BROADview in Brief

Cass continues to reverberate

Photo by Yuya Hata on Unsplash

What America needed was a no-nonsense British lady telling us, with four years’ worth of research, that it’s okay to object to the dominant narrative about gender-affirming care. In walks Dr. Hilary Cass, 388-page final report in hand, and, finally, the mainstream media says, “Okay, we’ll open the Overton window a tad.”

Evidence: David Brooks weighing in last night The New York Times.

“The report’s greatest strength is its epistemic humility. Cass is continually asking, “What do we really know?” She is carefully examining the various studies — which are high quality, which are not. She is down in the academic weeds.

But in those weeds, she arrives at the conclusion that many others have been advancing for nearly a decade: ““For most young people, a medical pathway will not be the best way to manage their gender-related distress.”

But wait, there’s more. Paul Garcia-Ryan, a therapist and board president of Therapy First (formerly GETA), got a slot in The Washington Post—two for two on the major papers! He writes of how the contentiousness, and forcefield of censorship, affects therapists trying to treat this population outside of the affirmative model, which is itself a kind of coerced speech on the therapy couch.

When it comes to youth gender treatments, though, professionals who raise concerns have been censored and subjected to reputational damage, threats to their license and doxing. As a result, countless gender nonconforming young people have been badly served.

Will these pieces signal to objectors in medical associations that they, too, can—must—shift? Will it create space for something between the transition free-for-all of blue states and the bans of the red? Will somebody, some body, create real guidelines? Will we get some grown-ups to take over this strange branch of child-led medicine?

NO IDEA. But I haven’t seen this level of willingness to engage on the part of the press since I published a piece in The New York Times in 2017. By the next year, that willingness had evaporated.

Meanwhile, the Biden Admin has just released revised Title IX rules and…the concept of gender identity—not meaning an awareness of one’s sex but one’s self-declared categorization based on a feeling or desire—has overruled sex in most cases. Except sports! They stayed mum there. What Would Cass Say? For fun and enjoyment, or not, take a look at how conservative outlets versus liberal outlets cover Title IX.

Below, our indispensable Alexandra Q has summaries and headlines.

National

·       Idaho is allowed to enforce its ban on pediatric gender transition after a Monday Supreme Court ruling granted a request from state officials to narrow the scope of a lower court's order that blocked its state ban. The emergency order happened over the objections of Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson. While the ruling blocks the more expansive portions of the lower court's decision and will apply to most trans-identified minors in the state, it will not apply to the two trans-identified teen-aged plaintiffs who had sued the state.

·       The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned West Virginia’s ban on trans-identified male student athletes from female sports on Tuesday, claiming that the law violates Title IX. The ruling centers around a trans-identified 12-year-old runner Becky Pepper Jackson who will now be allowed to participate in sports as a girl.

·       St. Louis Circuit Judge Michael Stelzer ordered Planned Parenthood on Thursday to turn records over to Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey. These records relate to the Attorney General’s ongoing investigation of providers of gender affirming interventions and exclude those records protected by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

·       Kansas Governor Laura Kelly vetoed a bill Friday that would have banned pediatric gender transition in the state. According to Governor Kelly, “This divisive legislation targets a small group of Kansans by placing government mandates on them and dictating to parents how to best raise and care for their children.” Last year, Kansas Republican legislators were unable to override Kelly’s veto of a similar law. However, according to the Kansas City Beacon, the new bill is more likely to survive the veto this year because Republicans may be less likely to break ranks over it. 

·       A Franklin County judge has temporarily blocked Ohio’s HB 68, which bars gender medical transition for minors and segregates spots based on sex. HB68 was set to go into effect April 24, while the judge’s new restraining order will last for the next two weeks. In other Ohio news, a legislative panel approved a ban on pediatric gender surgery on Monday which is expected to go into effect in May. The surgery ban was originally proposed by Gov. Mike DeWine as a moderate solution to the legislature’s law banning all forms of pediatric gender transition in the state. 

