Attacks against the chair of the EHRC must be withdrawn following the Cass Review

[IwantToRetire]

5th down on Times Letter page:

Stonewall’s stance

Sir, Following the release of the Cass review, Stonewall now says it supports Dr Hilary Cass’s recommendations of a cautious, evidence-based non-medicalised approach to children with gender distress. This is a stark contrast to its previous stance that children can identify an alternative gender identity from as young as two, that puberty blockers should be prescribed to teenagers and that warnings about the lack of clinical evidence to support paediatric transition should be ignored.

In your report “Debate on trans rights ‘shut down by bullying’ ” (news, Apr 10), Dr Cass said: “There are few other areas of healthcare where professionals are so afraid to openly discuss their views.” Stonewall has played a significant role in creating this culture of fear. If it is going to try to fix the toxicity of the debate the first thing it should do is withdraw the allegations it has made about Baroness Falkner of Margravine, the chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission. She is under investigation by the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions because Stonewall reported that she took a “determinedly anti-trans stance” when she, just like Dr Cass, urged caution in legislating to ban “conversion therapy”. Stonewall should withdraw its complaint, apologise to Baroness Falkner and let the EHRC get on with its job.

Maya Forstater, Sex Matters; Stephanie Davies-Arai, Transgender Trend; Kate Barker, LGB Alliance; Nic Williams, Fair Play for Women; Karen Varley, Conservatives for Women; Alice Bondi, Labour Women’s Declaration; Ali Morris, Merched Cymru

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/1d2fdfc7-bdd6-4a42-85f6-c80d01f86c3d?shareToken=af82d715b0c4d69c0afdc985105d607f

Some may also be interested in the letter immediately after!

Can also be read at https://archive.ph/N84N9

[MrsOvertonsWindow]

Good to see women collaborating across the political divide over all this. Excellent letter.