'We should be shutting gender clinics not expanding them' says UK critic of trans movement

Stephanie Davies-Arai made the comments in response to news about fresh funding for transgender NHS services in Northern Ireland, adding that it is “ridiculous” that five-year-olds are among those to have been accepted as patients.

She is director of the UK-wide campaign group Transgender Trend, which says it "advocates for the most vulnerable children who are caught up in the recent trend in society to replace the objective reality of sex with the subjective idea of ‘gender identity’".

She was reacting to News Letter's revelation that health minister Mike Nesbitt has committed an extra £806,000 to such services, which are centralised in the Belfast health trust.

The announcement of the funding had emerged not via an official press release from his department, but from a post by transgender lobby group The Rainbow Project.

Ms Davies-Arai said: "So-called 'gender clinics' should be closing, not new services opening.”

(The Department of Health said it is not opening a new service per se, but rather merging two existing ones.)

Ms Davies-Arai (who was given a BEM in 2022 for services to children) also said that "the announcement coming from a trans lobby group looks very suspicious," adding: "The activist-led affirmative model used at the Tavistock [the premier clinic in GB] was found to be unsafe and led to children who will be medicalised for life.

"We need transparency on any activist involvement in this proposed new service."

On the fact that the youngest children to be accepted as transgender patients in Northern Ireland were five years old, as revealed by the News Letter on Monday, she said: “It is ridiculous that children as young as five are referred to a gender clinic.

"If little children are confused about which sex they are then adults should simply help them understand.

"To give the suggestion to children that they may have a choice, before they are old enough to understand the reality, is not 'kind' but cruel."

Back in December, the health minister had said he was "committed to improving wider gender identity service provision for children, young people and adults in NI... despite the very challenging financial position facing my department I have advised officials that I will prioritise the development of this service".

It was announced last week that Mike Nesbitt had consulted with a "Gender Identity Review Group and Gender Identity Liaison Group" and had decided to pledge an extra £806,000 towards a "Gender Identity Lifespan service".

The Department of Health said this week: “The service will provide age appropriate care to adults, children and young people, and their families, who express gender incongruence and who are likely to benefit from clinical support.

"In some cases, those showing specific gender challenging behaviour will pass in time, but for those with gender dysphoria it continues through childhood and into adulthood.

"The service will adopt a holistic, multi-disciplinary integrated approach to assessing and responding to an individual’s needs in view of any co-presentations, and the range of complexities relating to gender identity development.

"The most appropriate clinical pathway in the best interests of the patient will be determined through an integrated multidisciplinary team approach, fully involving the patient and their family if a child or young person.

"Referrals for the Children & Young People Pathway within this service will be as for all other Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) services and will be age appropriate.

"As a lifespan service referrals will also be accepted beyond 18 years.

"For all CAMHS services parental consent would be required, however Gillick Competence/Fraser guidelines for healthcare could be applicable depending on the age of the child.

"Each referral will be triaged and assessed individually. At all times the Safeguarding Board NI safeguarding policy will be followed.

"All referrals for children and young people can only be made by another CAMHS service who will have assessed the young person prior to referral.

"Children and young people will remain open to Core CAMHS alongside the Gender Identity Service until age 18 years.”

It added today: “It is not accurate to say that this is a new service, rather two existing services are being merged into one.

"Nothing has changed in terms of criteria from the model of care that has been in place for many years and spanning several Ministers of Health.

"From 2021, on average there are 25 patients under the age of 18 referred into the Knowing Our Identity Service per year with the majority of these children being over 14 years old at the time of referral.

"Of note from 2021, there have been no referrals for patients under 10 years of age into this service."

The Belfast Trust has said: “The Knowing Our Identity Service (KOI), at Beechcroft, is the regional service for under 18s.

"Belfast Trust has not referred any under 18s to gender services in the rest of the UK.

"Referrals received by the regional CAMHS Gender Service, KOI, have reduced by 77% from 2017 to 2023.”

As to why, the trust said: “The data previously sent was in relation to referrals received to the service. Belfast Trust does not currently have information on why referrals into this service have reduced.”