·       Senate Bill 1810, a Tennessee bill that would require schools to disclose to parents if their child identifies as transgender, passed the state’s House of Representatives on Monday. The bill will now head to the Senate where it is also expected to pass. Another Tennessee bill, SB 2782, penalizing any "adult who recruits, harbors, or transports an unemancipated minor" for the purpose of gender transition passed the State’s Senate on Thursday. 

·       Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs vetoed a Republican-sponsored bill (the “Arizona Women’s Bill of Rights”) on Tuesday. The bill would have eliminated any mention of gender in state law to be replaced with the term “biological sex.” The bill would have also separated sports, locker rooms, bathrooms and domestic violence shelters based on sex rather than gender identity. 

·       The LGBTQ Quality of Life Advisory Commission approved Monday a resolution to protect providers of pediatric gender affirming interventions in the city to of Austin. The commission approved the "transgender and sexual identity protections" recommendation to the Austin city council despite the Texas state law that disallows puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones for minors. 

·       New York Attorney General Letitia James's litigation can move forward after a judge shut down Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman’s lawsuit. Blakeman’s had sued the Attorney General after she challenged his executive order to bar trans-identified males from participating in female sports in Nassau County.

·       The Oklahoma Athletic Commission issued a warning to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) over Nyla Rose, who in 2019 became the first trans-identified male wrestler to sign with the group. Rose was listed as female when facing off against Alejandra Lion at the ROH TV tapings last December, a match which took place in Oklahoma. The commission unanimously passed a motion to “warn AEW not to do this again or there will be punitive action taken against them if they do.” Rose replied to the motion by writing the following on X: “Don’t worry Oklahoma I’ll find the dastardly Transgender that *checks notes* entertained fans!!! HOW DARE THEY MAKE PEOPLE HAPPY?!!!”

·       Several outlets reported on a video, originally shared by Reduxx, of a trans-identified male student athlete and sophomore at McDaniel High School competing against several female runners. The video, which appears to have been removed due to copyright concerns, shows the male athlete reaching the finish line at the 25.49-second mark after speeding past several female athletes. McDaniel High School, which is in Oregon, is following the policy of the state’s School Activities Association (OSAS) which states: “The OSAA endeavors to allow students to participate for the athletic or activity program of their consistently asserted gender identity while providing a fair and safe environment for all students.” Oregon Republican lawmakers have asked OSAA to reexamine its transgender policy because, they claim, the current policy creates opportunities for males unable to compete at the highest levels of boys’ athletics to succeed against girls. OSAA executive director Peter Weber defended the association noting that its policy is in full legal compliance. 

International 

·       The German Parliament’s lower house passed a “self-determination law” set to take effect in November. The law, which applies to adults only, will allow for first name and legal gender changes at registry offices with no formalities other than three months’ notice. The current German “transsexual law” requires assessments from two experts. The new legislation is part of the social reforms that the liberal-leaning coalition government promised when taking office in 2021.

·       Following the findings of the Cass review, Glasgow’s Sandyford clinic, Scotland’s only gender specialist service for patients under 18, will no longer prescribe puberty blockers. According to the BBC, the clinic also announced that “new patients aged 16 or 17 would no longer receive other hormone treatments until they were 18.” Only 43 of the Scottish clinic’s current patients will continue to be prescribed puberty blockers or cross-sex hormones.

·       UK culture secretary Lucy Frazer stated that athletic governing bodies have a duty to women while meeting with different sporting organizations to discuss policy on transgender athletes. Among the organizations she met with this week were the Football Association (FA) and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). According to Frazer, “By protecting the female category, they can keep women's competitive sport safe and fair and encourage the young girls who dream of one day being elite sportswomen. We must get back to giving women a level playing field to compete. We need to give women a sporting chance." 

·       UK Health Secretary Victoria Atkins claimed that the current spike in gender referrals was “driven by myth” and “fashionable cultural values” in a parliamentary discussion pertaining to the Cass review. Atkins also emphasized the importance of safety and biological reality while criticizing the shift away from evidence-based medical practices. Here is Atkins speaking about the NHS’s culture of secrecy  and about ideological harms. 

