Children who say they are transgender may actually have mental health issues, a highly-anticipated report will reveal.
Paediatrician Dr. Hillary Cass will on Wednesday unveil her review into the medical treatment given to children who believe they are transgender. Media coverage beforehand expects it will say that children should receive counselling to address possible mental health issues rather than be rushed into treatment, such as by being prescribed hormone treatment or puberty blockers.
Paola Diana, who chairs the Women’s Policy Centre think tank, said that “we all knew that, except for the members of the gender-insanity cult.”
But with England having given the green light to the first private gender treatment centre for children—and British schools “facilitating” children changing gender (‘socially transitioning, in the jargon) without telling their parents—it is important to prepare for the official establishment response.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has warned ahead of the report’s publication that allowing children to change gender could have psychological repercussions and is “not a neutral act.”
It is hard to square this with Sunak’s commitment to banning transgender conversion therapy, which campaigners say could criminalise legitimate conversations between parents and their children. Sunak’s Conservative Party government has also been criticised for failing to provide sufficiently clear transgender guidelines for schools.
According to The Daily Telegraph, the report will find that children who say they are transgender disproportionately have mental health issues, typically stemming from abuse and difficult family situations.
The interim Cass report in 2022 raised serious concerns about the now discredited Gender Identity Development Service transgender clinic within the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust. Hundreds of young children were sent to the clinic for psychological assessment. Campaigners fear that its work will continue under the first private hormone clinic.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has yet to comment on the recommendations of Dr. Cass’ final report. As the more-than-likely next prime minister of the UK, his words ought to be properly scrutinised.
