February 7, 2024 - 5:00pm
The UK is a progressive country, and the idea that same-sex attraction is a disease which needs to be treated is rightly repugnant to most of its citizens. With this in mind, one might imagine the suggestion that conversion therapy was happening within NHS facilities would cause uproar. And yet, despite Equalities Minister Kemi Badenoch laying out evidence which suggests that this is exactly what has been happening, LGBTQ lobby groups and self-identified “progressive” politicians have remained curiously quiet.
When Badenoch first raised her concerns to members at the Women and Equalities Select Committee (WESC) at the end of last year, she faced a hostile reaction and was asked to produce evidence for her assertions. Today, in a powerful letter to the Select Committee’s chair Caroline Nokes, Badenoch did just that.
The minister pointed to a 10,000% rise in referrals to UK Gender Identity Services (Gids) since 2009, noting that according to the NHS’s own data a majority of these young patients were lesbian, gay and bisexual. Analysis of 218 people referred to the Gids in one year found that 67.7% of female patients were “recorded as being attracted to other females only”, while 21.1% were bisexual and only 8.5% heterosexual.
In addition to UK figures, the letter quoted a Dutch study from 1999 which stated: “Not all children with Gender Identity Disorder (Gid) turn out to be transsexuals after puberty […] prospective studies of Gid boys show that this phenomenon is more strongly related to later homosexuality than to later transsexualism.”
On paper, these are the very kids for whom LGBT lobby group Stonewall ought to be fighting. But at present the charity suggests that children who express confusion around their gender should be affirmed in their cross-sex identities. It has steadfastly ignored the now overwhelming evidence that gender dysphoria in childhood is linked to same-sex attraction in adolescence and adulthood.
It is an established fact that the overwhelming majority of children prescribed puberty blockers will continue on the transition pathway. Puberty blockers themselves are prescribed “off label”; their use for treatment of gender dysphoria is experimental. Meanwhile, taking cross-sex hormones can lead to a range of medical problems, including sterility. These powerful drugs leave gay and lesbian patients as pseudo-straight adults, with some of the superficial characteristics of the opposite sex. Dr Matt Bristow, who once worked at GIDS, explained to journalist Hannah Barnes that he had come to see the affirmative approach as “conversion therapy for gay kids”.
Yet, worryingly, it seems some politicians are more concerned about keeping in step with Stonewall and other trans lobby groups than reviewing the evidence presented by the Equalities Minister. Yesterday, as Badenoch or her SpAds were preparing to hit send on the explosive letter, the intended recipients were hosting what was described by WESC member Kate Osborne MP as “the first all-trans panel in parliament”.
Nokes took the opportunity to entreat politicians to stop “using hugely problematic anti-trans language”. It is curious that these politicians — one Labour, one Conservative — consider the apparent right of children to identify as trans as a greater priority than what might be reasonably considered the mass medicalisation of youngsters with gender dysphoria.
Whether the love-in between trans lobby groups and progressive politicians can withstand the weight of mounting evidence is uncertain. Badenoch has presented a grisly and unedifying truth, that we are potentially sterilising the next generation of gay youth. But for the likes of Stonewall, Nokes and Osborne, it’s easier to shoot the messenger than face the facts.
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SubscribeThe author appears to be conflating gay people with progressives. Many gay people are offended by progressive ideology and the transing of children. That’s why they break away from NGOs like Stonewall. Are there any progressives who are offended by the transing of children?
“The author appears to be conflating gay people with progressives. Many gay people are offended by progressive ideology and the transing of children” <– A minority of gay people are transphobic bigots. So what? Why should they be respected?
Prove there is any such thing as the “transing” of children.
For that matter, define “transing”.
The gender and sexual orientation of every person is an inborn, unchangeable characteristic.
Why do you disbelieve any of that?
Why is anyone threatened by that?
It is truly incredible that these so-called progressives are taking exactly the same approach to dealing with the homosexual problem as the Islamic Republic of Iran. I never tire of reminding my progressive gay friends of that little nugget.
“I never tire of reminding my progressive gay friends of that little nugget”
You sound like a real barrel of laughs…
Unfortunately we are blocked from saying what you sound like.
