Tragic suicide

[Ramblingnamechanger]

Channel four news spent long time talking about the suicide of a young person ( male ) who killed themself because of not receiving gender affirming surgery when they wanted it. Obviously distraught parents seemed to think that that should have had whatever it was, affirming their son was their daughter and interviewer calling them she throughout.nothing about treating the depression which was underlying. Did not touch the area of what exactly GAS is. I have no idea what they meant…the only thing that was interesting was that they were discharged at 18 from the gender identity clinic, because of depression ( I think that was stated), Would this now be a counter indication for surgeries I wonder?

I agree with this. In my area it's currently 3+ years for an Autism or ADHD assessment for children, adults its even harder to be assessed without going private, and CAMHS reject many referrals straight out, or offer parents a one off training to parents without ever meeting the child. EHCPs are also grinding to a halt in this area, way over target time.

Large numbers of children and young people self harming, in crisis, unable to attend school, without support, many of them neurodiverse. The lack of resources and mental health support, or coherent approaches, is a disgrace.

@Bosky excellent post.

The difficulty with this case is that all the facts have not been stated neutrally so there is an element of simplifying the cause - something that should not be done in case it does more anguish to others.

She left NHS psychiatry a long time ago and now runs a Pilates studio but I do agree that it is reasonable to expect her to know her way around the NHS.

In one newspaper report she bemoans the fact that she was not able to use her status to get around what she referred to as "gatekeeping" of NHS services. What some people might call "queue jumping".

Sounds like the family were an echo chamber which only heightened the individual's desire to change sex and belief that medical and surgical intervention was the only solution.

Yes, the tragedy here is the failure of mental health provision and the face that people languish on waiting lists for gender services rather than receiving holistic mental health support.

We can't possibly know that. You only have to look on here at families desperate to do the right thing by their child - affirm despite their own views, question gently, cheerlead, go private, wait and see - and finding there isn't a right thing.

Because nothing on earth can grant these children their wish and actually make them the opposite sex.

I actually saw the sister with a placard passing through Victoria Station on the day of Trans Pride.
She's so young, as were all the other, mainly young women I saw, late teens/early twenties at most.
It was just terribly sad, like turkies voting for Christmas.

I can't know that, but I believe that.

Long waiting lists for children have been a state for years I've been asking for assessment of my child for ten years he has JUST been verbally diagnosed with autism and has now been referred for dyspraxia testing he is 15 soon I had to complain to pals in the end his whole life has been affected by this

No-one cares about children

That's another interesting facet to what on the surface seems open-and-shut.

So "Child dies waiting for GAS" is actually "Adult on cross sex hormones with a psychiatrist parent dies after following a gender affirming pathway of wooquackery for three years while awaiting surgery that probably wouldn't have fixed anything."

And can the TRA movement actually agree on whether surgery is or is not what they want, because by the TRA lobby's own admission it's pointless and hormones are the thing. So many "transwomen with penises" argue vehemently that surgery is unnecessary (especially for rapists and other sexual predators) and that's why they kept their penises. But they're pushing really hard this narrative that children and young people should be castrated for the cause because they're not satisfied with just medicating them. They're totally contradicting themselves.

If anyone is on Twitter, please could you consider giving this a bump:

https://twitter.com/BonfireLady/status/1704887123088732411?t=hCk5IoVlfQlqXQYDcl_Xuw&s=19

The way this is being reported really is so dangerous, as per several comments in this thread.

Unfortunately the self-policed BBC complaints process is unlikely to achieve anything and IPSO are masters at tangling stuff up in process, even with their new editorial guidelines on reporting where transgender issues are related. Twitter is at least an effective way of getting this seen..

I'm a little confused.

This is obviously awful and I am so sorry for the family's loss. I am just confused about exactly what "gender affirming" care Alice was waiting for. Alice was already on cross sex medication and was already"living as a woman". Was Alice waiting for bottom surgery?

I'm not being goady, I'm not sure what the reports actually mean when they say gender affirming care.

Any other condition and people would be asking why taking the medication has failed to improve matters - and, as was found with all ages but particularly with young people and antidepressants, whether it actually increased the risk of suicide.

Good Law Project are working with the family, I see.

Surely IPSO should be having words with various media outlets over how this is being reported?

https://www.brightonandhovenews.org/2023/09/20/brighton-trans-womans-family-speak-out-as-inquest-is-adjourned/

That Argus piece is relatively balanced, btw, I wasn't referring to it specifically.

I have seen a few headlines that baldly state AL's death was caused by waiting times and an underfunded service.

That is bloody irresponsible and dangerous.

This is so difficult a topic to comment on because sympathy goes out to any family affected by suicide.

With the additional information that The Good Law Project are involved - I hope they are not forcing more publicity and their own agenda on the family.

Whether it’s pushed by the Good Law Project or the deceased’s family, it’s quite clear that this story has been edited to fit a political agenda.

I have every sympathy with the family. A horrible tragedy.

The Good Law Project, however, should be very careful. Are they a charity?

Not for profit organisation.

Are they regulated by anyone?

https://goodlawproject.org/about/governance-and-funding/

Yes.

To a really shocking extent.

It seems that mental health support ended when they turned 18. That is appalling, and I've heard people talk about that before.

But articles seem to be describing this as gender affirmative care rather than mental health support.

There is a video on YouTube about the young person under the Good Law Project which gives a little more background.