Debate and Sunlight
As the dust settles on the earth shattering revelation that renowned Harry Potter author JK Rowling knows that there are two sexes, the world of gender ideology is once again shaken to its foundations by the BBC current affairs programme, Newsnight.
We knew the medical investigations team at Newsnight were interested in The Tavistock back in September 2019 when Hannah Barnes, producer of this week’s documentary, joined a group of Our Duty parents as we sought to hold the Council of Governors to account.
Of course, we were not the first group of parents to try to hold the Tavistock to account, and the issues swirling around the medical treatment carried out there have been raised many times before by whistleblowers and academic critics, including Dr David Bell. Transgender Trend supplies the rest of the timeline here.
However, the involvement of the Newsnight team has brought new publicity and higher profile scrutiny.
There was a programme on November 26 2019 about detransition which included an interview between Emily Maitlis and Elizabeth van Horn of The Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust.
The programme on June 19 2020 was built on transcripts of staff interviews from a review into the Gender Identity Development Service which the Newsnight team had seen. A great piece of investigative journalism. The transitioning of young people was criticised on a number of points:
- Medicalisation was too quick
- There was insufficient exploration of patients’ issues
- And, most damning of all: That it seemed many young people were transitioned because of homophobia. i.e. at least one of parent and patient could not accept the patient’s homosexuality. So called ‘transing away the gay’ – conversion therapy, in other words.
Recent weeks have seen much debate and more sunlight cast upon gender ideology. Debate and sunlight are required so that the facts are known and highlighted, and so that those with power can discern accurately what is to be the right course of action.
Around the world…
United States
In America, a country once renowned for its free speech protections, high profile detransitioner Walt Heyer has had a video of a talk he gave to The Heritage Foundation taken down by YouTube. Citing breaches of its guidance on hateful content, YouTube also pointed to Heyer’s claim in the original video that individuals are “not born transgender. This is a childhood developmental disorder, that adults are perpetrating on our young people today, and our schools are complicit in this.”
A recently passed Idaho law banning transgender women from competing in women’s sports — the first such law in the nation — received backing on Friday from the administration of President Donald Trump.
United Kingdom
The Sunday Times (June 14, paywall) reported on a government leak that there would be more protection for women and children – by strengthening provision of single-sex spaces and restricting the gender transition of minors. All good news. Gender ideology activists responded by launching an e-mail campaign to lobby their MPs. Parents of Our Duty responded by writing to their MPs in support of the leaked proposals and requesting further protections.
Australia
Senator Claire Chandler has spoken in favour of protecting women’s sports and standing up for JK Rowling in an adjournment debate
Coming soon:
We have an exclusive article from Scott Newgent answering your questions.
Parental Support
Despite the limitations on holding our meetings in person due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we continue to support each other online. In addition we have been able to provide parents with access to professional family therapy via Zoom meetings.
And finally…
No Newsletter from an organisation like ours would be complete without an appeal for financial donations. On this occasion we put out our appeal, not on behalf of our own cash-strapped operation, but on behalf of our friends at Transgender Trend. For many of us, Transgender Trend was our first port of call – the information they provide is excellent. Our Duty came into existence because Transgender Trend does not provide the parental support community we have now established.
