Introduction to Briefing Paper for MSPs
ScotPAG representatives were in attendance at the recent Holyrood meeting reported in yesterday’s Sunday Post https://www.sundaypost.com/fp/holyrood-summit-hears-from-teens-parents-and-experts-who-claim-children-are-pressured-by-activists-into-swapping-genders/ We heard various stories from families about how gender ideology in schools via parts of the RSHP, the Scottish Government Supporting Trans Pupils Guidance, 3rd sector activists groups such as LGBTYS and some teachers had influenced and encouraged children to think they could change sex. We also heard from one teenage girl who bravely spoke up about her damaging experiences at school and in care, of being misled about biological reality.
ScotPAG abhors the fact that our Scottish Government has, to date, ignored the concerns of many women’s and professional groups who have, for at least the last five years, been highlighting well-evidence research about the potential harms of embedding an un-evidenced ideology in all our public services. The continued denial of material reality by our Scottish Government is damaging all our public bodies. It is now imperative that the Scottish Government listens to concerns and acts to implement all of the Cass recommendations but first starts with removing gender ideology in all its forms from Scottish schools. See below for a briefing paper provided to MSPs by Carolyn Brown (retired educational psychologist, on behalf of WRNScotland and ScotPAG)
Gender Ideology: Summary of Some Main Issues
1. Brief background
In the 1990s onwards with the advent of gender and queer studies, the
concept of an ‘inner gender identity’ was conceived by theorists. These
perspectives have been used by activists, politicians, and corporate business
associations to push a specific agenda that biological sex and gender are the
same and that gender identity trumps biology. This impacts on every aspect of
society including: free speech, women’s rights, education, children’s
development, children’s safeguarding, legislation, family life, and politics.
Activist groups such as Stonewall and Mermaids shifted their campaigning
agenda away from equal rights for gay and lesbians to an agenda based on
gender ideology in support only of trans. However, they piggybacked on the
gay rights agenda calling themselves LGBTQ. Many in the gay community
have distanced themselves from the LGBTQ agenda which they see as
homophobic [e.g. LGB Alliance, Gay Men’s Rights, Sex Matters etc.].
2. No clarity of definitions
There is no clear definition of what is meant by the term ‘transgender’. The
term means different things to different individuals. Transgender is commonly
described by activists e.g. Stonewall and LBGT Youth Scotland as an
individual whose gender identity is different from the gender or sex into which
they were born. There is no evidence to support this assertion and there is no
evidence to prove that gender identity exists. Activist organisations state that
the term ‘transgender’ is ‘an umbrella term’ which encompasses various forms
of behaviour ranging from a child who experiences unease with his or her
body, to a man demonstrating a fetish. This is also stated in the Scottish
Government’s guidance for Scottish Schools: Supporting Transgender Pupils
in Schools. This guidance refers to young people but clarifies that this term
also includes children of school age. The terms sex and gender are not the same: sex is biologically based whereas gender is a hypothetical concept which draws its influences from society and the context in which individuals live.
Gender dysphoria is described by the NHS as ‘a sense of unease that a
person may have because of a misalignment between their biological sex
and their gender identity’.
3. Self-ID
The concept of self ID means that anyone can declare their gender identity
without any medical requirements. In reality this means men can declare they
are women and boys can declare they are girls and vice versa. Although not
legal, this idea has been embedded into our institutions and has led to an
undermining of safety, dignity and privacy for women and girls.
There are various examples where sexual assaults have already happened
e.g. dangerous males self-id-ing as women, placed in Cornton Vale women’s
prison who then have assaulted other female prisoners. A man self-identifying
as a woman sexually assaulted a child in Morrisons female only toilet in
Dundee and in Dunfermline.
4. Failure to acknowledge accountability or to listen
There has been insufficient scrutiny to date about concerns raised by
individuals, professionals and grassroots groups and women’s groups. There
have been frequent communications of concern by grassroots organisations to
public services such as the NHS, Scottish Prison Service, Schools, Councils,
Education Scotland, Care Inspectorate etc. These concerns have nearly
always been responded to in dismissive ways with no sense of accountability.
There is a real feeling amongst grassroots organisations, parents and
concerned individuals that politicians and public services are not listening.
