From [HERE] London, England. The National Health Service (NHS) has ordered a clinic for children be closed after an interim review found it was not a “safe or viable long-term option”. The Gender and Identity Development Service (GIDS), often referred to simply as the Tavistock clinic, was set up in 1989 to provide care for children under 18 who express discomfort with their sex. Controversy has surrounded the clinic for years, but escalated after whistleblowers started speaking out. In January 2021, its leadership team was disbanded after a Care Quality Commission inspection found numerous issues, including safety concerns. The public had recently learned about the clinic’s lack of record-keeping, due to legal action brought against it by a young woman who was referred to GIDS and a mother whose daughter was on its waiting list. In its ruling, the High Court agreed that “gender-affirmation” is an experimental area of medicine.

Earlier this year, Dr Hilary Cass, who is leading an independent review of puberty suppressants and cross sex hormones, published her interim report. The report highlights numerous deficiencies in the clinic’s service provision, including its “affirmation-only” approach (i.e. the idea that if children say they are the opposite sex, this must be “affirmed”, rather than finding the cause of their distress). Stonewall UK, an influential transgender charity, said it was “pleased” the NHS was seeking to address “unacceptable” waiting times. It did not address the various concerns outlined in the interim report.