Age restrictions for radical transgender surgeries ‘artificially pigeonhole’ children, a doctor who carries out such operations has claimed.
Christopher Inglefield also believes separate male and female toilets are like racial segregation, and that Parliamentary critics of transsexual surgery should be “thrown out”.
Inglefield has been carrying out ‘sex change’ surgery for 25 years and features in a new ITV programme on the subject.
‘Wrong body’
As the Government considers changes to the current rules on transsexualism, Inglefield was asked whether there should be an age limit on his operations.
He said: “No. It is about looking at the maturity of that individual, how long they have felt they are in the wrong body.
“Putting an age on it artificially pigeon-holes that person”.
Jeopardy
On separate toilets for men and women, he described them as an “artificial segregation” and attempted to liken them to “‘blacks only’ buses and toilets in the US” from previous decades.
Criticising MPs and Peers who question whether the NHS should be funding future transgender surgery, he said they should be “thrown out of Parliament in a wheelbarrow”.
Although Inglefield acknowledged that people do reverse their surgery and that the hormones involved “jeopardise” patients’ reproductive ability, he described it as “lovely plastic surgery”.
Protect children
In November, a teenage girl who had been living as a boy spoke out about her struggle with gender confusion and why she went on to embrace reality.
At 11 years old, Noor Jontry felt deeply uncomfortable in her body, and cried when learning about the near onset of puberty. But after investigating the issue, she decided against radical medical surgery.
The Christian Institute’s Social Policy Analyst Dr Sharon James said: “Children and young people should be protected from medical interventions that are dangerous both physically and psychologically. To intervene medically is unnecessary and unwise.
“Underage youngsters are not mature enough to make such momentous choices and decisions. It is far wiser to allow puberty to take its natural course.”