·       A new study that surveyed 175 national, elite and world class female athletes about transgender inclusion and eligibility found that most athletes (58%) preferred categories based on sex. The majority of athletes surveyed also believed that it is unfair for trans-identified males to compete against females in all sports except for precision sports. The study published Wednesday was conducted by the Manchester Metropolitan and Swansea universities and its findings were covered by outlets like the BBC. 

Headlines-US

Apr 18: Calexico resoundingly ousts town's first transgender mayor and a council ally (MSN, originally from the Los Angeles Times)

Apr 18: Utah schools begin anti-trans bathroom training for children “Schools in Salt Lake City are rolling out presentations instructing students to use the bathroom dedicated to their assigned gender at birth.” (AXIOS Salt Lake City)

Apr 18: New book has detransitioners decrying 'gender-affirming care' as they return to faith, family and foundations—“Author of book 'The Detransition Diaries' makes the case for those who feel wronged — and have returned to faith As the Bible's decree, ‘God made them male and female,’ has become lost, even antagonistic, in a culture in which being transgender is celebrated today, the author of a new book believes the stories of young people who have detransitioned very much need to be told. Jennifer Lahl is founder and former president of The Center for Bioethics and Culture, based in California. She revealed in an interview that she's fighting against, in her view, the lies perpetrated by segments of the medical profession and political support system that push puberty blockers as ‘gender-affirming’ care.” (Fox News) 

Apr 18: 'Trans' Student Arrested For Planning to Shoot Up 2 Maryland Schools “The Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) arrested an 18-year-old transgender high-school student on Wednesday in connection with a plan to commit a school shooting. Andrea Ye of Rockville, Maryland — who goes by the name ‘Alex’ — authored a 129-page manifesto detailing her desire to attack an elementary school, writing that she wants to be famous and describing her strategy for carrying out the shooting, Montgomery County police announced in a Thursday press release.” (MRCTV)

Apr 18: Ask a Lawyer: Is Iowa's transgender sports ban discriminatory and could it be overturned (CBS Iowa)

Apr 18: Letters: It’s unfair for transgender women to play women’s sports (De Moines Register)

Apr 18: Hilary Cass’s report and the trans rights debate—Readers respond to an article by Freddy McConnell and an editorial about Dr Hilary Cass’s review of NHS England’s gender identity services for children and young people “In our view, Freddy McConnell’s opinion piece (Hilary Cass’s proposals are mostly common sense. She must reject anti-trans bias with the same clarity, 11 April) implies that support for the Clinical Advisory Network on Sex and Gender (CAN-SG) fundamentally undermines trans people’s identities and rights, and that clinicians who question the innate model of gender identity – as do CAN-SG members – do not have the best interests of patients at heart and are “denying the existence” of trans people.

We reject these claims. In fact, it is suppression of research and debate in this area that undermines proper understanding of gender identity and the right to effective, safe medical treatment.” (The Guardian)

Apr 18: University changes gender identity policy that said refusal to use pronouns was ‘unlawful’—South East Technological University’s gender expression and identity policy sparked controversy last year (The Irish Times)

Apr 18: Hilary Cass' NHS report is rife with debunked theories and falsehoods—The recent NHS report from Dr. Hilary Cass isn't the take-down of gender-affirming care that conservatives want it to be. (The Advocate)

Apr 18: Montana sued over refusal to amend transgender people’s identity documents “Two transgender women sued Montana and several state agencies Thursday in a class-action lawsuit challenging a policy that prohibits transgender people from amending the sex designation on their birth certificates to accurately reflect their gender identity. Montana’s Department of Public Health and Human Services adopted the rule in 2022, after a district court blocked the state from enforcing a 2021 law allowing individuals to amend their birth certificates only in cases where a person’s sex ‘has been changed by surgical procedure.’” (The Hill) 

