This last couple of weeks have seen some important developments.
In Australia, the case known as ‘Re:Imogen’ (already setting a poor tone by using a girls’ name for a boy) resulted in a ruling against the mother seeking to protect her son from medical harm. Despite this incredibly sad (and in our view, misjudged) result, the court did rule that where there is parental dispute as to whether a child should medically transition, then the court must decide. This will act as a brake or hurdle for future cases of a similar nature. We are aware of another case in Australia which is currently proceeding in the family court. We will bring more information as we have it.
Liz Truss, UK Minister for Women and Equalities issued the long-awaited update on the proposed reforms to the Gender Recognition Act. As widely trailed in newspapers, Self-ID has been rejected.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-responds-to-gender-recognition-act-consultation
On 24th September the UK Department of Education issued updated guidance to schools on the teaching of Religious and Sex Education (RSE).
The most striking component of the new guidance was this sentence:
“Materials which suggest that non-conformity to gender stereotypes should be seen as synonymous with having a different gender identity should not be used and you should not work with external agencies or organisations that produce such material.”
The implication being that material produced by Allsorts Youth, Mermaids, Stonewall and the rest, are no longer welcome in UK schools. This is properly momentous, and we should all celebrate. Baroness Emma Nicholson has been tireless in writing letters to Gavin Williamson, the Education Secretary and others, and her efforts on our behalf have paid off. Hopefully, this is the high-water mark for gender ideology in the UK and we shall start to see its influence wane.
For examples of how bad is the material produced by Allsorts Youth Project, check out this article: https://gendercriticalwoman.wordpress.com/2020/10/01/school-transgender-policy-1-brighton/
Dr Hilary Cass has been invited to examine gender medicine in the UK
https://www.england.nhs.uk/2020/09/nhs-announces-independent-review-into-gender-identity-services-for-children-and-young-people/
In Sweden, similar moves are afoot.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is shortly to inspect The Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust, we have written to the CQC expressing areas of concern.
In another sign that matters are moving towards a new sanity, law firm Attwaters Jameson Hill is advertising its medical negligence services at the field of transgender medicine.
https://www.attwatersjamesonhill.co.uk/medical-negligence/transgender-treatment/
That they include the possibility of taking cases on a ‘no win, no fee’ basis implies a certain confidence.
Newsnight
On 1st October we were treated to another chapter in the excellent and relentless investigation by Hannah Barnes and Deb Cohen of BBC’s Newsnight team into the goings on at The Tavistock Centre.
In this episode, we learn that our current concerns were voiced FIFTEEN years ago by a Dr Taylor.
https://bbc.in/33ixth5
Keira Bell Case
The case against the Tavistock started by Susan Evans and now consisting of ‘Parent A’ and Keira Bell will be heard at the High Court on 7th and 8th October.
We will be having a small demonstration outside the Royal Courts of Justice. Covid restrictions mean that we shall have to limit this to 6 people (and 6 Our Duty facemasks will be available!) Of course, more are welcome, but we shall have to ‘socially distance’ from others outside the core 6.
And Finally…
We have our own merchandise! T-Shirts and hoodies are now available due to popular demand (yes, really!) from our ‘storefront’ at Teespring. https://teespring.com/stores/our-duty
All profits will go into our funds to further our work supporting parents and advocating for them as we seek to protect our children.
Of course, if you don’t need another T-Shirt or Hoodie, then we’d be just as pleased with a donation.
We have ambitious plans – our long-term objective is to replace Mermaids as the ‘go to’ destination for families with a child who thinks they are transgender – more immediately, we have our day-to-day expenses, and we’d like to offer more professional support to affected families.
