There is no such thing as a trans toddler

What will it take to end the lie of the ‘transgender child’? Children’s charity Mermaids, the disseminator of so many trans myths, has long since fallen from grace. Malpractice at the NHS’s Tavistock gender-identity clinic was exposed and the centre closed. The Cass Review’s finding that puberty blockers pose ‘very substantial risks’ to children led to an indefinite ban. And then there has been the recent UK Supreme Court ruling that men are not women. Yet, incredibly, despite all of these developments, it has emerged this week that toddlers and very young children who think they are transgender are still receiving gender treatment on the NHS.

After the publication of the Cass Review in April last year, NHS England issued draft guidance preventing children under the age of seven from being referred to specialist gender clinics. But it seems this sensible measure was overturned after trans activists responded to a consultation on the guidance. In fact, the NHS now says that abolishing age limits is in line with the Cass Review’s recommendation to offer support and advice to the families of transgender children. According to data seen by the Telegraph, up to 10 children of nursery age are currently being treated, and as many as 157 children aged nine or younger have been referred to gender services.

These are small numbers, and the NHS’s defenders will argue it is good that families are receiving help and counselling. But no child is born in the wrong body. Not one single baby boy is actually a little girl. Because there is no such thing as a transgender child, there should be no need for medical referrals. Some parents might need reassurance that it’s perfectly normal for girls to play with trucks and for boys to dance around in princess costumes. But, as the NHS’s draft guidance acknowledged, this ‘is usually not indicative of gender incongruence’. A five-minute conversation might be appropriate, perhaps, but not a protracted counselling session.

What’s more, no child arrives independently at the conclusion that he or she is transgender. Infants not only lack the vocabulary, but they also have no conception that people might have a mystical sense of ‘gender identity’. Children worry they might be trans only when teachers, parents or online activists spread these ridiculous ideas.

This is why we should be concerned about the NHS offering gender-counselling sessions to children. A child encouraged to think he or she is in the wrong body will most likely have their delusions affirmed by being made to scrutinise their ‘gender identity’ and being treated differently to other children.

That even a tiny number of young children are receiving ‘treatment’ for ‘gender dysphoria’ reveals the continued and pernicious influence of trans activists on the NHS and the entrenchment of gender ideology within the organisation. Proof of this institutional capture is provided by doctors at the British Medical Association, many of whom branded the Supreme Court’s ruling on sex as ‘biologically nonsensical’ and ‘scientifically illiterate’.

The post-Cass rolling back of treatment for ‘transgender children’ was, in truth, all smoke and mirrors. The Tavistock centre closed, but in its place emerged new regional hubs offering gender services to children. Just three months after puberty blockers were ‘indefinitely’ banned across the UK last year, a £10.7million clinical trial was announced, making the drugs available to children as part of an ‘experiment’.

Children are not guinea pigs and changing gender is not like buying them a new outfit. Sending kids down the trans path – whether that’s through social transition (changing name, pronouns and clothes to that of the opposite sex), counselling or medication – has serious consequences. It can mean surgery, infertility and a life-long need for replacement hormones. Unfortunately, NHS gender clinics seem to be the very last place where children will be warned against such dangers.

We need to go further to change not just the law, but also the cultural practices that introduce children to the idea that they might be transgender in the first place. Toddlers don’t need gender counselling – they simply need to be told ‘no’, they have not been born in the wrong body.

But let’s be honest. It’s not toddlers who are referring themselves to the NHS – it’s their parents. We should not be surprised. After all, mums and dads have had years of being told that children are born without a sex and know their ‘gender identity’ as soon as they take their first breath. They have been told there is no harm in ‘affirming’ a child’s identity. They have even been guilt-tripped into thinking a trans child is a suicide risk, and told that it is better to have a living daughter than a dead son. So it’s little wonder some parents now mistakenly think supporting confused children means seeking out gender counselling and even encouraging them to transition. Clearly, there are also some adults who are hell bent on using children as walking Progress Pride flags.

To end the lie of transgender children, the NHS must stop giving into gender ideologues and say no to ‘progressive’ parents. At the same time, mums and dads need to tell their children they are not born in the wrong body but perfect as they are.