Major report warns ‘polarisation and stifling of debate’ has not only let children down but hampered medical and scientific progress in the area
Vulnerable children seeking gender care are being let down by the NHS amid a row of “exceptional toxicity” about trans rights in Britain, a long-awaited review has found.
The independent report, published on Wednesday, says young people with gender dysphoria are being treated in a system underpinned by “remarkably weak” research, gaps in mental health care and “unusual” clinical practice.
The review, led by distinguished paediatrician and former Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health president Dr Hilary Cass, warns that the “polarisation and stifling of debate” by adults has not only let children down but hampered medical and scientific progress in the area, with healthcare professionals afraid to openly discuss their views.
It said studies had been cynically “exaggerated or misrepresented by people on all sides”, while doctors are pursuing life-changing treatment on young people despite a profound lack of evidence. Addressing the children directly impacted by failings, Dr Cass said: “Research has let us all down, most importantly you.”
I’m trans and I don’t think conservatives just hate other humans. I think they’re scared and they don’t want “bad things” to happen to their communities and their children. They know things are fucked up right now, and they are right about that. It’s something we can all agree on.
The problem is that they’re being offered a bunch of things to point the finger at as a cause of their misery, like LGBTQ+ people/rights, immigrants, diversity, etc. On the other hand, those of us who are left-leaning are being offered the same type of thing, except in our case, it’s them. The media is doing such a good job of othering both sides that we’ve lost sight of their humanity and we don’t even listen to a single thing they have to say. Nobody is there to agree with them when they’re right and nobody is there to actually have a conversation when they’re wrong. Both sides just write off everything the other side has to say. It has to stop. If you think that these people only care about guns, taking away abortion right and getting rid of LGBTQ+ people, you’ve been played.
Politicians won’t stop using these things as political tools until we stop giving them reasons to. It is working so well for them.
Reality is that both sides are being manipulated. People on the left and people on the right are the same people and in these times we need to actively make an effort to remember that. Saying that conservatives just need to die out is so ugly and dangerous.
We need to start talking to each other again. We need to stop the constant consumption of outrage. I know it’s not an easy thing to do but you can do it, it can be done. It is an addiction that is destroying us all and it doesn’t matter if other people still consume, these things start with “You”.