Gender reassignment opinion piece in this week's BMJ

[2rebecca]

www.bmj.com/content/360/bmj.k1312
I Like Margaret McCartney, she usually talks sense in her pieces. I doubt she's a radical feminist (not sure I am I was more liberal feminist in the quiz I did), but she does realise there's a need to debate and discuss the issue and that small kids often like toys and clothing society traditionally associates with the other sex and that that is a society stereotyping issue not a reason to stuff them full of hormones and label them transgender.

Good to see a sane, balanced and concise review of the issues -thanks for the link!

That's an excellent short article from a medical professional. I had to google Margaret McCartney, but I realised that I had heard of her before, as the doctor who is not convinced about the benefits of medical screening - someone who is not afraid to have her own opinions.

Shall we start the countdown for when either the BMJ apologises for how "harmful" the article is or Margaret McCartney is forced to recant?

With a reputation like McCartney's?

They'll be proving exactly her point if they retract or apologise for the article.

Oh that's good!

MMcC is also on Inside Health on the radio.

She has a really good twitter feed - I have been following links and got lost in the whys and wherefores of bowel cancer screening, the change in test, and whether or not it is better to go full out for the change and improve colonoscopy, or to improve the current bowel scope................

Anyway, I found this link to a thread by Kristina Harrison and I hope Paddy wotsit of the libdems is listening to her because it is bloody good. He has the offer. People have probably read it before that have followed OJ debacle.
twitter.com/KJ_Harrison/status/941999977982808065

Sorry he is not called Paddy - it is Brian Paddick. Getting my LDs muddled.

Oh thank goodness for some common sense.

What an excellent article ... I'm in love....

And how mad, that it just takes one sane article to make me euphoric - whereas it is what we have a right to respect from the medics leading out health system.

Do read it - its short and easy to follow for the non-medic, unlike much BMJ stuff.

That was a good read. Thanks OP.

The responses are good too (click on top of the list on RHS)

Also if you look at the Altmetric data on the right of the article it shows you who has tweeted about the article and the tweets are very positive. Makes you realise how public your tweets are though if you tweet about a publication or website.
I think this is a great article for showing these concerns aren't a huge over reaction by a handful of transphobic and men hating women with toilet hangups as portrayed by the TRAs, but concerns we all need to discuss and debate.

Transmedia watch have just spotted it so the negative tweets to the BMJ have started although so far the TRAs come across as incoherent teenagers. I'm sure the BMJ editor knew to put her bullet proof vest on for this one.

Neverfallingforit @ neverfallingfo1
Are BMJ subconsciously using Transgender Trend branding ;) ?

Great article and responses so far. She’s an influential voice in medicine so I hope her opinions are considered by a wide spectrum of medics ( I really like the comment relating to RCP and sex being observed rather than assigned at birth!)

Has someone tweeted it to Stella Creasey after her MNER meeting yesterday? (Not on Twitter)

She is awesome.

A 3rd response now online favouring scrapping the concept of gender completely as it has become an amalgam of spectrum of personal preferences and psychological traits.
Agree I think gender is a meaningless term and we should just use sex as in XY or XX.

Now 5 responses. I'm surprised they are all gender critical but perhaps trans- activists don't read the BMJ. I thought maybe someone who does transsexual surgery might comment, it would be interesting to see some statistics from folk in the NHS or private sector dealing with gender dysphoria.

Hallelujah. A voice of reason.

Good article - well-reasoned and sensible.

Great article - very clear and sensible.

2rebecca, agree. What is called gender now is basically personality/individuality so we have around 7 billion of them on this planet.