Keira

[YouNoob]

Live tweets from Belstaffie here:

mobile.twitter.com/Belstaffie/status/1333716720176033793

@BettyDuKeiraBellisMyShero thank you again for taking the time to answer me.

I think if I was a general member of the public, who didn't know much about the background to this, I'd have so many questions after reading some of these reports.

By coincidence I was just about to post this. One excellent result of this decision is that since TRAs feel they have to oppose it and provide reasons, they show their hand of what they're about. If you go on twitter there's all kinds of rubbish being argued that anyone with sense looking on, and today lots more people are looking on, would think "hmm, no, that's not right, not right at all". For example those pushing hard their argument that 13 year olds can consent to all manner of alarming treatment.

To the question "Did Keira win?", the answer is "sunlight".

This is wonderful news for future girls and boys, hopefully saved from irreversible physical damage - Kiera has helped many young people today. Bravo!

Not unclear. The justices are giving warnings....

Well done Keira!

Thank you for standing up and speaking out in the face of so much criticism.

Please look after yourself!

The reporting has been utterly woeful. News stories change throughout the day. It’s like living in Howl’s Moving Castle.

Here’s the archive of Jolyon Maugham’s twitter thread, talking about the dark web and admitting that Keira won:
archive.md/OFPh3

includes guest appearance from Helen Webberley, prompting her own disgraced online gender quackery service in the replies.

Reminder that the doctors Webberley prescribed cross sex hormones to a 12 year old female patient:

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/transgender-clinic-linked-teens-suicide-22824548.amp

Wonder what the BMA and HCPC will think of the Tavistock having not kept records?

Cos, I think that's a fairly basic requirement of providing healthcare.

I assume they have kept records at the individual level. The point is they haven't collated the information in those individual records in order to extract information about overall patterns of referrals, treatment pathways, and outcomes. Given that this is a highly experimental treatment that lack of collation and analysis is, as the judges pointed out, 'surprising' (= judge-speak for WTF?).

does anyone know who the Prof Butler is, mentioned in summary of that HRA 2019 report ?

@alexdgr8

does anyone know who the Prof Butler is, mentioned in summary of that HRA 2019 report ?

www.uclh.nhs.uk/OurServices/Consultants/Pages/ProfGaryButler.aspx

Is it just me, or are the most vocal TRAs unusually quiet about the judgement?

The majority seem to be putting out one supportive tweet, at best, then quickly moving on to something else.

They either don't care or don't realise how significant this judgement is for children who believe they are trans.

Been working all day so missed it all. Congratulations Keira, and thank you from the bottom of my heart as a parent of two young children. I'm just so sorry you had to go through this in the first place but so appreciative that your bravery has protected so many other children going through something similar. Your statement calling out crappy mental health services, homophobia and misogyny is first class. Now can we let gender non-conforming people be who they are and not force them into stereotypes through medication and surgery.

Mermaids have released a statement:
mermaidsuk.org.uk/news/tavistock-case/
archive.li/u9Y9e

Excerpts:

"Today’s judgment from the High Court risks untold, irreparable damage to young trans people in England and Wales. It heralds nothing less than a new era of discrimination, treating trans youth differently from all other young people and barring them from accessing life-saving care."

"This morning’s deeply-misguided decision does not reflect years of overwhelmingly-positive outcomes gained via hormone blocker treatments within the NHS. Hormone blockers have allowed many trans young people to escape the torture of going through the wrong puberty"

"We now face a disturbing new scenario, when a young person along with their parents, their doctor and expert clinicians all support treatment, but a judge with no medical qualifications can overrule them. No other young people face this barrier to healthcare, only trans youth."

"The implications of this ruling are wide-reaching. This decision is a dark day for the rights of all young people to make decisions about their own bodies, including young people seeking access to the pill and even abortions."

"Susie Green, CEO of Mermaids, said: ‘To say this is devastating is an understatement. As a parent of a child who accessed blockers internationally because they weren’t available on the NHS at that time, I know what this means to those families affected. My daughter is clear that without blockers, she would not have wanted to carry on, knowing that forever, she would be identifiable as being assigned male at birth due to irreversible changes that a male puberty would have brought."

"I only wish the judges involved had actually talked to some of the young people affected by their decision."

Sultanasofa, do you know who prof butler is, as you posted this

Professor Butler said that PBs: “may have some help or advantage in the support of transgender adolescents in some aspects of mental health functioning, in particular with reducing the risk of reduction of suicidal ideation and actual suicidal actions themselves.”

