A hot take on the Cass report courtesy of Freddie McConnell

[GenderBlender]

Not quite sure what to make of this one. Freddie welcomes the report and totally agreed with it apparently, but also thinks it has the fingerprints of transphobia on it. Seems vexed that Cass has not unambiguously said that trans kids exist, and that the neurodiversity and mental health challenges are in addition to a teams identity (no explanation given as to why they are so often co morbid).

Seems to be going with the, it's all about waiting lists line that mermaids at al have been spouting.

Totally doesn't get the concept of a systematic review, says lots of research not included, that will be because it was reviewed and found to be shite so not included.

"Cass bemoans the lack of a peer-reviewed evidence base for trans healthcare. Right there with you, Doc (although there is plenty of research you decided to exclude)".

No comment made on the withholding of data by the majority of gender clinics making generating this evidence base impossible.

No comment made on why girls are now presenting much more frequently.

"If the Cass review was held under a black light, we would see the fingerprints of anti-trans ideology. I don’t believe Cass shares this way of thinking, I think she believes in evidence-based healthcare and that trans children exist. However, allowing her review to be so heavily influenced by bias is a critical failure that is hers to own."

So, the battle front is drawn, it isn't actually about gender services, we all totally agree on that apparently. This is about whether we all agree that there is such a thing as trans kids.

I think this is an unwinnable argument, like arguing whether god exists. In my view, from a medical stand point, the starting position has to be that the goal of any treatment for gender confused kids is to help them be more comfortable and live with the body they have. Only when compressive attempts at this have failed, should medical transition even be considered. I don't think this proves that trans kids exist either way, but I think perhaps for a very small number of kids this is the most effective way of relieving their distress.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/apr/11/hilary-cass-trans-children-review

Exactly, if trans is supposed to be analogous to left-handedness in being an ordinary variation in human experience, then why is the prevalence of people at gender clinics now so heavily skewed demographically to middle aged men and young girls/women?

The Guardian has occasionally wheeled out an older women who decides to transition later in life, but otherwise that cohort of people (if it evens exists) is utterly invisible across the charities, social media and trans activism. I mean women actually getting medical treatment, not cringe middle age women with special pronouns like Joanne Harris.

I just came across this article in the Guardian this morning, addressing the surge in the use of gender services:
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/apr/10/what-cass-review-says-about-surge-in-children-seeking-gender-services

I read that article and it is so fucking scary. My girls are not getting anywhere near social media until they are 16 plus

Aiden Kelly says only 16% of kids go on to take wrong sex hormones. This shows how cautious the service providers are being. Then he whines about the waiting list , how England is out of step with other countries which ' don't have that caution '. Incoherent.

Still , you can understand his rage : he is trying to run a business after all.

Yep I'm aware of that. But I'm also aware that when you present to the public as Dr. Cass and Dr. Kelly, it can sound equal, of equal medical standing. Which it is not. And Kelly is brought on as a counter to Dr. Cass. What they don't do is bring on an actual Dr to counter Dr. Cass, because no self respecting doctor would.

It's like Freddie. Who is just a person, with zero qualifications. Happens to be trans, believes that they are a man, which of course they are not, and is never pointed out. That it's a belief. The Guardian won't say that. And there clear trans agenda is on display today. But thankfully Freddies article is particularly weak. Additionally, it's badly written, so most people won't even bother reading it and will just probably be confused.

On an even more positive note, Freddie seems to have no heart for it anymore. Them brain cells of adulthood working, fully kicking in, along with the reality of the damage they have done to their body no doubt weighing heavily. But, of course, can't be seen to back track.

It's hard not to feel sorry for them really. Unless Freddie is a genuine trans like Buck Angel, then they may be happy, but it didn't come across from the article as happy.

Apologies - I misunderstood your post - and agree that the implication of "Dr" to most people is a medical degree which would give more weight to any argument.

(I hope I didn't sound patronising - it wasn't my intention.)

LOL, don't be worrying about anything. It's all in all been a great 48 hours. My children are out the other end of this, without succumbing, other than to the 'be kind' nonsense.

But I do so feel sorry for the parents who went along with this for their children. So so sad.

They must be so devastated. And so let down.

