The doctor behind a landmark study into the NHS’s gender identity services for children and young people has said fears were raised about her personal safety amid online abuse following the report’s publication.
Dr. Hilary Cass told the Times she wanted to address the “misinformation” circulating about the Cass review’s findings and recommendations when it was published on April 10.
She said she had suffered online abuse following the report and had been advised to stop using public transport.
The report said the evidence base for gender medicine in young people was thin and children had been let down by a ‘toxic’ public debate about gender.
Cass told the Times: “I am very frustrated by the criticism because it is outright disinformation. It’s completely inaccurate.
“It started the day before the report came out when an influencer posted a photo of a list of articles that had apparently been rejected because they were not randomized control trials.
“That list has absolutely nothing to do with our report or with any newspaper.”
Referring to the online abuse she had received, she said: “There are some pretty nasty emails coming in at the moment, most of which are being protected by my team so I don’t get to see them.”
She added: “I’m not taking public transport at the moment due to safety advice, which is difficult.”
According to the report, the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust’s Gender Identity Development Service (Guide), the only NHS gender identity development service for children in England and Wales, used puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones despite “remarkably weak evidence” that they young people have improved and that they can harm health.
The report recommends that young people struggling with their gender identity should be screened to detect neurodevelopmental disorders and have their mental health assessed, as some seeking help with their gender identity may also have anxiety or depression, for example.
When the report was released, Cass emphasized that its findings were not intended to undermine the validity of trans identities or question people’s right to transition, but rather to address concerns for the rapidly growing number of children and young people with gender-related issues to improve. .
NHS England has since announced a second Cass review-style assessment of adult gender clinics. Cass confirmed to the Times that she would not take part in the adult report following the abuse she has suffered in recent weeks.
She said, “You heard it here: I’m not going to review the adult gender clinic.”