Apr 17: Scottish primary schools appoint children as ‘LGBT champions’—Pupils can also join ‘gender and sexual orientation alliance groups’ as part of a scheme run by charity “Scottish primary schools are appointing children as ‘LGBT champions’ and are being urged to ask pupils as young as four if they are gay, lesbian or trans, The Telegraph can reveal. Documents show that schools are setting up LGBT clubs and ‘gender and sexual orientation alliance groups’ for pupils as part of their membership of a scheme run by the charity LGBT Youth Scotland. The charity, which received nearly £1 million of taxpayer’s money last year, also urges head teachers to install gender neutral toilets and mark Transgender Day of Remembrance, an event critics say is designed to reinforce myths spread by trans activists.” (The Telegraph) 

Apr 17: ‘Non-binary, neurodivergent’ activist ordering psychiatrists to push ‘gender affirming’ surgery over therapy “Taking over the APA ‘Gender-Affirming Psychiatric Care’ promotes itself as ‘the first textbook dedicated to providing affirming, intersectional, and evidence-informed psychiatric care for transgender, non-binary, and/or gender-expansive people.’

A close examination reveals, however, it is an extremist handbook that will put kids on a fast track from the therapist’s chair to life-changing hormones and surgery.

The textbook is more than just a curiosity. With the American Psychiatric Association’s imprimatur, it is a reference book that will be widely used in medical schools and by specialists, mental health professionals, psychologists, social workers, even nurses, in clinical settings and training programs.” (The New York Post)

Apr 17: Legal expert says legislation on transgender sports in NH could be overturned by federal appeals court “The West Virginia law is similar to bills currently in the New Hampshire legislature. Specifically, Senate Bill 275 and House Bill 1205. If signed into law, they could separate athletes by biological sex at birth and potentially require sports teams to be expressly designated as male, female, or coed. Assistant Professor Daniel Pi, with the UNH Franklin Pierce School of Law, says, if signed by the governor, they could have the same fate in federal appeals.” (WMUR)

Apr 17: ‘No real choice at all’: Federal appeals court says sports ban on 13-year-old transgender girl violated her civil rights (Law & Crime)

Apr 17:Three shocking discoveries, events that threaten to turn transgender movement on its head (The Washington Times)

Apr 17: Things to know as courts and legislatures act on transgender kids’ rights. Several U.S. courts have ruled this week on state laws restricting the rights of transgender young people (ABC News)

Apr 17: Things to know as courts and legislatures act on transgender kids’ rights (LMT online)

Apr 17: 5 Connections Between Attacks on Abortion Care and Transgender Medical Care in Idaho Court Cases (Center for American Progress)

Apr 17: Mayes declines to explain why she won't defend law prohibiting transgender girls in sports “Attorney General Kris Mayes won't be answering questions Wednesday from a special House panel formed to investigate her. Not in person. And not in writing. Mayes press aide Richie Taylor said his boss saw no reason to respond to a three-page request that she explain to the committee why she was not defending a 2022 state law which prohibits transgender girls – those defined in the law as being borne male – from participating in female sports.” (White Mountain Independent)

Apr 17: Powhatan school division adopts transgender model policies (WVVA)

Apr 16: Transgender 'vampire' convicted of sexually terrorizing teen now faces murder trial (Toronto Sun)

Apr 16: Cardinal Welcomes New Transgender-Negative Vatican Document; And More Reactions “Responding to pro-LGBTQ+ critics of the Vatican’s latest declaration, a top U.S. prelate has said the church “listens with the heart of the parent to a child, but it doesn’t believe that the child gets everything they ask for.” Today’s post features this news and more reactions to Dignitas Infinita after its release last week.” (New Ways Ministry)

Apr 15: Naked man 'took advantage of Planet Fitness transgender locker room policy' to parade his genitalia in ladies' locker room and ask women to 'shower with him then rub lotion on his back' (The Daily Mail)

Apr 15: Maine House and Senate back controversial abortion and gender-affirming care bill (Fox 23)

