Chiara Capraro Amnesty International UK’s gender justice director
OPINION
The independent review of gender identity services for children and young people, known as the Cass Review, was set up almost four years ago to review how the NHS should provide care for trans and gender non-conforming children in response to a steady increase in referrals to gender identity services and criticism of how it’s managed.
The long-awaited final report, published this month, dominated headlines. Sadly, it wasn’t surprising to see the usual pundits spreading inaccurate information and sharing how their views are vindicated by the report.
The best healthcare for trans youth is a complex matter and it is too often forgotten that all children, trans or not, have a right to healthcare.
Children have the right to access high-quality services and to make decisions about what’s best for them in the privacy of the consultation room, as we would wish for anyone else who needs to access healthcare services. We often hear that trans children are too young to understand the consequences of their choices and therefore are not able to figure out what is in their best interest. The truth is that the best interest of a child cannot be determined unless the child can express their views and most importantly, that their views are heard.
Healthcare for trans people of all ages has been abysmal for a long time, running on few resources and with unacceptably long waiting lists. The most important issue should be ensuring trans people can actually access healthcare. A child has to wait five years for their first appointment and it’s not clear how that will improve without significant financial investment in services.
The downward shift in equality for trans people has been fast and, in some ways, unexpected. In 2017, then-prime minister Theresa May announced plans to reform the Gender Recognition Act into an administrative rather than medicalised process and ban conversion therapy. More than five years later the UK’s standing as a country advancing LGBT+ rights has plumme
