A BBC Panorama programme, available on iPlayer, demonstrated that the lack of research behind drugs being given to pre-pubescent children with gender identity issues is compromising their care.
Further to that, Dr Biggs, an Oxford professor, claims that research has been suppressed that disagrees with the current zeitgeist. The Tavistock Centre’s Gender Identity Clinic in London has had doctors leaving the service due to the unscientific approach to medicating people. Research on sheep has shown that brains are damaged when drugs are administered that interfere with normal processes that the developing brain goes through during puberty. More concerning is Dr Biggs’ accusation that results of a 2015 report to the Tavistock Centre, showing negative outcomes to drug use, were suppressed. The full results of the trial remain unpublished. Girls had an increase in self harm when using puberty suppressants, and parents noted that there was a significant increase in behavioural and emotional problems. The research showed no positive impact on the experience of gender dysphoria. Some parents and children are keen to quickly take drugs that stop puberty, and then have opposite-sex hormones in order to ‘transition’.
What wasn’t discussed in the programme was the deeply unpleasant side of pre-puberty hormone treatment which results in genitalia not developing normally. This reduces the opportunity for the child to have plastic surgery to construct, for example, a ‘pocket’ (to act as a vagina) from their penis. In effect children are being put on a path to body mutilation, being sterilised and in some cases made unable to ever have a sexual relationship, before they really understand the impact of each of these in their lives.
The young person who was the main subject of the documentary was shown to have had a difficult childhood and had self harmed. It was hard to see how adding drugs and surgery into this damaged person’s life was going to help.
Trans news roundup
In March, the High Court refused a judicial review into the decision of Bath Spa University to block psychotherapist James Caspian’s research into detransitioning, saying that the case had been brought too late. Caspian is to appeal the refusal. The many women detransitioning at a clinic in eastern Europe prompted a doctor there to ask Caspian to research the phenomena.
With differing levels of indignation, Martina Navratilova, Paula Radcliffe, Sharron Davies and Dame Kelly Holmes each expressed concern over ‘women’ who were born male competing against women born as women. Commentators noted that it wasn’t a widespread problem currently, but there could come a time when the winners in female categories could all be male. The International Olympic Committee plans to lower the amount of testosterone permitted for female athletes. The level will be reduced from 10 nanomoles per litre to five. 99% of women have testosterone levels less than three nanomoles per litre.