5. Safeguarding issues for children
The Scottish Government school’s guidance and the Care Inspectorate
guidance recommend an affirming approach, including social transitioning,
towards young people who state they are ‘trans’. This is a simplistic and
potentially harmful approach regarding the complexities involved in a child’s
psycho-social and sexual development. There is no evidence to support the
contention that this approach is effective or beneficial. We know from the
Tavistock GIDS findings (Hannah Barnes) that nearly all the young people
who were referred to the clinic who said they were ‘trans’ spoke of their
families holding homophobic views. Also, many children who call themselves
‘trans’ are autistic and are likely to be rigid in their thinking. There are
numerous un-evidenced statements and recommendations in both guidance
documents which have been raised as concerns by various groups and
individuals since publication.
Long-term studies have not demonstrated lasting mental health benefits of
‘gender affirmative’ interventions [NICE Guidelines 2019]. Of puberty blockers
and cross-sex hormones for childhood and adolescent dysphoria, Nice
Guidelines ranked the standard of evidence as ‘very low’ in every category it
considered. NICE concluded, that any benefit for puberty blockers and crosssex
hormones, ‘could represent changes that are either of questionable
clinical value, or the studies themselves are not reliable and changes could be
due to confounding bias or chance.’ These concerns have been vindicated by
the Final Cass Report (April 2024). We know from extensive research that the process of puberty itself helps most teenagers to resolve their feelings of unease about their bodies (Griffin et al,2021).
Prior to the Final Cass Report, there was clear evidence of a lack of decent
research and that there was significant misrepresentation by activists and
some politicians, of the findings from poorly conducted research. This is
demonstrably the case in the Scottish Government’s school’s guidance
Supporting Transgender Pupils in Schools which has has been repeatedly
commented on by numerous authors (e.g. Dr J Cunningham 2023, C. Brown
2022,2023,2024).
6. Is the term ‘trans’ real?
As mentioned earlier, there’s no clear definition of the term. The term
‘transsexual’ now considered old fashioned, was in effect, more accurate as it
referred to adults, mostly males in middle age who felt they were unhappy
being male some of whom were prepared to seek some form of medical
intervention. It is a different matter completely for gender questioning children.
Prior to the last decade or so, the number of children experiencing extreme
distress as a result of their perception of their sex, was extremely few. Many
experienced clinicians have written about ‘trans’ in children being as 21st
century phenomenon, and a 21st century medical and social scandal (Barnes
2023, Joyce 2022, Biggs 2019, Bell 2024).
The ‘product placement’ of the idea of ‘trans’ in school and in social media,
has meant that children have been fed the idea that there is such a thing as a
‘trans’ child, and that children can be born in the wrong body and can choose
to be the opposite sex. This is simply untrue. Children are extremely
suggestible, especially those children with additional support needs.
7. Psychological harms for children associated with the term ‘trans'
1. The concept of ’trans’ is ill-defined and therefore what is being presented to
children is fictional. This would not be so damaging if the end point was not
leading to a path of medicalization for which as Dr Cass has made clear, there
is no evidence of successful outcomes.
2. Even if medicalization is avoided, there is a real risk that an affirming
approach including social transition, will induce bodily hatred especially in
vulnerable and anxious teenagers.
3. An affirming approach in including social transitioning is likely to reinforce
delusional thinking in the children involved and in associated peer groups.
4. Affirmation of social transition and celebration of ‘trans’ is basically
celebrating a lie and is likely to cause confusion and anxiety amongst peers.
Such an approach is in effect, encouraging peers to collude in a fantasy; this
is unhelpful preparation for adult living.
5. Employing an affirmative approach to the concept of ‘trans’ is also
encouraging some adults/parents/carers to collude in a fantasy about their
own children or those they care for.
6. There has been a great deal of misinformation directed at parents which
includes using exaggerated claims that children will commit suicide if they are
not affirmed. This is totally incorrect information and is not borne out by robust
research, in fact suicide risk is no different to any other child/teenage mental
health issue.
7. The approach of affirming the concept of ‘trans’ risks other additional
support needs and mental health issues not being addressed (e.g. ASD,
trauma, care issues, physical/sexual abuse, homophobic bullying, anxiety)
Encouraging a child or teenager onto a pathway for which there is little
evidence in the first place will compound the difficulties that the child already
has. The 3rd sector organisations which are in our schools who are doing this
are not psychologists or clinicians and do not have the professional
competencies to assess these children.