Apr 15: U.S. Cabinet official leads seminar on transgender health and policy “Adm. Rachel Levine, assistant secretary of health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, addressed transgender health and policy during a recent visit to Vanderbilt. The event was part of the Spring 2024 Seminar Series for the Center for Research on Inequality and Health. It was co-hosted by the Vanderbilt LGBTQ+ Policy Lab and the Vanderbilt LGBTQI+ Task Force, which was established by the Office of the Provost in 2023 following the enactment of a pair of Tennessee laws banning certain adult cabaret shows and gender-affirming care for minors.” (Vanderbilt) 

Apr 15: Transgender veterans file 2nd lawsuit against VA for gender-affirming surgery coverage—Trans veterans say the Department of Veterans Affairs has made repeated, unfulfilled promises to cover gender-affirming surgery. (NBC News)

Apr 15: Man arrested after alleged threats on LA-based transgender Latinx organization “After authorities were alerted of a recent bomb threat targeting the TransLatin@ Coalition, a Los Angeles nonprofit serving transgender Latinx communities, officials on Monday, April 15, condemned growing hate against LGBTQ+ groups. The TransLatin@ Coalition, one of the nation’s largest trans-led organizations, joined L.A. County and police officials to speak out at a joint press conference Monday, April 15. Police say a 60-year-old man was being held Monday for allegedly threatening to bomb or set fire to the TransLatin@ Coalition’s headquarters on 3055 Wilshire Blvd. in Koreatown.” (Los Angeles Daily News)

Apr 14: Democrat Ashley Brundage Launches Campaign, Would Be 1st Transgender Member of Florida Legislature If Elected “Democrat Ashley Brundage this week opened a campaign account to run for a Hillsborough County seat in the state House and to try to become the first transgender member of the Legislature. Brundage filed the paperwork to run in House District 65, which is held by Rep. Karen Gonzalez Pittman, R-Tampa, according to the state Division of Elections website.” (Flaglerlife.com)

Apr 14: How Will The Cass Review Affect Aussie Trans Youth? “In an interview with independent journalist Owen Jones, Dr Kelly stated that ‘overall there are some sensible things … the idea of a better evidence base, holistic care, being able to meet all the needs of people that present to services, being cautious and careful with children … all that stuff on the surface makes sense [but] the worry I would hold is given the …NHS in terms of funding, but moreso the political climate around whether trans people should have access to healthcare at all … and so I don’t know how any of this is going to actually translate into making trans people’s lives any better really.’” (Star Observer)

Apr 13: USA Weightlifting Disregards Fairness In Favor Of Transgender Inclusion “Last month, Vicki Piper placed first overall at the USA Weightlifting (USAW) Masters National Championship in the Women’s division held in Reno, Nevada. Piper topped the second-place overall finisher by a combined 37.5lbs in the corresponding weight division and age group. That’s a massive gap. I placed third overall in this same competition. Piper sounds like a beast, right? Well, these impressive lifts WOULD make Piper a beast … if only Piper was a female. ‘She’ is not.” (OutKick)

Apr 13: NYPD cop fired after using 311 to slam supervisor as transgender, mean—Regarding his hate-filled texts, Officer Amar Bhairam told investigators that his superior had a “negative” supervisory style and “a lot of cops weren’t happy” with her directives “NYPD cop was fired after he was accused of making multiple 311 calls against his lieutenant, claiming that the female officer was transgender and “mean,” the Daily News has learned. (Police 1)

Apr 13: Transgender Waukesha woman convicted of assaulting developmentally disabled girl “Adam "Sabrina" Hetke, 35, was charged in 2021 in Waukesha County Circuit Court with first-degree sexual assault by threatening the use of a dangerous weapon and second-degree sexual assault of a mentally ill victim. According to the complaint in the case, Hetke met a 16-year-old girl with cognitive disabilities at a Waukesha gas station on July 6, 2021, went to her nearby home, and allegedly sexually assaulted her while keeping a knife nearby and threatening to use it before she jumped out of a bedroom window.” (The Freeman Waukesha County)

Apr 13: Transgender recall vote lays bare US battle between progressives and conservatives “Thousands of people voted to elect Raul Urena to Calexico council, hoping the young politician would bring a fresh approach to the California border city's long-standing problems with unemployment, crime and deprivation.

