J.K. Rowling signs petition against Wes Streeting’s puberty blocker trial calling it ‘an unethical experiment’
JK Rowling has backed a petition opposing the NHS’s proposed trial of puberty blockers, describing it as ‘an unethical experiment on children unable to give meaningful consent’.
The Harry Potter author posted on X and wrote: ‘I signed it. This is an unethical experiment on children who are unable to give meaningful consent.’
The petition, which has collected almost 74,000 signatures so far, states: ‘The government recognizes the potentially irreversible impact (physical and emotional) of puberty blockers, admitting there is an ‘unacceptable safety risk’ following the Cass Review.
‘Yet hundreds of children are about to be given puberty blockers in a government-sanctioned trial.’
It is stated that the purpose of the study is to evaluate the risks and benefits of prescribing puberty blockers to children who identify as transgender and whose parents consent.
But critics have threatened a Supreme Court appeal, arguing the trial risks exposing children to experimental treatment that could cause harm.
The Daily Mail announced last year that children participating in the study would be asked to fill out a gender identity questionnaire as part of the experiment.
The document begins: ‘From this perspective, gender identity is defined as a person’s internal sense of self.’
In her post, Rowling said attacks on male politicians could mean lawmakers ‘finally taking seriously the violence that is a key feature of this totalitarian movement’.
Children are then asked what ‘best describes’ their gender identity and given a list of options to tick, including ‘definitely’ a boy or girl, ‘mostly’ a boy or girl, ‘neither a boy nor a girl’, ‘not sure’ and ‘none of the above’.
Participants over the age of 12 will also be asked about ‘gender identity labels’, with options such as ‘two spirit’, ‘gender’, ‘gender queer’ and ‘other’.
The term ‘two spirit’ originates from some Native North American cultures; it is used here to describe people who are believed to embody both masculine and feminine spirits and establish a distinct gender role within their communities.
Gender-critical health practitioners expressed concerns about the survey. Dr Louise Irvine said this already showed a bias towards ‘gender-affirming ideology’.
Dr. D., a general practitioner and co-chair of the Sex and Gender Clinical Advisory Network. Irvine told the Times: ‘This is absolutely ridiculous. This shows that the entire case is steeped in gender-affirming ideology. ‘What this question will do is strengthen the ideology in the eyes of children.’
He added: ‘It will be confusing and most children won’t even know what it means.’ The questions must also be clearly understood, so the study fails in this regard.’
Sue Evans, a psychotherapist and former clinical nurse specialist at the now closed Tavistock child gender identity clinic, also criticized the use of the term ‘two spirit’, arguing that gender ideology influenced the work and that a concept based in Native American culture was ‘ideologically conveyed’.
Militant group Bash Back says it has its sights set on Wes Streeting just months after vandalizing his constituency office
A trans activist group is planning a series of attacks on the offices of senior politicians, including the Prime Minister’s office
Pediatrician Dr. The NHS stopped routinely prescribing puberty blockers in March last year, following a review by Hilary Cass that found weak evidence supporting the use of puberty blockers in children. This was followed in December by an indefinite government ban covering private clinics.
The new research aims to address the evidence gap identified by Dr Cass and will examine the potential health risks associated with puberty blockers, including effects on bone density, brain development and mental health over time.
Rowling also called on politicians to take threats from trans activists seriously after the Mail on Sunday reported protesters planned to target the offices of senior figures.
Rowling, who shared the MoS story in
Bash Back describes itself as ‘a trans-led direct action project focused on total transgender liberation’.
In August the group claimed responsibility for vandalizing Wes Streeting’s Ilford North constituency office after he said he was ‘deeply disturbed’ by the NHS puberty blocker trial. The police launched an investigation after the windows of the building were broken and ‘child murderer’ was written on them.
Posting a picture of the damage online, Bash Back wrote: ‘Don’t want action? ‘Don’t kill children.’