Best definition of an oxymoron. A funny progressive.
Whatever Kemi Badenoch suggests gets my vote.
Your progressive gay friends should not need reminding of anything, the trans community is effectively engaged in an attempted genocide against gay men and lesbian women.
And Stonewall and Peter Thatchell are the evil facilitators. When the gay right movement ended in ‘success’, these evil characters moved onto the next project – trans – at the expense of gays and lesbians. They told lies about us and gaslight the kids into thinking being gay is not cool. Trans is the next badge of honour. Shame on these criminals. One day the trans kids will wake up and regret everything that they were fed. One day the woke world will be punished.
And they are backed up by mealy-mouthed HR and comms in : the Labour, LibDems, SNP and Green parties; the BBC; the NHS; Universities; Schools; Blue chip companies; police constabularies; et bloody al.
There is no such thing as transgender people “being” at the “expense” of straight, gay, or bi people. Transgender people are already straight, bi, or gay independently of being transgender.
“the trans community is effectively engaged in an attempted genocide against gay men and lesbian women” <– You are an idiot without excuse to claim it. No cisgender straight, gay, or bi people are so little as put at a disadvantage by those who are transgender and straight, gay, or bi.
Is cis short for cissy?
The solution to this current idiocy is to persuade genuine British right-wing nutter organisations to noisily campaign for gays to be eliminated from society through eugenic transgender conversion.
Once the left-wing nutters realise they are supporting a right-wing cause they will quickly distance themselves from the whole thing and start claiming gay children are being targeted by evil conversion practitioners because they are gay and all right thinking liberals will fall in behind them desperate to distance themselves from those Neanderthal far-rightists.
The problem with this plan is that even right-wing thugs might be hard to persuade that gays are a threat to civilisation as we know it nowadays as the original Stonewall campaign to detoxify homosexuality has been so successful.
They won’t. They’re bought and paid for.
Neither being gay, bi, or transgender is “toxic”.
Gender affirming care can not be conversion therapy, the gender and sexuality of the person is not being changed.
You, Bartosch, and UnHerd are liars to claim any “same approach” is involved.
Also you are utter hypocrites to claim gender affirming care is gay conversion therapy while at the same time you make the complaining claim “gender ideology” is changing the language — when the only gender ideology is yours and you are redefining “conversion therapy”.
You have no progressive gay friends — there are people in your life for whom you have abject contempt, and after if/after you have your way abusing transgender people in law and policy, then you’ll have a go at using them as “faggots” again under your new the witches du jour.
Progs embrace of a grievance hierarchy has created a prison from which they cannot escape. At the moment, the Ts are on a higher rung of the victim ladder than the Gs or Ls. If activists have not done so already, they will eventually push to replace any reference to “same sex” with ‘same gender.’
For most of human history, boys and girls who did not conform to gender stereotypes grew into men and women. Some gay, some straight. None questioned their biological sex and they understood their sexual preference. Both of those things are now under attack. It’s hard to see how that ends well.
Worth reading The Disappearing L for more on this. Lesbian spaces essentially got eradicated overnight with barely anyone even noticing.
No imbecile, they were not “eradicated”, they went out of business because people quit going there enough for them to keep their doors open.
“For most of human history, boys and girls who did not conform to gender stereotypes grew into men and women. Some gay, some straight. None questioned their biological sex and they understood their sexual preference.” <—- Imbecile, some did question the correctness of their biological sex. Some cultures made a place for them.
There is no such thing as an “attack”, other than the attack by social conservatives against transgender people.
“None questioned their biological sex and they understood their sexual preference.’ <– And transgender and gay were seen as the same thing — they are not — for which people were to be executed. Those were not better days. People who are gay and people who are transgender and people who are both are none of them notably “confused”.
It’s funny how in UK politics not mutilating children, preserving their innocence, or their later ability to procreate come later than concerns about how they exercise their potential sexual preferences.
‘Puberty blockers’ = ‘Chemical Castration’
That’s rather the point of them…..
Alan Turing would be turning in his grave.
At Social Conservative shaving any success in abusing people who were minorities of sexual dimorphism, yes.
