(LifeSiteNews) — In the United Kingdom, many activists who have spent the past several years fighting the transgender movement have been taking a well-deserved victory lap — and no wonder. Puberty blockers for minors have been banned. The Supreme Court has affirmed that “transwomen are not women.” The prime minister magically remembered how to define a woman. Louise Perry stated that “transgenderism is over.” Who could blame J.K. Rowling for lighting up a cigar?
Victories are worth celebrating, but it is important to recognize that over the past decade, the transgender movement has spread its tentacles into every major institution. Its recent defeats are real, but so is the cultural power they wield. While conservatives and gender-critical feminists see the Supreme Court decision and the puberty blocker ban as victories, trans activists see them as setbacks.
That is why we are still seeing headlines like this one from GB News: “‘Trans toddlers offered gender treatment’ as NHS ‘caves to pressure’ of activists.” According to GB News and sources talking to the Telegraph, the NHS “axed a minimum age of seven for children to be seen by specialist gender clinics” and “is treating nursery-age children who identify as transgender.”
Previously, the NHS had stated that children under age seven were “just too young” to be treated for gender dysphoria due to the fact that children showing interest in toys or clothing typically associated with the opposite sex was “reasonably common behaviour” and “usually not indicative of gender incongruence.” In short, a boy playing with a doll doesn’t need a doctor.
The National Health Service had planned to introduce seven as the minimum age for children to be seen by gender specialists. After proposals were sent out for consultation, the NHS “caved to pressure” from trans activists, who demanded that age limits be removed entirely. According to GB News, “as many as 157 children aged nine or younger” have been referred to gender specialists thus far — although they are given counseling, not puberty blockers.
An NHS spokesman stated, “The primary objective of the service for children under the age of seven is to provide support and guidance to the parents/carers rather than initiate clinical interactions with the child.”
“Research shows that pre-adolescent children who feel confused or distressed by the fact of their sex will usually grow out of this stage if they’re sensitively supported, but not when they’re encouraged to believe the unscientific notion that everyone has a ‘gender identity’ that may differ from their sex,” Helen Joyce of Sex Matters told GB News.
“The question for the new NHS hubs is whether they perpetuate the failed ‘affirmation’ model of the now-closed GIDS clinic, in which case parents should keep their children well away, or whether they offer genuinely holistic care based on evidence, not ideology. If the treatment does more harm than good, the length of the waiting list is irrelevant.”
Stephanie Davies-Arai, director of Transgender Trend, concurred. “Although it seems unbelievable that children under five are being referred to the new gender hubs, it was a recommendation of the Cass review that children are seen as early as possible. This makes sense because parents have been given such bad advice for so long, and may believe their child is ‘transgender.’ Trans lobbyists have told parents that children know their ‘gender identity’ from age three and there is no harm in ‘affirming’ a child’s identity. It is important that these parents can get proper information and sensible advice from the gender hubs rather than listening to activists.”
According to UK media reports, the current waiting list for “gender services” had reached 6,225 children by the end of March, a 12% rise from 2024. Transgenderism, unfortunately, is very much not over. While it is true that some recent developments have indicated that the adults are back in charge, the reality is that as long as children are being exposed to LGBT ideology routinely in public schools and online, the rates of children experiencing gender dysphoria will continue to be high. In the UK, at least, those children won’t be placed on puberty blockers — but there is much more work to do.