Dr. Hilary Cass - report re trans.

Glorianny

Smileless2012

Highlighting what's wrong with a current system isn't negative advice.

leave these kids alone so that they have time to make the right decisions and choices is good advice.

Telling parents not to socially affirm a child's gender choice is though. That's not leaving them alone that's denying their very real feelings. The problems for parents who have to ignore what their child is telling them, and try to support them and maintain a loving relationship, will be huge. They will need supportive counselling which I suspect they will not get.

If they don’t get the help that they need per NHS it will drive them underground . They will look for help on the internet and get drugs /hormones on the internet which would be a huge step backwards. Very dangerous !

No they will desist, that is what all the evidence is indicating.

Telling parents that socially affirming their child's chosen gender at a young age is sensible advice. They can be supported by knowing that they don't have to make a decision right now, by having it explained to them that puberty can be a confusing time and that they, their parents are always there and willing to talk about whatever they need to talk about.

Encouraging children to wait is not ignoring them, it's responsible parenting with the child's best interests being uppermost in their parents minds.

When something that's been a real entity for many years becomes - for want of a better word - fashionable (Gender identity and ADHD being two at the moment), I do think that the 100% classic patient who would wonder what was wrong with them & be subject to remarks by their peers even in a world where most people had never heard the terms, are the ones that suffer in the end. Young children with ADHD to the extent they're a danger to themselves, young adolescents who are absolutely miserable stuck in the wrong body, these just have to queue up with others who may just scrape enough criteria for a diagnosis & feel that they could be happier / more fulfilled in their lives & treatment might help.I don't agree with puberty blockers being handed out as the Tavistock clinic was, but for the classic full-blown cases of gender identity, 20 or even 18 years may be too late, tragically so.

Thanks Urmstongran. Sadly it will be too late for some, and others will ignore the advice and be encouraged to do so.

No child is in the wrong body, this is a terrible thing to tell children.

Galaxy

No child is in the wrong body, this is a terrible thing to tell children.

No one has to tell children this. Children express the feeling that they are in the wrong body. It doesn't come from outside it is an internal thing. The difficulty for parents will be helping the child cope with that feeling but not providing any other support.

It is a phrase that even mermaids dont use anymore after realising it was harmful. We are adults.

The phrase has sprung up over the past few years. It has to come from adults. I never heard a single child say they were ‘in the wrong body’ when I was growing up, and none of my children’s friends said it either. It has had to come from somewhere.

Doodledog

The phrase has sprung up over the past few years. It has to come from adults. I never heard a single child say they were ‘in the wrong body’ when I was growing up, and none of my children’s friends said it either. It has had to come from somewhere.

I don't suppose you knew children who were autistic, dyslexic or dyspraxic either. Times change.

Doodledog

The phrase has sprung up over the past few years. It has to come from adults. I never heard a single child say they were ‘in the wrong body’ when I was growing up, and none of my children’s friends said it either. It has had to come from somewhere.

That would be because you would have been more pressured to conform . Boys were made fun of if they were sissy’s . You only need to hear the stories of older transgender people to know how much was hidden . Many would run away at first opportunity to larger cities . Many at a very young age .

It’s scary that these girls who are self harming are getting info online, making friends with other kids in similar positions and using all the jargon they use to describe the stage of cutting themselves.

It is also scary that some parents are almost encouraging their kids to transition.

Primrose53

It’s scary that these girls who are self harming are getting info online, making friends with other kids in similar positions and using all the jargon they use to describe the stage of cutting themselves.

It is also scary that some parents are almost encouraging their kids to transition.

And even more scary when you read reports that many of these children have comorbidities like autism, dyslexia or mental health issues and are encouraged to think that surgery or taking drugs with irreversible effects which will remove future life choices will help them.

I really don’t think that the reason this is a recent phenomenon is because of previous pressure to conform. But anyway, I was talking about the phrase ‘in the wrong body’. That is not something that pops into the head. The children who say it wouldn’t all express themselves in exactly the same way. It’s been put in their heads by someone or something.

Glorianny

Doodledog

The phrase has sprung up over the past few years. It has to come from adults. I never heard a single child say they were ‘in the wrong body’ when I was growing up, and none of my children’s friends said it either. It has had to come from somewhere.

I don't suppose you knew children who were autistic, dyslexic or dyspraxic either. Times change.

Of course we knew children who were autistic, dyslexic at least 60 years ago!

Child Guidance Clinics? Schools which had specialist teachers for children with dyslexia?

I think, despite the fact that we know more now, there was more help available then than now.

As for dyspraxia, no, I don't think that was so recognised until recently.

I wasn’t engaging with the comments about dyslexia etc, as I suspect they were goading.

My comment was about the phrasing of the term ‘in the wrong body’. A bit like ‘authentic self’ it is a buzzword that children hear from adults - if that were not the case they would all express the concept differently.

This is something else which has been forced through by people who have no knowledge of the problem. No wonder so many children are confused and worried. Gender is not something any child should be concerned about unless they really do have a problem. I think we all go through a stage when we are curious about sexuality and wonder what life would be like as the opposite sex. It's perfectly normal, not a sign that a child is in the wrong body.

Good to see that professionals are finally understanding some of the damage done.👍

Doodledog

I wasn’t engaging with the comments about dyslexia etc, as I suspect they were goading.

My comment was about the phrasing of the term ‘in the wrong body’. A bit like ‘authentic self’ it is a buzzword that children hear from adults - if that were not the case they would all express the concept differently.

In young children hearing it from adults is definitely accurate.

I remember that advert where a child says My mum says I’m a right little madam!

Children might say one day, “I wish I was a boy/girl and go on to explain why they want that, without having any idea of what being a boy/girl really entails. That was part of growing up.
Now it has been acted upon with no chance for a change of mind and sometimes with irreversible consequences.

I wish I was a boy/girl or I want to be a boy/girl are what children say but being in the wrong body! I agree Doodledog isn't and had come from adults.

I listened to Dr Cass and an investigative journalist (Hannah ?) this morning and totally agree with both of them.

I was particularly taken with the argument that the human brain is not fully developed until age 25, so why would any medical intervention be offered at puberty…

I think the journalists name is Hannah Barnes.

As the grandmother of a young person who wishes to be a different gender, I welcome this report.

The central finding is: "The reality is we have no good evidence on the long-term outcomes of interventions to manage gender-related distress."

No other condition is treated in this way - no other child is given treatments that are essentially experimental and can have detrimental effects for the whole of their lives.

The finding that autism is linked to gender dysphoria is well-known, and applies in my family. My GC has gone from a fervent desire to change gender to a wish to be referred to as "they" - a big shift. Breast binders are in use and there is still the desire for double mastectomy, but that cannot happen (too ill with auto-immune disease), but things are gradually changing.

What is needed is time - time to reflect and put a toe in the water of relationships and adult life. And during that time, support needs to be given. Taking the wishes as set in concrete and needing treatment is a very bad route to go down. It does not allow time for the confusion and hormonal mayhem to settle.

We have to tread gently and sympathetically with these young people and not leap into untried treatments with no proper research to back it.

It is a minefield and each family has to tread a difficult path - providing support and love, whilst also ensuring that no harmful treatment is given.

Luckygirl3 I wish your DGC well, and it seems they are surrounded by a loving family who have their best interests at heart.

Hopefully this long awaited report will be a wake up call to all involved in some of these awful experimental treatments on our young children, a lot of people need to hang their heads in shame.
Luckygirl, I hope your grandchild receives whatever is best for them, they have a loving family support group.