A Call for More Research Into the Safety of Medically Transitioning Minors for Gender Dysphoria in Australia
NEWS
Several professionals are calling for an inquiry into the raising numbers of youth being medically treated for gender dysphoria. The story covered in The Weekend Australian is called “Warnings over surge in youth transgender cases:”
The call for an inquiry by health sociologist Geoff Holloway, who wrote the submission, has been backed by 2019 Senior Australian of the Year paediatrician Sue Packer, Western Sydney University paediatrics professor John Whitehall and developmental psychologist Dianna Kenny.
One doctor is very critical about what has been happening:
“Who gave ethics approval for this treatment (at children’s hospitals) when it lacks any scientific basis and therefore is an experiment?” Professor Whitehall said. “We should give the psychiatry and psychology a full run before we start castrating children.”
Critics make a point made on the GHQ website that blockers may prevent desistance:
Critics point out virtually all those on blockers go on to cross-sex hormones (and sometimes surgery), meaning an irrevocable transition to a medical approximation of the opposite sex. This makes them lifelong patients with a range of potential complications and a high risk of infertility, clinicians say.
Commentary on the politicized climate:
Critics say still-maturing young people are immersed in a world where many parents, teachers, clinicians, friends and social media are captured by emotive promotion of trans status, while activists try to suppress scepticism or inquiry as “hateful transphobia”.
Dr Holloway, who says the role of culture in gender dysphoria is unmistakeable, said: “People who object to what’s going on, they can lose their jobs, quite apart from being ostracised. This is supposed to be a scientific endeavour, not a witch hunt.”
This story is similar to what some health and social science professionals are doing in the U.K.
Another similar article about health professionals in Australia can be found in here.
Update 08/17/19: Another Australian article on this topic: "'They're being fast-tracked': Psychologist wants inquiry into children's transgender clinics"
Update 08/18/19: Relevant TV program on this topic: “‘Lots of factors’ converge to increase child transgender treatment”
Update 08/24/19: Another Australian article on this topic: “Trans medical model to bear ‘cost of regret’,” “Parents feel new gender was a foregone agenda,” “Concerns on gender transition”
Update 10/14/19: The Australian and Bernard Lane have been doing a regular series on this subject: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/author/Bernard%20Lane
REFERENCES:
Hook, C. (2019, August 13). 'They're being fast-tracked': Psychologist wants inquiry into children's transgender clinics. 7News. Retrieved from https://7news.com.au/news/social/theyre-being-fast-tracked-psychologist-wants-inquiry-into-childrens-transgender-clinics-c-397125
Lane, B. (2019, August 9). Trans project ‘out of balance. The Australian. Retrieved from https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/trans-project-out-of-balance/news-story/aa7e3aa89a9f42d74e76b3ef31aaa961
Lane, B. (2019, August 9). Warnings over surge in youth transgender cases. The Australian. Retrieved from https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/warnings-over-surge-in-youth-transgender-cases/news-story/8b4efbf389a0bd61e664f93a5eaf7315
Lane, B. (2019, August 12). Trans medical model to bear ‘cost of regret’. The Australian. Retrieved from https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/trans-medical-model-to-bear-cost-of-regret/news-story/eb60e562a78c5ebf3c45c53d8f433cd1?fbclid=IwAR3inWWXYR1YDSGNUrFC8ZDYasHJ6nt0BArHktAHY5Z1DvJfkuvI_2y7F4s
Lane, B. (2019, August 24). Parents feel new gender was a foregone agenda. The Australian. Retrieved from https://www.theaustralian.com.au/inquirer/parents-feel-new-gender-was-a-foregone-agenda/news-story/08fe653987f5838f5a8c09d41f1cc436
The Daily Telegraph. (2019) Lots of factors’ converge to increase child transgender treatment [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/national/lots-of-factors-converge-to-increase-child-transgender-treatment/video/9eee63d898aa7df17476c20dc7cb4170
Editorial Board, (2019, August 21). Concerns on gender transition. The Australian. Retrieved from https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/editorials/concerns-on-gender-transition/news-story/3af1378fd499f11bd94bec3fc8dd3695
We do not have open comments on the Gender Health Query website. But that doesn’t mean we aren’t interested in what you have to say. If you have a comment, blog post idea, or any other feedback, we would be interested if the information can be supported by science research, an informed opinion, real-world observations, or personal experiences. Please contact us.