8. To affirm a child who thinks they are ‘trans’ is completely avoiding any
understanding about why they think they are ‘trans’. It avoids exploring what
that child even understands about the term. Bell and other researchers have
noted that a high proportion of gender questioning children are gay and have
experienced homophobia. There is already evidence (Bell 2024, Barnes,
2023) that there is a real risk of misdirecting suggestible children down a
regressive, ‘transing pathway’ which they will come to regret.
9. Affirming a child as ‘trans’ takes advantage of the fact that a child is simply
not cognitively or emotionally mature enough to either understand or think
through the consequences of social transitioning or taking medical steps. As
Dr David Bell states, ‘Children struggle to even imagine themselves in an adult
sexual body.’
Dr David Bell states, ‘Characterizing a child as, “‘being transgender’ is harmful as it forecloses the situation and also implies that this is a unitary condition for which there is a unitary treatment. It is much more helpful to use a description: the child suffers
from distress in relation to gender/sexuality, and this needs to be explored in
terms of the narrative of their lives, the presence of other difficulties such as
autism, depression, histories of abuse and trauma, and confusion about sexuality.’
In short, it is more than fair to argue that affirming the concept of ‘trans’
amounts to potentially grooming the child towards a lifetime of delusion,
confusion, psychological & physical harm.
Conclusion
This is not about hostility to whatever is meant by the term ‘transgender’ (see
above regarding difficulties with definitions). But what is needed is safe,
evidenced-based interventions, psychological assessment and appropriate
care. It is not helpful to have leading, ideologically-led input in any of our
public services, especially our schools and child social services. This is
particularly the case where vulnerable children are concerned. Bell states,
‘What we have opposed is the precipitate placing of children on a potentially
damaging pathway for which there is considerable evidence of harm.’
There is much evidence that activist organizations have accessed much of our
public services. For example, there is clear evidence of LGBTYS’ input in
hundreds of our schools. They have presented children and adults with the
concept of ‘trans’ as an idealized alternative. This can be particularly attractive
to vulnerable children and indeed to all children, given that children are much
more cognitively suggestible than adults.
References
Biggs, M., 2022, Suicide by clinic-referred transgender adolescents in the UK.
Archives of Sexual Behavior, 51(2):655-690.
Barnes, H. (2023) Time to Think, Swift Press.
Baxendale, S.,2024, The Effect of Puberty Blockers on the Teenage Brain:
What Do We Know? International Perspectives on Evidence-Based Treatment
for Gender Dysphoric Youth.
gender-identity-services-report
Blakemore, S., 2018, Inventing Ourselves: The Secret Life of the Teenage
Brain, Transworld.
Email WrnScotland@womensrights.network Twitter @wrnscotland
Brown, C., 2022, Gender ideology a hindrance if a pupil identifies as trans
November 17th www.thetimes.co.uk
Brown, C.,2023/4 scotpag.com
Buck, D.,2022, Transgenderism in schools, CIEO, ciao.org.uk/research/trans
Care Inspectorate, 2023, Guidance for Children and Young People’s Services
on the Inclusion of Transgender Including Non-Binary Young People.
Griffin, L., Clyde K.,Byng R., Bewley S., 2021, Sex, gender and gender
identity: a re-evaluation of the evidence. British Journal of Psychiatry Bulletin.
45(5): 291-299.
Kaltalia, R. 2024, Statement at the CAN-SG conference, RCGP, London.
Cass Review, 2022, Independent review of gender identity services for
children and young people: Interim Report.
Cass Review 2024, Independent review of gender identity services for
children and young people: Final Report.
Cunningham, J., 2023, Transgender Ideology in Scottish Schools: What’s
wrong with government guidance? Scottish Union for Education.
Scottish Government. 2022, Relationships, Sexual Health and Parenthood
(RSHP).
Scottish Government Guidelines, 2021 Supporting Transgender Pupils in
Schools.
Carolyn Brown (Retired Depute Principal Educational Psychologist) 14th May 2024
Women’s Rights Network Scotland
Comments