview
She concluded:
“Biology hasn’t changed in the last few years so it’s not that that’s changed things … we do have to think very seriously about the impact of social media, not just in terms of influencers, but about the effect of long hours on social media.”
“There was some very dangerous influencing going on. Some of them give them very unbalanced information. Some were told parents would not understand so that they had to actively separate from their parents or distance their parents; all the evidence shows that that family support is really key to people’s wellbeing,” she said.
Are you surprised by any of this? No, I’m not either. It also said
- The evidence base on the care and treatment of children and young people was often misrepresented and overstated in public discourse/social debate and scientific publications.
- The use of gender-affirming hormones in individuals under 18 presented more unknowns than clear benefits. There was a lack of long-term follow-up data,
- The rationale for the use of puberty blockers is still unclear. There is weak/poor evidence of its impact on gender dysphoria and mental or psychosocial health. The effect on cognitive and psychosexual development also remains unknown.
- For most young people, a medical pathway, i.e. a medical transition, will not be the best way to manage their gender-related distress. Even for young people where a medical pathway is clinically suggested, it isn’t enough and does not negate the need to address wider mental health and psychosocial challenges.
- Young people facing gender-related distress had no significantly different levels of suicide risk to other young people with similar levels of complex presentations.
- No evidence that gender-affirming treatment reduces suicide risk.
Wow! The whole child transgender narrative is exploding in their faces – and there will be many school leaders, Ministry of Education policy wonks, and politicians and media who need to publicly apologise – both to the country and also to the children who have been victims of this whole sorry saga.
Dr Cass was interviewed by the British Medical Journal – and I want to show you an excerpt from the interview around the issue of puberty blockers
So puberty blockers predicts transgendering, not pauses it as activists like Dr Sue Bagshaw and others always try to claim. A summary of the research in this area?
Are there any high quality studies?
Remember – the activist groups say that this is all “evidence based”. It’s a complete and utter lie.
And what about social transitioning which many schools do – behind the backs of parents! Preferred pronouns. Uniform. Changed name. Toilets and changing rooms.
A fear of puberty. How sad.
So let’s sum up the report
Cass’ groundbreaking report reveals that mental health therapy is the best approach for gender-dysphoric children, rather than rushing to put them on hormones or puberty blockers or performing mutilating and irreversible surgeries. Her report also warns that if children are permitted to make choices to physically and socially conform with their gender of choice, rather than receiving the necessary treatment for their underlying mental health issues, they will experience significant negative psychological repercussions.
In other words, what we’ve said all along – watchful waiting – because most of them will grow out of the gender confusion if they’re allowed to go through puberty. And puberty is a human right.
Time for biological health; not ideological stealth.
So what was the NZ response?
The radical activist group PATHA (professional organisation for transgender health Aotearoa) which is closely aligned with the completely discredited WPATH group said
This review ignores the consensus of major medical bodies around the world and lacks relevance in an Aotearoa context.
If the review covers informed consent (both parents and children), social transitioning, puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and castration, (which it does!) then it certainly applies to Aotearoa!!
PATHA are an illegitimate group of gender activists – and the new government should ignore them.
Where’s the government on all of this?
PM Chris Luxon and ACT leader David Seymour voted for the conversion therapy ban which was effectively a pro-trans bill and criminalises parents and others who say “wait a while” and affirm their son as a boy and their daughter as a girl.
Mental Health Minister and Associate Minister of Health Matt Doocey also supported Shaneel Lal’s Anti Conversion Bill.
Have a watch of what he said during the 2nd reading of the bill
Doocey says – “I can’t wait to celebrate my young children’s sexual orientation and their gender what they will decide”
Gee – do you think he’s going to agree with the CASS report?
He was asked his view – only because he was on a political panel in Christchurch on Newstalk ZB – so he couldn’t avoid it – here’s what he said. And it’s all about homophobia and transphobia, apparently. And we shouldn’t talk about it because children are watching.
A discussion to be had. Reversibility of puberty blockers – debate. Oh really? Didn’t hear any of that during the conversion therapy debate!
In fact, we had a look at his voting record –
voted for conversion therapy ban (or pro transgender bill) and for all the amendments designed to make the bill less radical such as parental consent for transing, allowing prayer, allowing the expression of prayer – he didn’t even show up!!! He couldn’t even be bothered. He also voted for euthanasia and voted for the appalling abortion bill.
Now – this week, the Ministry of Health is releasing a review of puberty blockers.
And as part of the process, they will be updating the guidelines.
Guess who Te Whatu Ora / Health NZ – this is what replaced all the 20 DHBs – and is the operational part of the Ministry of Health – guess who they’ve contracted to write up the new guidelines which are due in August.
It’s actually a sick joke. They contracted none other than PATHA.
Who is PATHA?
It was formed in 2018 and is a group of trans activists. They oppose conversion therapy, but they want to practice conversion therapy on kids. Ironic, isn’t it.
One of the leads is a transgender woman. a member of the Global Board of Directors of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), and he is one of the authors of the latest revision of the WPATH Standards of Care.
a trans advocate and non-binary trans woman who wrote that media release responding to the CASS report
a trans man and registered nurse
a transgender activist from RainbowYouth – who’s studying towards… an accounting degree.
trans and a WPATH Standards of Care Version 8 Certified Clinician.
a trans man who oversees the flawed Counting Ourselves research
trans man works as the Transgender Health Key Worker at Auckland Sexual Health Service
A trans man who is the New Zealand Human Rights Commission’s advisor on Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression, and Sex Characteristics
A they/them who isco-chair of PATHA advocacy committee – and Co-Chair of Te Whatu Ora’s Gender Affirming Primary Care Advisory Group.
Yep – an activist co-chairing Health NZ’s advisory group
Here are the countries around the world and the states in the US that have either stopped transing the kids with chemicals and pronouns, or are stopping, or are reviewing and likely to stop. Not exactly a bunch of conservative countries eh. In fact, anything but. The Dutch are the ones who pioneered the whole puberty blockers / cross sex hormones track.
The house of cards is crumbling.
New Zealand has been practicing conversion therapy on our children. It’s called transgender affirmation treatment. Confusion, chemicalisation & castration.
It’s time to stop this atrocious social experiment on our children.
Just to finish on a slightly lighter note – here’s a recent interview from UK’s Talk TV where a guest comes on to talk about the CASS report but immediately reminds the interviewer about her personal pronouns. I’ll leave you with this.