It is very worrying to see Dr Aidan apparently having no caution in dealing with these young people.

I'd welcome some pointers to the reverse ferreting, please.

Not up to date on who the promoters were so don't know where to look.

thankfully Freddies article is particularly weak

I thought it was self-undermining. The quotes and the links. McConnell links to ‘Inventing Transgender Children and Young People’ as a way to attempt to discredit Dr Bell. Anyone curious enough to follow the link might be persuaded in the direction opposite to the intended one.

And this “He has described gender-affirming surgeries for adults in Frankenstein terms, bemoaning people like me as “sterile and lifelong patients, many facing catastrophic complications”. I don’t really want to dignify this claim with a serious rebuttal”.

Surely most readers would read that and think - why has Dr Bell said something so strong? Just because McConnell claims it’s all hunky dory, someone who only speaks for themselves is not going to, in the mind of a reader, trounce the opinion of an experienced clinician. It would serve McConnell better to avoid directing readers to those words and findings I would have thought.

Perhaps though, readers are well-schooled and obedient- with their dos and don’ts. ‘Never click on a Daily Mail link’, ‘Never speak to a Tory’, ‘Never engage with anything identified as ‘problematic’ by our thought leaders’, etc, etc.

And this “He has described gender-affirming surgeries for adults in Frankenstein terms, bemoaning people like me as “sterile and lifelong patients, many facing catastrophic complications”. I don’t really want to dignify this claim with a serious rebuttal”.

To be fair, Freddie is famously not sterile but that would be because Freddie didn't have full gender-affirming surgery.

And, I don't want weak articles. The absence of decent arguments was one of Helen Joyce's greatest difficulties when writing her book.

Decent arguments and evidence now would help her, and others, to write a second.

A new tactic to appear to support it whilst raising concerns.

They know full well that if they come out and criticise outright they will lose all support, so it's back to the underhand strategy of appearing nice on the surface whilst having unreasonable demands.

NHS are not coming across as particularly wanting to support the Cass Review. Their comms are typically underwhelming but this is ridiculous.

All of the negative media framing and the empathy eliciting stories of waiting lists etc. were predictable. They're overwhelming the evidence in the public perception.

Supporting while raising concerns is the diplomatic way to handle something you want to ignore but to which you can't raise principled objections.

I think Freddie is a bit naive. Taking hormones and other medications long term will have an effect on fertility, both for males and females, taking hormones long term will also have an effect on other health or body issues, such as osteoporosis, vaginal atrophy, body, facial and head hair growth or loss, voice deepening in transmen , transwomen who have had a ‘vaginal’ construction will be dilating and cleaning that non self cleaning pouch that is desperate to heal itself for the rest of their lives, transmen who have had a ‘penis’ constructed from forearm tissue will bear those scars for life, all genital surgery carries the risk of damaging the urinary tract which can lead to incontinence. A double mastectomy or breast augmentation are major operations which carry risks and almost certainly in the case of breast augmentation will require further surgery at a later date.

Transitioning is lifelong Freddie, you have dipped in and out to have your children, but the cumulative effect of putting stuff into your body which your body will recognise as not something it has produced and will fight against, is unfortunately going to affect your future health, osteoporosis is debilitating, painful and certainly what I would call a “catastrophic complication”.

Yes Aidan, if you spend your life immersed in gender you will see trans kids everywhere, but if you spend you life dealing with children as whole and distinct entities, with very specific needs and challenges, then you are much less likely to see trans kids everywhere.

Exactly. That’s why Cass was perfect for the job. She’s a paediatrician. She treats children as a whole, from birth to 16-18. Sees them grow, develop, go through phases, fads, shifting seas, good periods and bad. Holistic care, Aidan, you utter twat of a man.

Freddie cannot rebut the point about Gender surgeries causing infertility. So instead Freddie implies that they could rebut it.

It's an actual statement of fact in any case. The surgeries do cause infertility and life long need of medical care.

