Dear Wes
On behalf of Labour LGB, the campaign for lesbian, gay and bi rights in the Labour Party, we would like to express our continued support for you and the indefinite PB ban on prescribing puberty blockers, which you have now implemented in the UK.
However, we are extremely concerned about the proposed puberty blocker trial. In reality, a ‘puberty blocker trial’ started when the Tavistock and Portman GIDS began prescribing puberty blockers on the basis of the now discredited Danish trial two
decades ago. 9,000 children in the UK have already been given puberty blockers; the majority have gone on to take cross-sex hormones. As you know, many of these children have suffered irreversible harms as a result. The data that the adult GIDS clinics refused to supply to Dr Cass and her team must now be made available so as to avoid the further harms that are likely to occur from a new trial.
We ask, therefore, that no further trials are carried out on any children.
Dr Cass, as you know, found that many of the children presenting to the GIDS were vulnerable, confused about their sexuality, experienced several co-morbidities, or were simply autistic. The fact that over 80% (7,200) of the children presenting to the GIDS were lesbian or gay is evidence enough that their diagnoses were misguided. They were, in fact, victims of 21st century conversion practice.
Further, we would ask that you take steps to safeguard vulnerable children by banning the prescription of cross-sex hormones to under 18s.
You may be aware that some teens are turning to on-line purchases of these hormones and, as with puberty blockers, they cause irreversible changes that young people cannot consent to. They are especially harmful to young women who risk being left infertile or unable to breastfeed if they do have a baby in adulthood.
We would also welcome a meeting with you or your officials to explore these issues in more detail.
We can be contacted at LabourLGB@gmail.com or 07976 754 420.
Yours sincerely