But when Urena started pushing ideas popular with progressives across the United States, some voters changed their minds. The fact that Urena also took to wearing a dress and high heels to council meetings left some of them feeling duped.” (Yahoo News)

Apr 13: The Potential Impact of Voter Identification Laws on Transgender Voters in the 2022 General Election (The Williams Institute UCLA School of Law) 

The 19th: ‘You should play’: Black LGBTQ+ leaders applaud Dawn Staley for defending transgender athletes—Support from the South Carolina women's basketball coach is 'absolutely critical' as trans participation in sports is politically targeted, advocates say. (The 19th)

Apr 11: Hilary Cass’s proposals are mostly common sense. She must reject anti-trans bias with the same clarity—By failing to take on clinicians who doubt the very existence of trans children and young people, the review lets down those it seeks to support (The Guardian)

International

Australia

Apr 16: WA finally moves to reform Australia’s worst gender laws—The Western Australian government will introduce a bill to parliament this week to reform gender recognition laws in the state, which remain some of the worst in Australia. “WA is the only Australian jurisdiction to still rely on a Gender Reassignment Board. The board comprises a panel of doctors and psychologists who decide if a trans person can legally change their gender. Advocates describe this process as slow, expensive and cruel.” (Q News)

Tickle vs Giggle

Apr 13: Sall Grover’s fight for womankind—Tickle v Giggle is the world’s first test case for the definition of ‘woman’. (Spiked)

Apr 16: Tickle vs Giggle: In a world where transgender people are under attack, this is a test case for Australia “Around the world, the human rights of transgender people are under attack. Media reports of trans women being vilified, excluded and discriminated against are frequent, and the consequences of this rise in hatred towards trans people can be deadly. In the United States, animosity towards trans people is reaching fever pitch with 42 of the 50 states introducing laws that seek to limit trans people’s access to healthcare, participation in sport, use of bathrooms, and serving in the military, as well as censoring education about gender identity. There’s increasing concern that a US-style anti-trans campaign is underway in Australia. This week, a spotlight was shone on these issues in the Federal Court, where a trans woman, Roxanne Tickle, has taken a women-only social media platform to court for discrimination.” (Lens Monash University) 

UK

Apr 15: Will the transgender conversion Bill be the final straw for Humza Yousaf? - Brian Monteith—The Cass Report on NHS England’s services for transgender children will ramp up pressure on the First Minister, writes Brian Monteith (The Scotsman)

Apr 9: Transwoman spared jail over ultraviolent tweets to gender critical campaigners “A transwoman who told two high-profile gender critical campaigners she would rip their eyes out and kill them has been spared jail. Layla Le Fey, 44, sent four violent and threatening tweets to Helen Joyce and Kellie Jay Keen last year.” (Briton and Hove News)

Apr 13: JK Rowling launches furious attack accusing politicians of 'snuggling up' to trans groups - as she insists she is 'ready to die on this hill' after falling out with Harry Potter stars Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson over their stance on transgender debate (The Daily Mail)

Apr 12: BBC breached accuracy rules after it failed to mention 'don't f*** with cats' murderer Scarlet Blake was trans - in a move that led to a wave of complaints (The Daily Mail)

Apr 10: Father Ted creator Graham Linehan says he's 'proud as punch' as he thanks fans who say he's been 'fully vindicated' by Cass report after he lost his career, wife, friends and reputation for his views on gender transition of children (The Daily Mail)

Apr 14: Football and cricket's inclusion policies under the spotlight at government meeting amid calls to ban transgender women from competing in female events “The Football Association and ECB's inclusion policies are currently under review. Transgender women can currently compete subject to certain conditions. Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer spoke last month about an 'inherent unfairness'” (The Daily Mail)

Apr 16: The sports where trans athletes are banned or need permission to compete—The Independent takes a look at the rules for transgender athletes across global sports (The Independent)

