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Original poster

A Transchild, the Tavistock, Mermaids and GenderGP

61 replies

Thingybob · 21/08/2020 15:34

Has anyone seen this:

www.gendergp.com/raising-a-trans-teen-podcast/

A quick synopsis is that Arthur first identified as male when they were six to seven years old. They did this by drawing a man and a woman then stating they weren't the "girl" but couldn't be the other and it couldn't be put right. Mum assured him it could.

Arthur had his first appointment with the Tavistock at seven and a half and after what Mum describes as "a battle" were prescribed puberty blockers at nine and a half (supposedly the youngest person to be prescribed by the Tavistock)

At about the same time Arthur, still nine years old, went to a Mermaids residential (presumably with Mum) where they met Helen Webberley and many older trans people. He left the residential constantly asking his mother "Have you rung GenderGP? Have you rung Norman Spack? When are we going to America?"

At some point, it's unclear when but Arthur was between ten and thirteen years of age, their relationship with the Tavistock broke down. The Tavistock had sent a letter saying that Arthur was too young to be making these massive decisions presumably in response to Arthur's request for testosterone. This led to a private appointment(s) being made with GenderGP where Arthur got his required medications put in place.

OP posts:
DifficultPifcultLemonDifficult · 21/08/2020 16:50

Also asked at the school for help and we were pointed straight to mermaids again.

DifficultPifcultLemonDifficult · 21/08/2020 16:50

My child was offered puberty blockers at 11/12, we declined and then we were told we wouldn't get further help.

I asked on Mermaids what I should do to get further help and was told I was abusive for not allowing my child to have blockers.

The whole system is geared towards permanently medicalising very young children.

The law sees them as legally old enough to effectively sterilise themselves, but not old enough to get a tattoo Confused

RedToothBrush · 21/08/2020 16:43

Its not just medical ethics at play here.

We have medical companies that seem to be targetting children via Mermaids with hardcore sales pitches which wouldn't meet trading standards for selling shoes, never mind medical services.

Imagine a cult which was about selling cosmetic surgery to children for financial gain. How would it look different?

ArabellaScott · 21/08/2020 16:41

How is this legal in the UK?

Is it legal, though? GenderGP has been struck off and has moved abroad, afaik. Now I believe there is some other arrangement for supplying their clients with medication.

ANewCreation · 21/08/2020 16:36

Thanks for posting.

I found this really disturbing on so many levels. There was no consideration whatsoever of any of the ethics or medical problems caused by giving puberty blockers and cross sex hormones to a child who is not yet 14. How can Dr Helen Webberley be so relaxed about what she is doing? It's all so ridiculously casual:

Anna (mum)
And then he was diagnosed. He got his blockers. I think he was the youngest. They said he was the youngest child. And he was so relieved. And then, because all he had was looking at his chest, he was very proud of his chest, aren’t you? He’s always got it out.

Dr Helen Webberley:
You should be.

Anna:
There’s not going to be top surgery. So, we got that, and that was a bit of a sigh of relief.

As well as the the podcast there is a transcript of the interview which reveals just how much of the process and narrative is driven and shaped by adult voices.

RedToothBrush · 21/08/2020 16:34

At about the same time Arthur, still nine years old, went to a Mermaids residential (presumably with Mum) where they met Helen Webberley and many older trans people. He left the residential constantly asking his mother "Have you rung GenderGP? Have you rung Norman Spack? When are we going to America?"

You know those residentials they have where they sell pyramid schemes or dodgy timeshare apartments in a weekend long sales pitch?

Well just that. To children.

OneEpisode · 21/08/2020 16:29

A decade ago, the Tavistock recommended the parents watched a movie. “And the first appointment he was about eight, or seven and a half, and it said to watch a film about, what’s it called, Only Boys Cry, or what was it? It was tragic, and I never really watched it through yet.”
So the movie is too tragic for mum to watch. We do all hope that Arthur’s future will be fine, but the parents don’t seem to want to think of the possible negatives ahead...

Original poster
Thingybob · 21/08/2020 16:24

I think the mother is saying that they heard about GenderGP via Mermaids Itsallgoingtobefine.

I just cant get my head around GenderGP thinking it is acceptable to put kids on cross sex hormones before they are even teenagers. They are not hiding that fact in the recording, if anything they are proud of what they have done for the child.

How is this legal in the UK?

OP posts:
Goosefoot · 21/08/2020 16:14

There is something very weird about that whole conversation.

ItsAllGoingToBeFine · 21/08/2020 16:10

This is a bit concerning? Why would the mother conflate Mermaids with the NHS?

Marianne Oakes:
Can I just—what was your journey to finding GenderGP, if that’s not too big a question. It sounds like it was with the NHS before, would that be correct?

Anna:
Yes, Mermaids.

twoHopes · 21/08/2020 16:03

I just read the transcript. It's clear this kid really has no idea what they've signed up for. Painful surgeries, infertility, lack of sexual function, a lifetime of injecting hormones. None of this is ever mentioned. In their head it's just a simple: "I was a girl and then I chose to be a boy, what's the big deal?".

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