14/03/2022
14/03/2022
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Last week the Cass Review released their interim report. Gendered Intelligence welcomes many parts of the report, particularly its urgent recommendation of an improved system of gender-affirming care for young people, and its timely reminder that all young people are entitled to timely, age appropriate, high-quality healthcare under the NHS. These are shared and universally important recommendations, which echo our position statement on puberty delaying treatment.
We understand that there have been a wide range of interpretations of the interim report, from those who would support better access to gender-affirming care and those who would not. A particular source of distress has been what is exactly meant by “affirmative” and “exploratory” models of care, as well as by “differential diagnosis”. We are confident that this report does not recommend that trans and non-binary young people have their identity suppressed or ignored, and indeed that gender-affirmation and exploration go hand in hand.
We look to the guidelines published by the British Psychological Society, which stress that exploration of, for instance, trans identity can – and should – go hand in hand with affirmation of that identity as a legitimate outcome.
Gendered Intelligence does not agree with all the outcomes of the interim report. We are currently bringing a judicial review against NHS England, together with the Good Law Project and a group of trans adults and children, regarding the provision of gender identity services in the UK. One of our grounds of claim is that trans and non-binary people face additional and unnecessary barriers to healthcare – including the Multi-Professional Review Group (MPRG) – which we argue are discriminatory. As such, we cannot support the Cass Review’s continued recommendation that the MPRG be kept in place. However, we welcome the Cass Review’s key aims of improving access to healthcare for trans and non-binary young people and reducing spiralling wait times for crucial services.
Gendered Intelligence will continue to support all young people in pursuing their right to receive the healthcare that they are entitled to, a commitment that we share with the Cass Review. We understand that the Review as a whole is a work in progress, with developing terminologies and recommendations. We want to reassure the communities we serve that we remain confident in our mutual aims of supporting and caring for all trans youth.
ENDS
Editors: [email protected]