A collective of senior clinical psychologists in the UK have publicly apologized for endorsing the administration of transgender medical treatments to children. This apology follows a damning report, arguing that such interventions were implemented on weak foundations, leading to the closure of the Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS) clinics that prescribed puberty-blocking drugs to hundreds of children. The psychologists canvassed for better guidelines to aid clinicians aiding young people in this intricate domain.
The group highlighted the multi-factorial systemic breakdown that ensued at the GIDS clinics, and called for psychologists to be under scrutiny and held accountable for their involvement. Their letter drew attention to the lack of proper assessment of the young people in question, which resulted in many embarking on a medical pathway that was typically unsuitable and irreversible. The group further criticized the inadequate record-keeping, which is one of the basic duties of their profession.
This reaction follows a report by renowned paediatrician Dr Hilary Cass which cited weak empirical evidence to support ‘gender-affirming’ claims asserting that hormone-altering treatments enhanced children’s mental wellbeing. The report also pointed to the absence of research into the potential ramifications of such drugs on children’s cognitive and psychosexual development. The report recommended that children under 18 should be withheld from receiving puberty-blocking drugs and that managing gender-related distress should not generally involve a medical pathway. This perspective is increasingly common in Europe, with nations including Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, and the UK gradually constraining transgender treatments for children.