Children who believe they are transgender are probably just going through a short-lived phase, the NHS has told doctors. The Mail has more.
The health service last week issued draft guidance on treating children and young people with gender dysphoria – those who feel their gender is different from their sex.
Doctors should be open to “exploring all developmentally appropriate options” with youngsters who believe they are trans but be “mindful that this may be a transient phase”, it states.
Health chiefs noted that in “most cases gender incongruence does not persist into adolescence”.
Its guidance says “social transitioning” should be no longer be viewed as a “neutral act” due to the significant effects it may have on a child’s psychology.
Social transitioning is when a person lives as a gender different to their biological sex but doesn’t take drugs to transition, such as controversial puberty blockers or hormones.
It may see a person change their name, pronouns and dress in clothes associated with their opposite sex. They may also use the bathrooms of their preferred identity rather than their biological sex.
The guidance sets out that medics should carefully consider encouraging prepubescent children to socially transition due to the mental health risks they face in their teenage years.
“The clinical approach has to be mindful of the risks of an inappropriate gender transition and the difficulties that the child may experience in returning to the original gender role upon entering puberty if the gender incongruence does not persist into adolescence,” the guidance reads.
Even for older children, those already in their adolescence, social transitioning should only be considered a last resort in severe cases, the NHS suggests.
“Social transition should only be considered where the approach is necessary for the alleviation of, or prevention of, clinically significant distress or significant impairment in social functioning and the young person is able to fully comprehend the implications of affirming a social transition,” the draft reads.
A rare outbreak of commonsense amidst an ocean of woke gobbledegook.
Worth reading in full.
Stop Press: U.S. President Joe Biden has said that it’s “immoral” and “wrong” to restrict gender reassignment surgery and puberty blockers for children.
To join in with the discussion please make a donation to The Daily Sceptic.
Profanity and abuse will be removed and may lead to a permanent ban.