It’s still not easy being a trans child (Guardian article)

[Terfing]

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jun/05/trans-child-schools-help-transition-prejudice

It's full of the usual BS, along with the usual amount of deleted comments... Is the Guardian ever going to publish the other side of this debate?

"The world has changed in the 30 years since I learned that the third of our four children wished to transition. She had been registered as male at birth and had given no indication that she identified as a girl, or so I thought. Hindsight is a wonderful thing; the signs were there. I had missed them."
Problem is, she doesn't say what the signs were...

"Pre-pubertal children do not need medical intervention, but they do need their identities, and their chosen names and pronouns, to be respected, and to be allowed to dress according to their gender identity, rather than their assigned sex. "
Again, using gender and sex synonymously...

I really need to stop reading this shite!

What's the Gripe with gender identity being used simultaneously? I always thought gender was a social construct and sex physiological, so both are present so to speak or want for a better description.

Because by talking about 'assigned sex', they're equating sex with gender identity - ie it's something that's externally imposed upon someone when, as you rightly say, it isn't.

I'm a man and as masculine as they come, and I have deeply, earnestly and always wanted to be a parent. I don't think the aspiration to parenthood is innately masculine or feminine although gender roles have historically channeled that desire in narrow and proscribed directions.

I am finding it bloody baffling how we're willing to sacrifice our children to the altar of this politically correct ideology. I am deeply troubled about the prospect of medical interventions on children who haven't fully developed which neither changes nor alters the biological reality of the situation. All it does is creates a facsimile of the desired change but cannot really change reality.

I can therefore understand the fanatical desire to change language, and societies collective attitudes as that's the only avenue that can be changed. I'm happy to use preferred pronouns, combat the violence trans people are subjected to, but medically unnecessary surgery on children or invasions of women's privacy are lines in the sand that I cannot cross. If that makes me a bigot so be it, and if that is really the case then maybe sometimes being a bigot is preferable and not always a bad thing.

I think we'll lose one generation to it Dervel. No more than that. I hope that that isn't optimism colouring my assessment.

I'm not content to let this abuse of children stand even if only for one generation. We are a few generations into a constructive examination of precisely what men and women's roles are in our society. I prize the advances that sees more people as individuals and as greater than the sum of their parts. This is a regression not an advance, a wolf in sheep's clothing if you will. Sure it's wrapped up in the language of tolerance, acceptance and compassion, but we're sleepwalking backwards if we continue on this path.

'This is a regression not an advance, a wolf in sheep's clothing if you will'

Totally agree

Yes, very well put.

I don't see what there is to do but continue to speak truth to power.

I never wanted children or a big white wedding when I was growing up, which means....er....nothing at all other than I didn't want children or a big wedding when I was growing up!

Anyone up for trying to do something?

JigglyTuff mentioned upthread that The Royal College of Paediatric and Child Health are holding a conference on Monday.

It all looks a bit biased but can we do a bit of research on the event/speakers, for example, there are psychologists speaking, but do any advocate non-invasive treatment?

Can we tweet @RCPCHtweets asking lots of questions and countering the misinformation that Mermaids churn out?

If you keep asking them not to resort to stereotypes we finally get to the crux of the matter. Which is, 'It just is'.

Remove all the rubbish about always having been female, absorbed misogyny, female organs, lady penis, etc, and there is no answer at all to what makes them think they are female. They just are.

How is that any different from anorexia? Should we be legislating for stomach bands and laxatives to be given out on the NHS to anorexics?

How is this being accommodated with trans-coming out cakes for children, packers for children's pants, rewards and admiration for 'journeys' and 'bravery'?

Why is this not being treated like the obvious, damaging mental illness it is?

Sorry BetsyM00. My post wasn't in answer to yours.

I'm not on Twitter, unfortunately. That list of invitees looks shockingly one-sided tho.

It is worrying that a respected medical organization will be hosting Mermaids and the like

I've always resisted joining Twitter Betsy, for various reasons, but I'm wobbling about that decision. I'm certainly up for lobbying the college. I can see that publicly tweeting has an added dimension. I'll sleep on it.

