What a shame Kim Thomas seems incapable of fair reporting.
In the Telegraph (April 6th), Kim wrote the story of “Allie”, who it would appear had significant identity issues. For sure, the trans community feels sorry for people who transition, find that they make the wrong choice, and then detransition. No one can pretend this don’t happen, and in my experience, natal females seem far more likely to make the mistake of believing they are ‘trans’ when they are not.
But we need to put this in perspective. In February 2018, The Journal of Sexual Medicine published a study from the Dutch equivalent of the UK’s Gender Identity Clinics (GIC’s). Holland is considered one of the world leaders in gender identity research with world-renowned experts such as Dick Swaab
In essence, the Dutch GIC looked at all their patient’s records between 1972 and 2015 intending to show the “prevalence of gender dysphoria, how frequently gender-affirming treatments are performed, and the number of people experiencing regret of this treatment”.
And the results were quite astounding saying:
6,793 people (4,432 birth-assigned male, 2,361 birth-assigned female) visited our gender identity clinic from 1972 through 2015.
The number of people assessed per year increased 20-fold from 34 in 1980 to 686 in 2015. The estimated prevalence in the Netherlands in 2015 was 1:3,800 for men (transwomen) and 1:5,200 for women (transmen). The percentage of people who started HT within 5 years after the 1st visit decreased over time, with almost 90% in 1980 to 65% in 2010.
The percentage of people who underwent gonadectomy within 5 years after starting HT remained stable over time (74.7% of transwomen and 83.8% of transmen). Only 0.6% of transwomen and 0.3% of transmen who underwent gonadectomy were identified as experiencing regret.
These figures are very telling 2361 natal females patients – but just 0.3% of those regretted transition – just SEVEN people.
One wonders, therefore, why the press likes to make such big stories about the odd de-transitioner?
Why not tell the stories of the vast majority of folks who found their true selves?
The Telegraph is known to be “trans hostile” newspaper – after all trans people are ‘woke’ and right-wing newspapers just love to attack ‘wokeness’.
While Kim Thomas did not write vindictively, her story introduces two other de-transitioners, Sinead Watson and Keira Bell. Still, no mention of all the people who are happy they transitioned – not even balanced with figures.
Shame that.
What is particularly concerning, though, is that Kim Thomas (or did the Telegraph editors edit it out) failed to report the response from GenderGP.
GenderGP is our recommended supplier for trans healthcare, and the reason is they have saved hundreds, possibly thousands of lives. We know this because we speak to their patients (our trans brothers and sisters) every day. GenderGP made a statement via Twitter saying
Content warning** – a reporter from the Telegraph who has written some previous articles warning about trans acceptance and education in schools, is writing a piece about someone who received care from us and who has detransitioned. It sickens us that the media seem so excited about finding the one person who will share their story about regret, rather than focussing on how our society should be supporting and nurturing trans people. She has asked us for a response and this is what we say, we are sharing it here in case they may misrepresent what we say. We operate an informed model of care – that means we start from a position of belief if you say you are trans. Our job is not to try and validate your gender, or prove whether you are trans. Our job is to support you to make the best decisions. We offer our services remotely – by email, telephone and video-link. If ever we need to see you in o person we can do that, but Telehealth is a fantastic way to provide you care, in your home, wherever you are. We explore everything with you that you want to explore – your physical health, your mental health, your past, present and future. But we do not invade you with inappropriate questions that humiliate or belittle you. We are the most experienced providers of healthcare to trans people in the UK. We have over 6000 patients under our care, many of them who say we have saved their life. We are incredibly proud of the work we do. If you or someone you love is trans, block the haters, and concentrate on your own wellbeing. It is not an easy road at the moment, but there are people who want the best for you. The UK can be toxic, but things will get better. A final message to Kim Thomas, and other reporters and newspapers who love these kinds of stories – you are inciting harm. GenderGP
And at Steph’s Place, we want to endorse everything GenderGP said. Did Kim Thomas and the Telegraph report the GenderGP statement?
No, they did not.
This is prejudiced reporting – which, worse still, can cost lives.
Newspapers are infatuated with trans stories – just this week, the Daily Mail printed five trans negative stories in just one edition. All this hostility affects trans people very severely, and of late, we are aware of four trans people committing suicide in just a three week period.
The youngest was just thirteen years old.
Kim Thomas was invited to reply to this article but declined to comment. Thank you for replying Kim.
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