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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Times article - Governor quits ‘blinkered’ Tavistock clinic

41 replies

EweSurname · 23/02/2019 19:09

Another fantastic Giliigan piece

www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/governor-quits-blinkered-tavistock-clinic-82db7wzq8

A governor of the NHS trust that runs England’s only gender clinic for children has resigned in protest at its “blinkered” and “one-sided” response to doctors who had raised the alarm about “woefully inadequate” care.

Marcus Evans, a consultant psychotherapist at the Tavistock and Portman trust with three decades’ experience, told The Sunday Times that the trust had said things that were “not true”, had created a “climate of fear” and was trying to “dismiss or undermine” concerns raised by its own clinicians.

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EweSurname · 23/02/2019 19:10

Some openly homophobic parents pushed their children to transition because they were gay, the report said. In other cases, youngsters seized on transition as a “solution” after abuse or bereavement. Their histories were not properly explored by clinicians struggling with “huge and unmanageable caseloads” and afraid of being accused of transphobia if they questioned the “rehearsed” surface presentation.

The report said Gids had tried to “placate” lobby groups such as the Mermaids charity, which campaigns for children to be given sex-change treatment.

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EweSurname · 23/02/2019 19:10

CLicky www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/governor-quits-blinkered-tavistock-clinic-82db7wzq8

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MillytantForceit · 23/02/2019 19:16

When we reach the full shit/fan interface event horizon, this is going to be as big as BSE.

DonaldTwain · 23/02/2019 19:18

I’m loving “shit/fan interface event horizon.” May steal for own use.
Fully agree with the sentiment also.

feministfairy · 23/02/2019 19:26

Also a good article about the travesty that is Stonewall:

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/stonewall-drives-away-backers-with-trans-agenda-t9jqfhc60?shareToken=a7be57af977bc0c65924d198df080ab7

TurboTeddy · 23/02/2019 19:31

I'm so relieved this is being bought to the publics attention. Let's hope someone can apply the brakes before more children are harmed.

HamiltonCork · 23/02/2019 19:34

Any doctor would have to be insane to want work in this field now.

Popchyk · 23/02/2019 19:59

"The Tavistock said: “The trust is confident that Dr Sinha, with oversight from a non-executive board member and a governor, has conducted a thorough and fair review of the issues raised. It has been very disappointed at the unauthorised disclosure of Dr Bell’s confidential report to the media.”

Yep, the problem is the unauthorised disclosure. They are "very disappointed" in that.

And yet have bugger all to say about the rush to mutilate children on what even the Tavi says is "sparse evidence".

ItsAllGoingToBeFine · 23/02/2019 20:23

What with him and Ruth Hunt I'm wondering if people are quitting to make sure no blame gets pinned on them?

Popchyk · 23/02/2019 20:29

The Tavi has gone from "this report is not true in ways that we are unable to specify" last week to "we're disappointed it was leaked" this week.

Quite the shift.

And the Tavi looks to be positioning themselves to throw this Dr. Sinha right under the bus. They seem to be repeatedly naming Sinha when there is absolutely no need to do so.

They could just say "The Tavi has undertaken a rigorous review..." But no, they are singling Sinha out by name.

They also named Dr. Sinha in the now-deleted statement that they issued last week after the first Times article.

They are not naming you because they love your work, Dr. Sinha. They are naming you so that they can blame you for this shit show.

DodoPatrol · 23/02/2019 20:47

Did you just page Dr Haddock, Hamilton?

littlbrowndog · 23/02/2019 20:51

Haha dodo

Calling a doctor

OvaHere · 23/02/2019 20:57

Very good piece.

The Times deserve a medal for their sterling journalism over the last year or so.

Voice0fReason · 23/02/2019 21:38

Excellent article. The Times are doing a grand job of covering these issues.

vivariumvivariumsvivaria · 23/02/2019 21:43

Good, this is encouraging to see.

RedToothBrush · 23/02/2019 21:44

And The Observer...

amp.theguardian.com/society/2019/feb/23/child-transgender-service-governor-quits-chaos?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Tweet&__twitter_impression=true
Governor of child gender service quits over damning report
Decision expected to intensify scrutiny of service accused of ‘fast-tracking’ young people

Iused2BanOptimist · 23/02/2019 21:48

Poor little Fanny. He's missing so much action. I wonder if he will notice the wind has turned when he gets back.

PencilsInSpace · 23/02/2019 21:55

They haven't deleted their statement Confused

gids.nhs.uk/news-events/2019-02-17/gids-review

ItsAllGoingToBeFine · 23/02/2019 21:58

www.theguardian.com/society/2018/nov/03/tavistock-centre-gender-identity-clinic-accused-fast-tracking-young-adults

This is interesting - I didn't realise Bell's report was from last year - I wonder why it got prominence again.

RedToothBrush · 23/02/2019 22:01

Story for The Observer is on the front page.

I think this is the first time the subject has made the front of the left leaning papers. This isn't insignificant.

It suggests to me that we have officially crossed the left / right divide on this and it's now 'a legitimate concern' of the left leaning public and not simply 'transphobic' from both the tone and content of that article.

Times article - Governor quits ‘blinkered’ Tavistock clinic
EweSurname · 23/02/2019 22:06

That is so encouraging! And it isn't editorialised like the Martina Navratilova story was (with a "Navratilova critised over 'cheating' comments" headline).

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feministfairy · 23/02/2019 22:09

Amazingly it seems to be a balanced article - although is the Observer separate to the Guardian and less tainted by 'creating the news we wan to see' as opposed to reporting it?

feministfairy · 23/02/2019 22:10

want to see

Popchyk · 23/02/2019 22:12

Bell's report wasn't leaked at that point, I don't think.

The Observer article was mainly about the parents who wrote to the Tavi to express concern about the fast-tracking of a medical pathway for their children. The letter to the Tavi by parents had been seen by The Observer.

The article then refers to the Bell Report (as we now know it) but states that "The Observer believes that the report questions whether the clinic should do more to consider young people’s personal histories, notably by examining whether they are on the autistic spectrum, have experienced trauma or are being influenced by social pressures, before helping them on the path to transition".

So it looks like The Observer didn't actually see a copy of the report at that point. But clearly someone at the Tavi had been speaking to The Observer back in October/November last year.

I wasn't aware of this though, about the Tavi's initial response to the Bell Report.

“The trust is concerned by the tone and manner in which these allegations have been made. They reveal a negative attitude to gender dysphoria and gender identity which does not reflect the views or the approach of the trust.”

So the Tavi was concerned about "tone" and "manner" of the Bell Report and now Gilligan is reporting on the actual content of the report, they are "very disappointed at the unauthorised disclosure of Dr Bell’s confidential report to the media.”

They are not contesting the truth of the report, but don't like the language it uses to deliver it apparently, nor the medium in which it is being discussed.

Cos that's the important thing; it is not like young lives are being ruined.