Stonewall statement on Tavistock appeal | Stonewall
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Stonewall statement on Tavistock appeal
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Stonewall statement on Tavistock appeal

Nancy Kelley, CEO at Stonewall (she/her), said: ‘We welcome the Tavistock & Portman NHS Foundation Trust’s application to appeal the ruling in the Bell v Tavistock case.

'Puberty blockers have been used for decades, and the court’s judgment does not reflect international best practice in the care of trans children, as highlighted by The World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) Standards of Care and the Endocrine Society’s Guidelines, along with medical organisations and experts around the world, who have called for the decision to be overturned. We will do everything we can to support ongoing legal efforts to ensure trans young people have access to care.

‘We should learn from Australia’s experience, where a Family Court process was introduced in 2003 for trans young people to access gender-affirming medical treatment. The requirement for court authorisation was revoked in 2017 after research made clear the severe harm it caused through increased delays and distress to young people and their families. This ruling highlighted that gender-affirming care is an internationally-recognised medical treatment that does not require judicial involvement.

‘Today, the Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust has announced their clinical review process timeline for the young people who are currently undergoing endocrine treatment and those waiting for treatment. We welcome the clarity their timeline brings, but more must be done to ensure that trans young people and their families affected by the ruling have access to targeted mental health support while their care is under review.

‘Like every young person, all trans and gender questioning young people must be able to access specialist healthcare in a timely way, and contribute to healthcare decisions which are right for them. We will continue to fight for all trans young people to get the support they need, until all LGBT people are free to be ourselves.’

Please see here for more information on today's update.

If you are struggling with this development, please consider getting support from:

Trans Youth & LGBT organisations:

Helplines:

  • MindLine Trans+: 0300 330 5468 (website)
  • Switchboard LGBT+ helpline: 0300 330 0630 (website)
  • LGBT Foundation helpline: 0345 3 30 30 30
  • Childline: 0800 1111 (website)  

If you’re feeling suicidal or are in a crisis: 

  • Hopeline: CALL 0800 068 41 41 / TEXT 07860 039967 / EMAIL pat@papyrus-uk.org
  • Give us a shout: TEXT 85258