The paediatrician whose research project found false information about transgender children’s treatment puts them “at risk” is now at risk herself.
Dr Hilary Cass says she’s been told not to travel on public transport because of fears for her safety.
Detractors – including an MP – have been spreading “vile disinformation” around her report for Britain’s National Health Service (NHS).
Despite online threats, Cass wants to help implement her review’s 32 recommendations.
Children at risk
Cass says disinformation about her transgender research started the day before the report’s publication.
A social media influencer published a list of papers, claiming Cass’s researchers rejected them because they weren’t randomised control trials.
But Cass says the list had “absolutely nothing to do with” the report or any of the papers.
Deliberately trying to undermine an evidence-based report about children’s healthcare is unforgivable she adds.
Despite being untrue, the influencer’s claims about Cass’s report spread.
Social media activists soon took up the influencer’s cause.
They claimed the report included only two of 100 studies.
Without verifying this, Labour MP Dawn Butler told the House of Commons: “There are around 100 studies that have not been included in this Cass report and we need to know why.”
In fact, researchers had appraised all 103 papers. From these, they pulled data from 60 – those of high and medium quality, Cass says.
Shaky foundations
Cass’s NHS review found that an entire field of medicine aimed at enabling children to change gender had been “built on shaky foundations”.
She found no evidence supporting the global clinical practice of prescribing hormones to under-18s. These hormones pause puberty or enable the young person to transition to the opposite sex.
The treatment “was not a safe or viable long-term option” Cass’s 2022 interim report said.
As a result, Cass says the Gender Identity Development Service (Gids) was ordered to close.
After Liz Truss became Tory Party leader and prime minister, Cass says “the debate got more aggressive”.
Aggression continues
Cass’s newly released final report involved transgender patients, families, academics and doctors.
While most had not “weaponised” her report, some activist groups are “pretty aggressive” Cass says.
Last week NHS adult gender clinics agreed to share data about 9,000 children treated at the Tavistock clinic.
Cass says the Tavistock clinic and five others had refused to co-operate with her research. The refusal was “co-ordinated” and “ideologically driven” she says.
Tbe Tavistock clinic also refused to provide data on detransitioners whom a psychiatrist had examined.
The review team had wanted to see if risk factors in a patient’s history could be linked to detransition.
Ideological capture
The House of Commons Equalities minister says there had been an ideological capture of institutions, including the NHS. This needs correcting if Cass’s recommendations were to be fully delivered.
Meanwhile, long waiting lists for treating children with gender dysphoria have seen several private clinics opening.
Cass finds this concerning, saying young people would not get the level of holistic care NHS clinics provided.