Except they castrate no one. Castration is permanent, puberty blockers 100% reversible if that is chosen.
Progressive Dr. Mengele followers are trying to convince the British to commit collective suicide and they have a great chance of success judging by the restrained reaction of UnHerd (conservative!) readers
I think you mean well but you need to unpack that into simpler steps.
It is highly amusing to see the same people who were rabidly against gay marriage 20 years ago, and who would have 40 years advocated for the killing or jailing of homosexuals, are now trying to position themselves as friends of the gay community.
Laughable. Trans rights will not be denied, in the same way that you couldn’t stop women, people of colour or gay people from claiming their rights. Bigots will always be defeated in the long run.
What specifically are these rights that trans people need but don’t have?
Where can I find some information on what impact granting these rights would have on other groups, women and children for example?
Do you know how many rights others had to lose for homosexuality to go from being illegal to generally accepted and ordinary?
None.
Trans people already have rights. Its the far right that are trying to deny them those rights.
You don’t get to grant anyone rights, chum, they already exist.
“Do you know how many rights others had to lose for homosexuality to go from being illegal to generally accepted and ordinary?”
That didn’t stop conservatives from howling at the moon about it for decades, and no doubt there are many commenters here who would be delighted to go back to the denial of rights to gay people.
Transwomen have the right to beat up cis-women in MMA fights.
In fact, they rather enjoy beating up cis-women.
Actually liar, they do not particularity enjoy doing so — and in fact the only fatalities among women in MMA have been inflicted by cisgender women.
Anyone who uses the word chum is a c^nt. (Unless referring to dog food).
Ah! You must be the resident wit of the gammons! Quite the Oscar Wilde, aren’t you chum?!?!?
Unless referring to dog food, or maybe shark bait?
Oh dear; the ‘far right’ label again.
You have the right to be chemically castrated.
You have the right, as a lesbian, to have sex with transwomen. In fact you are a bigoted TERF if you refuse to have sex with a woman simply because she has a willy.
A person who will benefit from that medically in sum does have the right to chemical castration — stop interfering with it politically, needlessly and stupidly, as you are.
A lesbian does have the right to have sex with a transgender woman if that lesbian so chooses — and not to if they so choose. Anyone saying otherwise to either case has no right say in the matter, and not even any grounds for criticism.
Someone is a bigoted TERF if they think all people with a p***s is a man, as the sum of biological evidence is that that is only what is usual — not universal.
What a monumental assumption that it’s ‘the same people’! Stop putting people in groups and open your eyes to the fact that young boys, who are confused about their sexuality, would go on to become gay men. Instead, they are being neutered for the sake of your ideology.
There is no large number of people who are confused about their sexuality. Gay people generally know they are gay. Bi people know they are bi, straight people know they are straight. Transgender people generally know they are that. You do not have the right to falsely conflate the issues and have respect. Particularly, gay people who are of the mind to have their pick of young flesh have no right to prevent the medical transition of transgender people so such gay people have wider and more vulnerable pickings.
“Gay” and “Bi” do not look like “Trans” at all from a clinical perspective. For that matter among transgender people, there is an approximately even three-way split, with equal proportions being straight, gay, and bi.
Never allow facts to get in the way…
UnHerd certainly practices that daily.
10,000% increase in referrals to Gids since 2009. What has been happening to children at the hands of medical professionals and lobby groups is one of the major scandals of the century.
This is from a guardian article published in 2023:
‘Gids, which opened in 1989, was established to provide talking therapies to young people who were questioning their gender identity (the Tavistock, under the aegis of which it operated from 1994, is a mental health trust). But the trigger for Barnes’s interest in the unit has its beginnings in 2005, when concerns were first raised by staff over the growing number of patient referrals to endocrinologists who would prescribe hormone blockers designed to delay puberty. Such medication was recommended only in the case of children aged 16 or over. By 2011, however, Barnes contends, it appeared to be the clinic’s raison d’etre. In that year, a child of 12 was on blockers. By 2016, a 10-year-old was taking them’….and on it went. “The statistics are horrifying. Less than 2% of children in the UK have an autism spectrum disorder; at Gids, more than a third of referrals presented with autistic traits. Clinicians also saw high numbers of children who had been sexually abused. But for the reader, it is the stories that Barnes recounts of individuals that speak loudest. The mother of one boy whose OCD was so severe he would leave his bedroom only to shower (he did this five times a day) suspected that his notions about gender had little to do with his distress. However, from the moment he was referred to the Tavistock, he was treated as if he were female and promised an endocrinology appointment. Her son, having finally rejected the treatment he was offered by Gids, now lives as a gay man.”
