1996 C4 doc on transgender kids and puberty blockers

[Shedidwhatwhen]

I remember watching a documentary about gender reassignment treatment in young people in Holland a very long time ago. A young woman was having a phalloplasty and it was one of my first encounters with the idea that young people could have these sorts of treatments at such a young age.

I've wondered what programme it was and I have now just come across a mention of a C4 programme, broadcast in 1996, that followed some young, gender dysphoric teenage girls as they travelled to Holland to meet with young people who were being administered with puberty blockers at the age of 13. I found reference to the documentary in Michael Bigg's article 'The Tavistock's Experiment with Puberty Blockers' from July 2019. It's probably been cited here on this board before but the link is users.ox.ac.uk/~sfos0060/Biggs_ExperimentPubertyBlockers.pdf

This programme was seemingly instrumental in driving Stephen Whittle to demand that such treatment with 'pubertal supression' drugs be made available to British children.

Does anyone know if there is a place where this programme can be viewed? It's a long time ago in TV terms and I am sure a journalist might be able to get hold of it if they contacted the C4 Archives. But is it floating about anywhere online? Has anyone seen it in recent years? I'm fascinated about how society changed and that something that was once deemed unacceptable has now become acceptable (obviously not to everyone).

I think I would have a very different reaction to the programme than the one I had over 23 years ago as a single person, without children in my 20s.

Do you know anyone to lectures / researches at or attends university?

There's a resource called Box of Broadcasts (BoB) which is a huge archive of TV programs (and can be used as a kind of communal online video recorder - you can save current TV programs to be stored by the service).

I was gutted to lose it when I graduated haha! Such a wonderful resource, so many good documentaries and films on it.

It's available online but you need to have a log in from a recognised institution. Perhaps a friend at a university might be able to confirm if it's been archived there, at least.

This is the company that made it:

www.windfallfilms.com/show/1197/the-decision-series-1.aspx

Thanks wiggly. Unfortunately I’m not at Uni and don’t know anyone who is at the moment (well not well enough to ask). Have you seen it recently?

I'll see if I can access it using ex h's university credentials which I have. He won't mind. If it's downloadable I'll let you know if I can share it. I remember watching it back then

It's mentioned on this university thesis from a student at Goldsmith's.

research.gold.ac.uk/11257/1/VIS_thesis_StewartJ_2015.pdf

I don't have the time to read the whole thing today, just scanned a chunk at the beginning, but it's about this program and other depictions of transgenderism on TV and from the beginning at least, it seems as if it (unwittingly) documents the author's own grooming into believing they're trans. (FTM). Interesting (of depressing) if so.

*if depressing, not of!

Have you seen it recently?

No, I've never seen it but I'd like to. I have something REALLY IMPORTANT I should be doing and googling this was an irresistible procrastination activity!

Presumably Jay Stewart of Gendered Intelligence?

Oh, of course!

Well spotted hipsterfun!

Sorry for distracting you wiggly

And stucknoue that would be fab - thanks so much and I'm glad you watched it back then too.