Apr 16: UK health secretary takes aim at gender-affirming care for trans youth in Cass report response—The health secretary has responded to the findings of the Cass report in parliament, taking aim at gender-affirming care for trans young people in the process. Responding to the Cass report, Victoria Atkins said “fashionable cultural values” had overtaken “evidence, safety and biological reality” in policy debates. (Pink News)

Apr 16: Strip former Stonewall chief of peerage for role in ‘transgender scandal’, say campaigners—Over 10,000 people sign petition calling for Baroness Hunt to be expelled from House of Lords over LGBT charity’s ‘deeply damaging conduct’ (The Telegraph)

Apr 15: NHS bosses are accused of 'woke pandering' after hanging banner featuring 21 LGBTQ+ flags including little-known Demiromantic, Neutrois, Androgyne and Genderqueer colours - despite huge waiting lists (The Daily Mail)

Apr 14: Toilet politics and death threats: why transgender judge Victoria McCloud quit—She was the first trans woman on the judiciary, but after 18 years on the bench she says she has been driven out by hate (The Sunday Times)

Other Countries

Apr 17: Russian poetry prize bans entries from transgender people “The Andrei Dementyev All-Russian Poetry Prize, organised by the government of western Russia’s Tver region, accepts applications until late April from poets ‘regardless of citizenship, nationality, profession and place of residence’. But the competition explicitly bars ‘citizens who have changed their gender’, according to rules posted on the website of a local poetry organisation.” (Phile News)

Apr 15: First China transgender clinic deals with ‘visitors’ as it embraces country’s 4 million people with body dissatisfaction “First transgender facility in country deals with 1,500 people in 2023. Beijing centre offers service for people ‘trapped inside wrong body.’” (South China Morning Post)

Apr 14: Nigeria court sentences transgender social media star to six months imprisonment for financial crime amid allegations of ‘selective enforcement’ (The Jurist)

Opinion Pieces

Apr 13: Finding Comfort in a Haircut—Hairstyling is among the most elemental ways in which transgender people can feel more comfortable with their appearances. (The New York Times)

Apr 15: Centre LGBT+: Transition and gender-affirming care is well-documented medical fact  “Centre LGBT+ is concerned about an anti-transgender activist visiting our community who espouses a dangerous narrative about trans people and ‘de-transitioning.‘” (Centre Daily Times)

Apr 15: Confronting myths about gender affirming care (Pipe Dream)

Apr 15: Growing up I wanted to be a boy -I'm glad puberty blockers were not an option—One woman describes how, from the age of 5 to 16, she longed to be male - and could have transitioned. She reflects on what it might have cost her (The London Times)

Apr 17: Emeritus Professor Charlotte Paul on the Puberty Blocker Disaster (The Platform)

Apr 17: Commentary: Disinformation underlies bans on care for transgender adolescents “Criminalizing accepted medical treatments irresponsibly interferes with the patient-physician relationship and will eliminate the rights of parents to support their transgender children. Worse, prohibiting necessary health care for transgender teens will result in needless suffering and, possibly, suicide.” (Yakima Herald Republic)

Apr 17: Transgender athletes: Majority of elite female athletes support categorisation by biological sex, new research finds (BBC)

Apr 17: Pope Francis has abandoned transgender Catholics (MR Online)

Headlines About or Related the Cass Review

Apr 17: Why the centrists changed their trans tune Truth was sacrificed for status “But this is nonsense. As we’ve seen in the wake of the Cass Report, what actually happens is a mixture of magical thinking, conformism and moral grandstanding coalesces under a thin veneer of rational objectivity — and everyone except the most stubbornly reality-oriented falls obediently into line. And amid the chaos of frantic back-pedalling and rewriting of history, this consensus can form and re-form in real time without its basic structure ever changing, or lessons ever being learned.” (UnHerd)

Apr 17: Time for an intervention – an urgent call to end “gender-affirming” treatments for children: J. Edward Les for Inside Polic—Despite the Cass Review’s alarming findings, trans activists and their enablers in the medical professions continue to push kids into having dangerous, life-altering surgeries and hormone-blocking treatments. It needs to stop (MLI)

