World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) Files

I trust the word of a world-class paediatrician with decades of experience in this very area, over any activist or forum contributor. I also trust the other clinics throughout Europe that have come to exactly the same conclusions as Dr Cass.

Sorry if that makes me an extremist, but I'm willing to hedge my bets here.

You really aren't interested in the actual science since you have set your heart against an effective treatment

This is exactly the same line of argument that conspiratorial anti-vaxxers use when talking about ivermectin and COVID-19.

Both sides claim to know "the True science"; that shadowy people want to hide the science etc.

In fact, both groups are actively anti-science, and both groups are dogmatically attached to their own ideology, detached from both reality and science itself.

I trust the actual experts in their field - the actual people administering treatment.

You do understand that in order to for fill Dr Cass recommendation more puberty blockers must be delivered, and in order to establish a robust statistical model more children need to be using them.

Doctors practicing experimental medicine does not automatically make them "experts"; it makes them doctors.

You yourself have just admitted:

in order to establish a robust statistical model more children need to be using them.

The implication of which is that we currently do not know the long-term harm that these drugs cause children because there isn't the evidence to support their initial use to begin with. However inadvertent, that supports the very point I have been making.

The treatment protocol from those doctors has not only been shown to be defective, but counter to how medical protocol should be followed, and — worse than that — actively harmful toward children.

The implication is that Dr Cass has greenlighted an expansion in puberty blockers use in order to carry out a scientific study. As I have said on numerous occasions there will be very little change in those who get puberty blockers just that in future they will be more closely monitored.

Source is everything and that is why reputable reports always reference both their funding and sources. The WPATH report is activist dog ****.

I'm really sorry, but you cannot make false and misleading statements like this:

Dr Cass has greenlighted an expansion in puberty blockers use

Compare this statement with the nuance of what Dr Cass actually said:

Children/ young people referred to NHS gender services must receive a holistic assessment of their needs to inform an individualised care plan. This should include screening for neurodevelopmental conditions, including autism spectrum disorder, and a mental health assessment.

The option to provide masculinising/feminising hormones from age 16 is available, but the Review recommends extreme caution. There should be a clear clinical rationale for providing hormones at this stage rather than waiting until an individual reaches 18.  Every case considered for medical treatment should be discussed at a national Multi- Disciplinary Team (MDT).

For most young people, a medical pathway will not be the best way to manage their gender-related distress. For those young people for whom a medical pathway is clinically indicated, it is not enough to provide this without also addressing wider mental health and/or psychosocially challenging problems.

Clinicians are unable to determine with any certainty which children and young people will go on to have an enduring trans identity.

The use of masculinising / feminising hormones in those under the age of 18 also presents many unknowns, despite their longstanding use in the adult transgender population. The lack of long-term follow-up data on those commencing treatment at an earlier age means we have inadequate information about the range of outcomes for this group.

The rationale for early puberty suppression remains unclear, with weak evidence regarding the impact on gender dysphoria, mental or psychosocial health. The effect on cognitive and psychosexual development remains unknown.

The controversy surrounding the use of medical treatments has taken focus away from what the individualised care and treatment is intended to achieve for individuals seeking support from NHS gender services.

The strengths and weaknesses of the evidence base on the care of children and young people are often misrepresented and overstated, both in scientific publications and social debate.

While a considerable amount of research has been published in this field, systematic evidence reviews demonstrated the poor quality of the published studies, meaning there is not a reliable evidence base upon which to make clinical decisions, or for children and their families to make informed choices. 

You took a lot of effort there to not refute what I said. The number of children who receive drug or surgical interventions is very very small. The screening carried out reflects what Cass recommends as best practice.

You said Hilary Cass "greenlighted an expansion of puberty blocker use".

This was a wholly false statement, and misleadingly gives the impression that Cass has no problem with puberty blocker use in children.

And yes, the quotes from the report above precisely refute that misleading statement.

Hey I didn't say it was right, but I understand why an overstretch clinician who perceived themselves under attack would take that position.

But you don't accept what the medical profession says about the dangers of puberty blocker use in children.

It's all very a la carte; that science I'll accept; this other science, not so much.

Precocious puberty is a medical condition in which puberty occurs at an early age, which can have devastating effects for the patients concerned. Attempt to delay puberty may be necessary in this case, though it is not always the treatment of choice. Often the cause of precocious puberty is due to other factors, such as the presence of a tumour or brain damage.

That is a world away from healthy children being affirmed as the gender they claim to be, then quickly given puberty blockers on that basis.