The Government risks foisting the views of trans activists on to gender confused children under its ‘conversion therapy’ ban proposals, a prominent feminist academic has said.
Kathleen Stock OBE warned that many more vulnerable children could be “irrevocably damaged” if Westminster sanctioned “mindlessly” affirming “any child who claimed to be trans”.
Stock was forced to resign as Professor of Philosophy at the University of Sussex in 2021 after a campaign by trans activists to oust the academic for her views upholding the reality of biological sex.
Conveyor belt
Stock warned that the Government’s proposed ban “would create a one-sided situation” where “impressionable young people” are told that “their problems might be solved by ‘admitting’ they are trans”.
“Without proper exploration, a child like this can end up on a medicalised pathway towards puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and surgery.
“Fear of prosecution for doing one’s job properly is the last thing needed by health professionals working in this sensitive and culturally fraught area, and is bound to impact badly on standards of care.”
‘Cult-like’
Stock also said: “Organisations like Stonewall tend to amplify the myth that ‘gender identity’ is permanent and innate, even when it is at odds with your biological sex.”
She added: “Since 2015, trans activists have pushed unrelentingly for policies that affirm any and all trans identity claims – whether it’s on gender recognition certificates, in prisons, hospital wards, classrooms, nurseries, or in the therapy room.
“Their continued obstinate deafness to obvious safeguarding concerns, whether for women or children, is frankly cult-like and not the behaviour of responsible public organisations.”
State injunction
A recent Daily Telegraph editorial also cautioned Westminster against “banning transgender conversion therapy”, highlighting the consequent danger of exposing children to trans ideology.
Under such proposals it said “opportunities for children and their parents to talk their feelings through with medical professionals may be rendered unlawful” and children would be left without help at “a difficult time”.
A Conservative government – or, indeed, any government – should not be browbeaten into bringing in a ban to appease trans campaigners.
“Treating conditions like gender dysphoria as everyday experiences is a pernicious approach promoted by outfits like Stonewall.”
It concluded: “A Conservative government – or, indeed, any government – should not be browbeaten into bringing in a ban to appease trans campaigners.”
Stonewall
Raising similar concerns to Stock about the welfare of children, journalist Celia Walden accused Holyrood’s ‘sex-swap’ Bill of promoting radical transgender ideology.
In an opinion piece, also in The Daily Telegraph, Walden said the real point at issue in Scotland was not trans rights, but “the rights, and safety, of our children”.
The columnist explained: “Nicola Sturgeon is proposing to allow a person whose brain and body is not yet fully formed to take irreversible puberty blocking drugs and have irreversible surgeries.”
Walden criticised Sturgeon’s Bill for directing children “who may be questioning their gender identities for a whole variety of reasons” toward Stonewall dogma.
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