Cass review - out on Wednesday

[ArabellaScott]

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/04/06/children-socially-transition-face-grave-psychological-risks/

Major.

A man who has a trans child who believes in "no debate" and a woman who says she doesn't know enough to say whether or not TWAW.

Jeremy Vine focusing on the toxic debate

Yes of course Jeremy Vine has absolutely nothing to do with the toxicity of the debate.

I know 🙄Who was that woman? She had absolutely nothing useful to say.

I think that's Artist Birdy Rose on now.

That was a female trans person, wasn't it? Isn't Kofi (I have no idea of the spelling) a female?

This JV discussion is one of the worst pieces I've ever heard on this subject, which I've been following closely since 2017.

I'd complain but can't be arsed. The shutters have been opened to let the sunlight in, and selectively stupid journalists like Vine can't close them again.

Agree. It felt like it was on purpose so they didn't have to address the facts.

No, Shay (Shae?) Coffey/Kofi was a male. And JV, talking about them to Birdy Rose used 'he' and had to quickly correct himself.

But, as you say, that is a “belief” that they currently have. They could be supported to reach a place of acceptance of their sexed bodies.

It seems utterly ludicrous that they are still planning more puberty blocker research.

These clinicians have had years and hundreds of patients who have already been put through this pathway.

Before they risk harming any more children, they should prioritize sorting out their systems and follow up with an assessment of harms and whether there is any evidence whatsoever of benefit.

I’m so sickened by the extent to which extremists are still driving this forward.

First do no harm indeed!

Edited to add that a gleeful transactivist told me the other day that there couldn’t be any significant evidence of harm as they hadn’t banned puberty blockers altogether. Had there been evidence, they would be banned, was the assertion.

I really feel that this ludicrous strain of medicine should just be stopped altogether, unless someone, somewhere can give unequivocal evidence that there are benefits that outweigh the risks. They’ve had plenty of time to prove it and they’ve fucked it up, probably to an extent, deliberately as knowing the results would probably have stopped the practice several years back.

So angry at the JV segment. Totally underprepared guest who came over as a bit clueless. Didn't defend the JKR and Sharron Davies situation, and the trans guest and JV basically perpetuated the myth that they are anti-trans.

Didn't defend women also having death threats and unbearable hate from trans, and was just too fluffy for my liking!

Like a pp, I'm sure this was intentional by the BBC, make the women look silly with no real opinion on the subject.

I heard JV in the car and nearly had to pull over I was so angry. He’s such a coward! Here’s a watershed moment for children in England and Wales and he doesn’t have the guts to have a proper discussion. Instead he let that man talk about how awful he thought JK was.

BBC

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-68770641

Who was the man?

The World at One, one of the more serious news programmes on BBC (it's on Radio 4) is leading with this and it sounds like the programme is going to give it a good amount of time, including a mother who feels her child was let down in the treatment they received.

If it ends up with ‘both sides were toxic’ as the historical narrative I will learn to live with that.

As long as the chemical castration of gay and autistic kids stops.

Ahh, the parents on Radio 4 right now are talking about their child, the girl is autistic, with ADHD, and sex-same attracted.

The man on JV was Shea Coffey.

https://medwayprideradio.co.uk/performer/shea-coffey/

Rather a contrast between the photo in the link above and the person who appears in this link

https://www.kentonline.co.uk/kmtv/video/founder-or-medway-pride-radio-shea-coffey-52018/

Utterly reprehensible take on this issue from Radio 2. I can understand them wanting to provide a 'safe space' for people who are feeling bruised by today's news, but they could have had a phone in directly about that - about kids and families who are feeling confused and concerned. Instead JV chose to promote the fiction that GC women are violent bullies responsible for transgender kids getting murdered in parks. He's a fucking disgrace to his profession.

Who are they trying to fool us or themselves?

Blimey. World at One! A harrowing account from parents. Now Aiden Kelly on but being quite careful in what he says.

So heartbreaking for those parents, but fuck me now they’re bloody interviewing Dr Aiden Kelly now for a ’balanced’ view.

Practice-based evidence 🤯

And the constant ‘but we’re better than other countries’ and always the ‘polarised debate’ 🙄

Oh now Kelly bemoaning the “toxic debate” that is causing long waiting times. Clearly blaming everyone else.

Polarisation is the carapace that people trust to give them political cover for the absence of due diligence and impartiality.

Wow.

What a morning (and also last night, watching Hannah Barnes hold the BBC's feet to the fire).

This does feel like exactly the watershed moment that it should be. Stonewall, Mermaids, Wes Streeting etc desperately reverse-ferreting (personally I'm going for golden bridge with Wes Streeting, purely off the back of Rosie Duffield previously accepting his sort of apology a few months ago) and the BBC and Guardian finally hedging with some actual journalism. Obviously they are keeping up the "impartiality" with some ignorance and/or activism but that's going to look increasingly bad as the public's eyes are opened.

Small straw poll... I have been gradually peaking my dad and brother. In the run up to the Cass Review, I have focused solely on the medical scandal and children, because it's still the most accessible part of the debate (interestingly my dad really got it with AGP but my brother thought I was just being mean). I told them I would stop sending articles on our little WhatsApp group if they wanted me to. But neither asked me to stop. My brother completed the schools' guidance consultation (which shocked me.. I thought he was tuning me out 😁) and this morning my Dad sent me an excited message that it was "all over the Guardian". That's one small example of what this news will do. Yes, it sticks in the teeth that people like my lovely Dad and brother don't believe it's news unless the Guardian and BBC say it but I can set that aside.

Lots of people coming across the golden bridge is ultimately more important than "I told you so". The "toxicity" debate allows people a small window to make the decision to come across. Those that don't choose to take it (Ed Balls... are you going to keep doubling down because of your family situation?) will find themselves increasingly isolated.

I'm going to be picking out some key quotes from the report and singing them from the rooftops in all the meetings that I've got coming up with the school and CAMHS etc. Hopefully I'll be able to meet with the LA again soon as well, to continue a conversation that I started with them over a year ago. The short version is that I needed more movement on the health side of stuff before I could go any further on that one.

Thank you Hillary Cass, thank you wonderful women (and men.. I can think of a dad of an adolesent boy caught up in this and a psycology professional who seemed to disappear after a thread where men were effectively told they weren't welcome 😞) of MN and everyone else who is pushing hard either in person or anonymously to get this out in the open.