Wonder what the BMA and HCPC will think of the Tavistock having not kept records?

"Terfs" + "GCs" are getting all the blame here, and yet despite plenty of notice and time to get the relevant info together tgey fail to. I cant believe why no ones asking mermaids etc to back up their side with evidence that's not emotional blackmail and made up suicide stats

The anger is all at the wrong people.

The majority of TRAs are adult males.

Perhaps they realise how it looks to be wanting to sterilise the body of a young woman.

A great result for Keira and Mrs A and more for the children and young people who have been essentially rescued from unproven untested and irreversible treatments. As there are comparatively few teens that haven’t reached puberty by age 16 , they will no longer be suitable for PBS, even if the Courts were to agree. Let’s see some resignations. Watching the media alter their reporting, even in the same programme was most “ surprising”

I bet the Tavistock and Mermaids are pretty damn sore that they didn’t keep adequate records, didn’t do adequate follow up, didn’t offer alternative treatment to compare and are regretting these omissions and all the other inadequate ways they have run this appalling programme , based on ‘feelings’ and bad science.

I suspect they're not sore at all. I don't believe for a moment that they didn't begin research studies. I'm pretty sure there was a study started at one point and it vanished- I'll have to check. But basically, why would any scientist not be conducting research on this brand new treatment? Breaking new ground is the stuff careers are made of.

Of course, if the research doesn't support the hypothesis that the treatment is beneficial, it's not so career making...

I suspect they're very glad that they stopped gathering data/didn't collate it, because if they'd collated the data they'd have had to produce it in court.

They either don't care or don't realise how significant this judgement is for children who believe they are trans.

I think the stupider ones are probably feeling like idiots for celebrating it earlier.

And the smarter ones probably don't want to draw any attention to it, in case people start asking awkward questions like "How the hell was this ever allowed to happen?"

Lovely photo from Twitter

Stonewall statement:

www.stonewall.org.uk/about-us/news/stonewall-statement-high-court-puberty-blockers-ruling
archive.li/GZRPg

Excerpts:

"For decades, hormone blockers have been used to pause puberty for children experiencing precocious puberty. They also play a vital role in helping to alleviate the distress many trans young people experience and offer much-needed time to questioning young people to explore their identity. Denying this vital support is not a neutral act and can be deeply harmful to trans young people."

"While puberty blockers are a reversible intervention, the judgment says that in order for a young person to give informed consent, they must also understand the potential implications of a range of other potential future treatments, including cross-sex hormones and surgical intervention. These are treatments only available to those aged 16 or over, and those aged 18 or over, respectively. We believe this is an extraordinary extension of the principle of informed consent."

"‘Today’s ruling sets a dangerous precedent not just for the rights of trans young people, but for all young people. Not only do we disagree that trans young people cannot understand the implications of treatment, but we’re worried this judgment risks eroding Gillick competency more broadly. Gillick established that people under the age of 16 can be capable of sufficiently understanding and consenting to medical treatments, like abortion or contraception, including understanding their long-term physical and psychological consequences."

I'm pretty sure there was a study started at one point and it vanished

It's mentioned in the judgement, awaiting revisions after review or something.

@HecatesCats

Lovely photo from Twitter

Oh man HecatesCats that has set my happy tears off again! (I got an awful lot of rage-cleaning done this morning, whilst watching the clock and whispering prayers to the Goddess)

Keira, thank you for your bravery

Not only do we disagree that trans young people cannot understand the implications of treatment, but we’re worried this judgment risks eroding Gillick competency more broadly. Gillick established that people under the age of 16 can be capable of sufficiently understanding and consenting to medical treatments, like abortion or contraception, including understanding their long-term physical and psychological consequences

Stonewall obviously can't read then. This was all covered very clearly in the judgement. Stonewall are talking out of their arse. It's embarrassing.

Wow, that's some highly-inaccurate and scaremongery doubling down from both Mermaids and Stonewall.

Well done Keira. Anyone who truly wishes to support a young person experiencing gender identity issues surely wishes to do so safely, with a "first, do no harm" approach. There are lots of ways to support these young people and allow them to be themselves without puberty blockers.

I'm pretty sure there was a study started at one point and it vanished

There was! It was mentioned in the court case. The judges asked to see the study, and the Tavistock said no.

It stuck in my head because I was imagining the Tavi's lawyer as Principal Skinner in this scene.