Baroness Cass claims children have been ‘weaponised’ in gender debate
Children are being “weaponised” and misled by social media about the realities of gender transition, according to the expert who led the review into children’s gender healthcare.
Baroness Hilary Cass, whose comprehensive review of NHS gender care for under-18s has led to major reforms including a ban on puberty blockers, welcomed the Department for Education’s new draft guidance but acknowledged its inherent limitations.
To talk Sunday with Laura KuenssbergBaroness Cass said: “There are a very small number of people who will never be comfortable with their biological sex and the gender associated with their biological sex. For them, the only way to live their lives comfortably is through a medical pathway. We don’t understand why, but we must try to help these people thrive as much as the young people who will grow out of this.”
He also warned against “unrealistic images and expectations on social media” about the actual consequences of the transition, stressing that “quite intense medical treatments” and “sometimes quite brutal surgeries” were involved. Asked if children were frustrated by adult discourse on gender reassignment, Baroness Cass said: “Absolutely… (they) were also caught up in all the issues around single-sex spaces, sports and safe spaces for women, which were not really about children but were somehow part of football. It’s a real shame that children are being weaponised.”
Stating that the number of children experiencing gender dysphoria is increasing, Baroness Cass attributed this increase to both social media and widespread gender stereotypes. “I think what misleads kids is the belief that if you’re not a typical girl, if you like to play with trucks or if boys like to dress up or if you have same-sex attraction, that means you’re trans, and you’re not, but those are all normal variations.” “I think kids and teens are being told that it’s okay to be anything other than typical of the other girls on Instagram.”
The proposed guidance, published late last week, advises schools to avoid “rigid rules based on gender stereotypes” and take time to understand children’s feelings, while also looking out for “potential vulnerabilities” such as bullying or the need for mental health support. If a child or their parents requests a social transition, schools are instructed to take a “cautious approach”, engage in discussions with families and consider any clinical advice received. The guidance emphasizes the importance of seeking parents’ views and states that only “rare circumstances where involving parents or carers would pose a greater risk to the child than not involving them” may justify their exclusion.
Baroness Cass said: Press Association Earlier in the week: “When I was doing my (NHS) review, the default rule seemed to be to not contact parents, whereas this (guidance) says you should contact parents unless you really think there’s a significant risk to the child. So that’s completely turned that around. So I think the risk of the kinds of things I hear about children transitioning socially without their parents routinely knowing will be much less.”
These updates, now open for a 10-week consultation period, follow the 2024 Cass Review and last year’s Supreme Court decision on biological sex.
