It was announced last week that the Tavistock gender clinic in the United Kingdom is being sued by 1,000 families for medical negligence. The lawsuit alleges that the clinic misdiagnosed children and was reckless in prescribing puberty blockers in treating gender dysphoria. As well, research from the clinic published last year found that pubertal suppression was associated with lower bone mass, as well as little improvement in psychological functioning.
The clinic closed last month amid looming concerns of long wait times, overdiagnosis, external scrutiny, and questions about why referrals have skewed toward girls in recent years. Sweden and Finland have similarly changed their course of action, now prioritizing psychological interventions for gender dysphoric children.
These changes mark a monumental moment in the debate on childhood transition and stand in stark contrast to continued support for “gender-affirming care” in North America, which typically involves talk therapy and medical interventions that facilitate the transition.
For those who remain skeptical, a video from Boston Children’s Hospital describes hysterectomies for minors. A hysterectomy involves removing an individual’s uterus, fallopian tubes, and cervix (which is the opening of the uterus). The procedure can also include an oophorectomy, which is the removal of the ovaries.
Is a minor capable of making permanent decisions about their body and fertility? I would imagine that most teenagers lack the emotional maturity and foresight to consider the next five years of their life soundly. More importantly, instead of simply facilitating a girl’s wishes to become a boy or a third gender, responsible adults should be asking her why she doesn’t want to be a girl.
Womanhood today entails having one’s rights stripped away in the name of deferring to gender self-identification and watching as prominent female role models are all too happy to revoke their sex in favor of being “nonbinary” or transgender men.
Historical figures aren’t spared a similar fate. An upcoming play in London celebrating the story of Joan of Arc, the patron saint of France, will be “queer and full of hope,” portraying the heroine as “questioning the gender binary” and using “they/them” pronouns. Needless to say, the concept of being nonbinary didn’t exist in the 1400s and lacks evidence in 2022.
The sum result is that girls are being led to believe that aspiring to greatness is a sign they aren’t really female. An entire generation is being harmed by radical gender theory in more ways than one.
Dr. Debra Soh is a sex neuroscientist, the host of The Dr. Debra Soh Podcast, and the author of The End of Gender: Debunking the Myths About Sex and Identity in Our Society.
