CEO of Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) Charity signs pledge "Stand with Trans"

@DinnaeFashYersel, I'd take issue with your statement that GOSH is the charity and not the hospital. You may be right that it's the CEO of the charity that's signed the pledge but the hospital itself is often referred to as GOSH by both lay people and HCPs. Either way, it's political and shouldn't be happening.

But the CEO of GOSH reckons signing up to a pledge promoting this political pressure is the right thing to do?

She's not the CEO of GOSH, she's the CEO of the GOSH children's charity.

But, there is a place for health care settings to declare their commitment to supporting trans people. Why wouldn't they?

This isn't that though. This is an ideological statement. It's not about supporting trans people, it's about pledging allegiance to an extremist belief system. I don't think that health care settings, children's organisations, charities of any kind should be signing up to contentious ideologies.

And even if this were about support trans people, where are the public declarations of support for deaf people, young carers, type one diabetics? foster parents, dyspraxics, amputees? No, just one small group must constantly be affirmed and celebrated.

Perhaps the CEO was signed up without their knowledge? rather like Alison Rose not knowing what was going on in NW's reputation management unit.

Extract from that "pledge":
And never before has the American ultra-conservative transphobic movement influenced UK culture to the degree it is doing right now.
This transphobic movement represents a small but vocal minority. As part of their efforts to halt and roll back LGBTQIA+ inclusion in society at large, these fringe groups are attempting to erase our community from public life. And they are specifically targeting the trans and non-binary community first"

The CEO of a leading children's hospital about to take on the politically challenging role of operating a controversial service found to be inadequate and (as cited above) where staff felt they couldn't operate with the standard process of clinical assessment and diagnosis that they have been trained to undertake in all other clinical encounters. They felt pressurised to affirm children, to offer inadequate health care to these most vulnerable children because of political pressure .

But the CEO of GOSH reckons signing up to a pledge promoting this political pressure is the right thing to do?

I clicked on their definition of transphobia.

Absolutely chilling. Absolutely unhinged.

However, there are people with gender dysphoria and people who hold deeply held beliefs about being trans.

Are these two separate groups?

But, there is a place for health care settings to declare their commitment to supporting trans people. Why wouldn't they?

Did you see their definition of transphobia?

Health care professionals shouldn't be signing up to a cult.

I don't believe that children can be transsexual. How can you be transsexual when you don't yet understand what sex is (apart from knowing that some people are boys/men and others are women/girls), and have never experienced sexual activity?

a small underlying number of children have always needed help, not for surgery or drugs at a young age but psychological support - which is exactly what they won't get if pressure is put upon clinicians to follow the affirmative model pushed by trans activisits. Psychological support is framed by them as 'conversion therapy' and trans activists like Mermaids are doing their best to prevent trans-presenting children from accessing it.

But, there is a place for health care settings to declare their commitment to supporting trans people. Why wouldn't they?

It is this type of thread that reinforces the idea that FWR is full of transphobia.

I am fully behind clarifying the difference between sex and gender and behind single sex spaces. I think the idea of gender identity is problematic, to say the least, and that we must ensure that society rejects gender stereotypes and the idea that gender norms can signify someone's sex.

However, there are people with gender dysphoria and people who hold deeply held beliefs about being trans. Why would people want to help them and say as much?

The problem in my view is that there aren't any non captured organisations supporting trans people

So they think "transphobia" is things like...

Not going along with their identity claims as valid.

Expecting people to actually defend their claims.

Pointing out that trans-activism is an ideology.

So it's basically a manipulation tactic to try to cheat the debate.

Have any of you met a trans child, I mean a 5 year old completely convinced they are the opposite gender. The person I know is 25 now and aged 5 refused to be called their female name, long before a y of this current wave started. It is real, there's always been trans people. I'm not getting into a discussion on the rise because I'm as worried about that as you but a small underlying number of children have always needed help, not for surgery or drugs at a young age but psychological support

The CEO (in all organisations) is responsible for the strategic development and actions of the hospital. This highly paid individual is not just a pretty figurehead but has massive strategic responsibilities. They make constant political decisions. What they choose to support sends an important message to staff, patients, the community & government. They are paid in excess of £140,000 a year. Of course they're influential and this is an appalling act on their part.

This is true of the charity itself, but the hospital can be FOI-ed about what it receives from the charity.

@MrsOvertonsWindow

The CEO of the GOSH charity does not run the hospital and has no involvement with clinicians.

Separate entities.

Charities don't have to respond to FOIs

Two of the very first points in the interim Cass Review are :
1.14. Primary and secondary care staff have told us that they feel under pressure to adopt an unquestioning affirmative approach and that this is at odds with the standard process of clinical assessment and diagnosis that they have been trained to undertake in all other clinical encounters.
1.16. Another significant issue raised with us is one of diagnostic overshadowing – many of the children and young people presenting have complex needs, but once they are identified as having gender-related distress, other important healthcare issues that would normally be managed by local services can sometimes be overlooked.

Despite this and all the nuanced advice from Cass, the CEO of GOSH signs up to a politically motivated, vacuous piece of virtue signalling with zero insight into the challenging role that the hospital is undertaking. Imagine being a clinician at GOSH facing a formal complaint about your decision to treat a child's eating disorder and self harming before considering their gender confusion? With a CEO seeing everything but capitulation as "trans hate" you'd fear for your job.

At best it's a naive political misjudgement. At worst it's a sinister "fuck you" signal to Cass and everyone who raises concerns about this medical scandal unfolding in front of our eyes.

And I found a FOI request asking how much its worth and them declining to answer. So you can save the heart rending ads, GOSH. You've more money than you know what to do with.

Checked that list, none of my charities on it.

FWIW I'm a GC senior charity person who has not signed the pledge.

I'm just interested in the singling out of this particular one when do many others have.

GOSH the charity has the copyright to JM Barrie's Peter Pan. Barri requested that the amount this brings in was never to be disclosed

https://www.gosh.org/about-us/peter-pan/copyright/

Follow the money. GOSH is a money-making machine. It does great work, of course, but it also sucks in a crazily disproportionate percentage of donations to children's health charities. If you're a current donor, please think about supporting one of the many other excellent children's hospitals or health charities in the UK instead - they are in so much more need. GOSH rakes in cash from private work from foreign donors.

In this case, it would be interesting to know what donations GOSH receive from Pharma and other pro-TRA interests. You can't always tell this from the accounts, as donations are often hidden by being channelled through patient support groups.