The article is disturbing but definitely worth reading: Time to Think by Hannah Barnes review – what went wrong at Gids? (guardian)
“10,000% increase in … at Gids? (guardian)” <– There is no evidence anything in particular went wrong with GIDS, that having more practitioners available would not repair.
It takes courage to admit your wrong and walk back if you’ve vociferously defended the activist line because then you have to admit you support gay conversion therapy and the sterilisation of minors.
Imbecile, there is no such thing a s gay conversion therapy involved — the sexuality of no person is being changed. Minors in the UK are never offered any procedure which could sterilize them.
Why are you quite such a stupid liar., why do you tell such stupid lies?
Here we go again. The author manages to talk about NHS gender identity services without mentioning the Cass report, quite a feat. She doesn’t mention all the gender critical LGB stuff going on, including Unherd articles by Julie Bindell etc. Stonewall is taking a well deserved kicking right now, its triumphal days are over. If you define progressives as people who are keeping their heads down, then you’ve nobbled all the evidence against you. There is no love in but never let the facts get in the way of a good rant.
Where ‘gender’ – a ‘feeling of femaleness or maleness’ cannot be verified or authenticated, ‘Transgender’ becomes a nonsense.
When gender was a simple genteel synonym for sex, young women weren’t having their healthy breasts removed and cultural elites were not celebrating those mastectomies as exercises of empowerment. Nor was the NHS using phrases like ‘people with a cervix’ and ‘birthing people’.
As such the ‘Gender’ ideology is a toxicity to the well-being of society.
The stupidity of your comment of course is seen in the fact the gender of a person is known without any question in at least 14900 people out of 15000, and not reasonably in question in at least 14999 people out of 15000.
The only gender ideology here is yours, where you pretend gender does not exist biologically.
“The UK is a progressive country …”
Says who ?
And what exactly do they mean by this word ?
I’m fairly sure Britain is not a “progressive country” in the sense the author seems to mean.
Yet another poor article starting from an obviously false premise.
When will this country wake up and stop putting so much time and effort into such micro problems while there’s real work to be done ?
Do I understand this correctly? The imbecile Bartosch pretends that although no one’s gender or sexual orientation have ever been noted to have been changed and quite likely no one involved in gender-affirming care thinks they can be changed, and no one involved in gender affirming care is attempting to change either one in any of their patients — Bartosch think gender affirming care is “conversation” therapy? How remarkably stupid of that person.
Oh dear. A load of waffle with an insult thrown in. Do you mean ‘Badenoch; by the way/
“Josephine Bartosch”
And it is no insult, it is merely factual that the claim that gender affirming care is conversion therapy is imbecilic.
Don’t quote people without putting in a full submission in context.
Converting males into females, and vice versa, by administering drugs and carrying out barbaric surgery, is the ultimate, futile attempt at conversion therapy.
Make up your mind, imbecile. If sex cannot be changed, there is no conversion therapy in any sense whatsoever. If it can be, then there is no conversion of the person involved, only medical correction of tissue with no more moral importance in being kept, than has a harelip.
You are a totalitarian progressive because you are trying to decide for someone else if your moral vanity is worth more than their happiness in fixing as much as now can be, their medical problem.
Conversion therapy is exclusively trying to change with the talking cure, who the person is — mangling some inherent characteristic, like their being gay or their being transgender, of the person — into acceptability to society.
There is no possible conversion therapy to gender-affirming care because the sexual orientation of the person is never attempting to be changed — and the gender of the person is being specifically affirmed, not destroyed and remade.
Or what if homosexuality is just as much an aberration of nature as gender dysphoria is? So is men flying in planes, though.