The Royal college etc, that is.

www.rcpch.ac.uk/events/health-and-wellbeing-trans-and-gender-variant-children-and-young-people

This important event will seek to raise awareness and understanding of the particular clinical issues arising in the care of transgender and gender diverse children and adolescents.

With keynote speeches and plenaries from a multi-disciplinary panel, this conference will explore key areas such as gender dysphoria, intersex conditions, hormone treatment and surgical intervention, with analysis of the psychological impacts for patients and their families.

Alongside clinical updates from leading experts Professor Gary Butler and Dr Polly Carmichael, the event will also touch on the social and support issues in relation to transgender children and young people. Peter Tatchell and Professor Stephen Whittle will make keynote addresses.

A lively, educational and informative day for all who attend.

Speakers

Dr Polly Carmichael, Director, Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS)
Professor Gary Butler, Professor and Consultant in Paediatric & Adolescent Medicine and Endocrinology, University College London & UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health
Professor Katherine Johnson, Reader in Psychology, Division of Psychology & Psychotherapy School of Applied Social Science - University of Brighton
Terry Reed, Trustee, Gender Identity Research and Education Society (GIRES)
Dr Kelly Tilleman, PhD Quality Manager, Department for Reproductive Medicine, Ghent University Hospital
Dr Mark-Bram Bouman, Plastic Surgeon, VU University Medical Center, Center of Expertise on Gender Dysphoria
Peter Tatchell, Human Rights Campaigner and Director of the Peter Tatchell Foundation
Professor Stephen Whittle, Professor of Equalities Law, the Manchester Law School
Bernadette Wren Consultant Clinical Psychologist, Trust-wide Head of Psychology, The Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust
Thomas D Steensma, Ph.D. VU University Medical Center, Center of Expertise on Gender Dysphoria
Dr Sarah Davidson, Consultant Clinical Psychologist, Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS), & Panel of service users
Workshops

Working with families: Mermaids
Working with local trans networks: Gender Identity Research and Education Society (GIRES)
Working with schools: Intercom Trust
Working with multiple agencies to promote integration: Dr Sarah Davidson (GIDS) and members of the specialist Gender Identity Development Service

(The above is coped from the RCPCH website)

jamrock, well done for speaking up and please carry on, even if you do feel that it falls on deaf ears a lot of the time. We have to believe that sanity will break through at some point if we keep pointing out what is actually real

I only work with under 5s and don't know any teenagers. I'm horrified by what you say about your daughter's netball team and her school.

The Intercom Trust is a great example of an organisation set up to combat homophobia and provide support to gay people that appears to have been completely co-opted by the T bit of LGBT.

Thinking about the "I just am" position, I do wonder if it particularly resonates with gay activists (who might themselves say that "they always knew" they were gay), and who don't therefore challenge it further

jamrock doesn't anyone ask themselves where all these suicidal trans teens were in previous generations?

And thank you for speaking up - it takes courage

jamrock

The teen trans-suicide statistics are misleading and have been used to blackmail parents of trans kids Here is a link explaining.

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/fairplayforwomen.com/mermaids-lying-unprofessional-teli16/amp

Furthermore, for both self harming and suicide the statistics are the same for trans as they are for non-trans. Backed up by NHS figures.

Which is, of course, alarming in itself.

Also, as a matter of interest, I googled 'trans teen suicides UK' and according to this list there haven't been any.

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_LGBT-related_suicides

This is from the Office for National Statistics website.

Suicides by 10- to 29-year-olds increased throughout the mid 1980s up until the late 1990s before showing a steady decline until 2005. Since then, the rate has remained relatively stable. This age group has consistently had the lowest suicide rate since 2001.

www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/bulletins/suicidesintheunitedkingdom/2014registrations#suicide-rates-by-age

Any suicide of a youngster, whether statistically significant or not, is obviously cause for great concern. I'm just not convinced that these kids are as at risk as the propaganda says. Or whether being trans is the cause, or other comorbid mental health issues. The prevalence of which is in no doubt at all.