Maybe Kelly was talking about German information on puberty blockade published a few months ago. If so, that German systematic review didn’t find blockers helped in treating gender distress. Here’s something I posted about it on FWR at the time.⬇️

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womensrights/5015095-new-finnish-study-on-gender-affirming-care-and-suicide-ideation?reply=133359089&utm_campaign=reply&utm_medium=share

Twitter thread of interest to this thread. The article linked to is in German but the thread provides a translation of the article into English (links to those 3 tweets with translation included at the bottom of this post):

x.com/benryanwriter/status/1762480596922593385

'A new systematic literature review, by Germans, of puberty blockers (PB) and cross-sex hormones (CSH) to treat gender dysphoria (GD) in kids concludes: "Current evidence does not clearly suggest that GD symptoms and mental health significantly improve when PB or CSH are given to minors with GD."

^econtent.hogrefe.com/doi/10.1024/1422-4917/a000972#_i38^^

German researchers concluded the same thing that Finnish researchers concluded last week: that psychotherapy should be the primary intervention for children with gender dysphoria (GD). Their systematic literature review of the use of puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones to treat GD found:

"The currently available studies on PB andCSH in minors with GD show significant conceptual and methodological flaws. The current body of evidence is very limited, based on very few studies with small samples and problematic methodology and quality. Adequate and meaningful long-term studies are equally lacking. Current evidence does not clearly suggest that GD symptoms and mental health significantly improve when PB or CSH are given to minors with GD. Children and adolescents with GD should therefore primarily receive psychotherapeutic interventions that address and reduce their experienced burden. Any decision to use PB and/or CSH should be made on a case-by-case basis after judicious risk benefit evaluation and, if possible, within clinical studies. Beforehand, psychiatric/psychotherapeutic diagnosis and treatment of concomitant mental disorders should be undertaken."

^x.com/benryanwriter/status/1762483754696573142?s=20^

^x.com/benryanwriter/status/1762483758513442842?s=20^

^x.com/benryanwriter/status/1762483762569363463?s=20^

TRAs were never going to accept it, like you say it is an unwinnable argument.

Most reasonable people would think if a teen can be helped to live their life without presenting as trans then that is the best outcome, whereas people like Freddie need more people to be trans to prop up their belief system.

I agree.

Lots of children don't follow stereotypes of male and female, it doesn't mean they are in the 'wrong body' and so need drugs to stop puberty, change their names and dress in stereotypical way to show their 'new' gender.

Parents who pushed the wrong body narrative are abusers. Doctors who prescribed puberty blockers are abusers. Teachers who say children can be in the wrong body are abusers. The social contagion is due to young people wanting attention and be different. No intervention needed.

Safeguarding must trump everything else. Would you tell a young person who says they are fat to eat less when they are obviously ill with anorexia. Counselling, care is needed not affirmation.

Prison for some. Stopping this nonsense and start safeguarding instead. I'm disgusted that so many pandered to this ridiculous idea that you can actually change sex and all problems will be fixed.

As I often say, it is worth writing a letter for publication. The Guardian published two good letters about drag as demeaning to women this week 😀

Clinical psychologists qualify with a doctorate in clinical psychology - a DClinPsych - and are entitled to use the title Dr.

Worse - it may have had a negative affect upon her children that may not be apparent for some time. We have no idea what effects these male hormones may have on a developing foetus, even if the mother stops taking them prior to getting pregnant, because we don't know what lingering effects they have on the female body.

IMO she's a selfish a-hole,

If Freddy had had Freddy’s pubertal development blocked Freddy wouldn’t have been able to conceive, carry and birth two children, and Freddy wouldn’t be famous for being a ‘Seahorse Dad’.

Why would Freddy want to deny other girls-who-grow-up-to-become-transmen the opportunity to be ‘Seahorse Dads’?

@Cauliflowery 's post upthread would make a great letter.

I don’t think any medical professional who has been immersed in gender identity theory can in any way step back far enough to have a clear perspective.

The absolute reality is that there is no such thing as a “trans person”. That term implies some kind of inner feeling that dictates a significant part of someone’s fixed identity.

The reality, of course is that there is a group of people who, for a number of reasons, want to be or want to adopt the appearance of the opposite sex. This is not a personality trait. It’s either a delusional disorder or a strong desire or both.

These medics are no longer able to see that fact clearly as they have been immersed for too long in a false reality.