Apr 17: First Minister does not rule out ban on puberty blockers—Humza Yousaf said the Scottish Government would not take an ‘inordinate’ amount of time considering the Cass Review. (The Independent)

Apr 17: Hilary Cass's biggest gift is to resurrect free speech—Dawn French spoke for many in saying she was tired of being lectured on the strictures of social justice vocabulary (The London Times)

Apr 16: Denying trans teens treatment ‘cruel and unethical’: GP—The UK’s Cass Review calls for puberty blockers to be limited in favour of mental health support, but local GPs say access to care is key in Australia (Royal Australian College of General Practitioners)

Apr 15: What Canadian doctors say about new U.K. review—questioning puberty blockers for transgender youth (Radio Canada) 

Apr 15: More proof ‘gender-affirming care’ is a monstrous lie — save the children NOW The latest: The Cass Report from the UK’s National Health Service recommends that no one under 18 get hormone drugs and that “great caution” should be exercised with patients under 25. This, when “experts” over here are still pushing not just hormones but irreversible surgery for kids experiencing gender dysphoria. Even as a 15-year Dutch study recently confirmed that transgenderism among children is largely a fad. As Miranda Devine notes, British pediatrician Dr. Hilary Cass’s 388-page review warns, “Gender medicine for children and young people is built on shaky foundations.” (New York Post)

Apr 14: Belgium and Netherlands call for puberty blocker restrictions following Cass Review—Britain has become the fifth European nation to restrict the use of the drug to under 18s (The Telegraph)

Apr 14: Stephen Daisley's latest unmissable column: Our weak-kneed 'leaders' have been brutally exposed by gender review - it's time for change (The Daily Mail)

Apr 14: The Observer view on the Cass review: children were catastrophically failed by the medical profession—Clinicians and managers must be held to account for the travesty in which adult beliefs were allowed to drive healthcare for children (The Guardian)

Apr 13: Stop prescribing puberty blockers to children - or risk legal action (The Daily Mail)

Apr 13: The spell of trans ideology has finally been broken—Every time people tried to bring this scandal to public attention, they were shut down. Finally, the truth is out (The Telegraph)

Apr 13: Teenage life is scary — even without gender clinics—The Cass review shows girls were led down the transgender path when all they needed was reassurance (The London Times)

Apr 13: Veteran trans campaigner: ‘Cass review has potential for positive change’—Stephen Whittle talks about life for young trans people in the 1970s and now, and the influence of ‘anti-trans’ views today (The Guardian)

Apr 12: How a cult captured the NHS Society fails when it treats children like adults (UnHerd)

Apr 12: Major UK report throws transgender medicine onto the rubbish heap (Mercator)

Apr 12: Transgender debate: Cass report means Scottish politicians can no longer scream 'bigot' at parents concerned about puberty blockers – Susan Dalgety—SNP and Green ministers don't seem to know what to say in response to the Cass Review of NHS gender services in England(The Scotsman)

Apr 11: Stonewall is accused of 'selling out' by activists over its response to the landmark Cass Review on child gender care “The charity - which campaigns for lesbian, gay, bisexual and trangender rights - issued a statement on the publication of the review into gender identity services for children saying that 'many [of the] recommendations could make a positive impact'. The comments were seized on by trans activists who accused Stonewall of betraying its supporters - with some even claiming the group had 'blood on their hands' for not denouncing the review. One wrote: 'If you aren't going to stand by Trans people today of all days then what f***ing good are you? 'At least the scum that wrote the Cass Review had the decency to stick the knife in the front.'” (The Daily Mail)

Apr 10: Transgender treatments are driven by 'politics and ideology' and have no evidence base', Tavistock Clinic whistlebower tells The Reaction “In the wake of a damning new report into the field, consultant psychotherapist Marcus Evans, a former governor at the north London Clinic, told The Reaction hosts Sarah Vine and Andrew Pierce the treatment is 'experimental' with no 'evidence base'.” (The Daily Mail)