 | |
| Formation | 2015 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Stephanie Davies-Arai [1] |
| Type | British pressure group |
Region served | United Kingdom |
| Website | Official website |
Transgender Trend is an anti-trans [2] [3] [4] [5] British pressure group, which describes itself as a group of parents, professionals and academics who are concerned about the number of children diagnosed with gender dysphoria. [6] [7] It was founded in 2015 by Stephanie Davies-Arai. [1]
Transgender Trend has stated there is no "evidence that children really are trans" and claims that "gender ideology" harms children. The Association for Women's Rights in Development describes the stance as "almost identical to religious fundamentalists". [8] [9] Commentary on their website has warned that transgender children are being "groomed" and "brainwashed". [10] They have also stated they believe that adults under 25 transitioning is "the next big scandal". [11]
In September 2018, Davies-Arai told BuzzFeed News : "If the child comes out as trans I think it's really important that parents are informed". When asked about the effect of outing children she acknowledged that "some parents are abusive and bigoted", but added that "we have to assume that most parents have the best interests of their child at heart". [12]
In 2022, an 18-year-old trans man reported Dr Az Hakeem, a psychiatrist who describes himself as "gender-critical", to the General Medical Council for practising conversion therapy against him when he was a patient at 17. He stated that when he came out, his mother began to research and fell into "very, very anti-trans circles," and contacted Transgender Trend for advice. A representative for the organization told her that "we share your misgivings" about his social transition. Transgender Trend had previously interviewed Hakeem, where he stated that "very black and white thinking… is characteristic of a Trans mind" and referred to the "psychopathology of the trans condition". [13]
Davies-Arai is also a clinical advisor to Genspect, an international gender-critical non-profit organisation known for advocating against transgender rights and spreading false claims about transgender healthcare. [14]
Truthout stated: "Groups like Transgender Trend, an organization that campaigns against LGBT-inclusive relationship and sex education to schools (and was allowed to contribute to the Keira Bell case as an expert witness), are now refocusing on targeting trans health care for anyone under 25." [15]
Transgender Trend testified against the use of puberty blockers in Bell v Tavistock , a British court case on the question of whether they could be prescribed to minors. [16]
Transgender Trend raised thousands in online donations to send out "school resource packs" which claim it is better not to affirm transgender children. [2] The resource pack advises schools to "be cautious" of respecting transgender students' right to dress or be referred to by their gender, avoid giving transgender students time off for medical appointments, and to sort children by their "biological sex" in physical education. The packet also advised teachers to tell transgender students' classmates that "you can’t actually change from a boy to a girl." [17]
The resource pack argues that gender dysphoria in children can be the result of "simple social contagion" via rapid-onset gender dysphoria. [18] [19] Rapid-onset gender dysphoria is not recognised by any major professional association as a valid mental health diagnosis, and according to MIT Technology Review , the study originally proposing it was "based on parent surveys recruited from explicitly anti-trans and trans-skeptical websites and forums", including Transgender Trend. [20] [18] [21]
Stonewall described the guidance as "packed with factually inaccurate content". The Department of Education did not comment on the content of the guidance but confirmed they did not endorse or provide any funding to it. [19]
Transgender Trend was criticised for publishing downloadable stickers in September 2018 stating "Kids shouldn't be taught in school that they can choose to be a boy or a girl", "Is Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria the new anorexia?", and "Teenagers are coming out as transgender after social media binges", among others. Davies-Arai defended the stickers and stated that she had spoken to "about 10" trans people since Transgender Trend's launch in 2015. [12]
BuzzFeed News stated that "Davies-Arai is not qualified in medicine, law, or teaching, and does not have professional experience working with trans people." Stonewall argued that the sticker campaign "contributes to an environment where the bullying of trans students can flourish". [12] Susie Green, CEO of Mermaids, stated: "If used in school they send a clear message to transgender students that their identity is not valid." [22] BuzzFeed News described them as distributing "anti-trans propaganda to schools as a neutral-sounding 'resource pack,' in a similar style to crisis pregnancy centers duping women seeking abortions". [23]
In February 2020, Davies-Arai spoke in the UK House of Commons in a parliamentary briefing arguing against Relationship and Sex Education (RSE) supportive of LGBT rights and identities that went into effect in September 2020. Davies-Arai argued that teaching gender identity would lead to abuse and adult men using girls' toilets. She appeared and argued alongside Lynda Rose, the director of an anti-abortion pressure group, who stated that "being subjected from age three to the messages that they can change their gender, if they want, and that they may be homosexual, because they have a best friend of the same sex [...] It's a social experiment, and it's abuse"; Ed Matyjaszek, who stated that "We are in danger of instituting via RSE a national grooming programme in primary schools"; and Judith Nemeth, head of the anti-LGBT Values Foundation. The briefing was organized by the Lords and Commons Family and Child Protection Group which had supported Section 28, legislature that banned schools from "promoting homosexuality". The House of Commons Trade Union, and ParliOUT, a workplace equality network for LGBT+ people in parliament, wrote a letter to the Houses of Commons and Lords opposing the event and asking if LGBT+ staff would be required to work at such events. [24]
The group says it is in favour of "sex-based rules where justified" [25] and says that LGBT rights groups such as Stonewall and Mermaids promote rigid gender roles by encouraging gender non-conforming children to identify as transgender. [26] The group is against prescribing puberty-blocking drugs or medical interventions to adolescents under 18, and has supported legal cases in pursuit of restricting such prescriptions or interventions. [27] [28]
In April 2018, representatives from the University of Oxford, Oxford Brookes University, and the National Union of Students signed an open letter protesting an event that Woman's Place UK was holding which stated "A Woman's Place and groups speaking tonight, including Transgender Trend and Fair Play for Women, have been at the centre of this past year’s violent anti-transgender rhetoric and media abuse." [29]
In June 2022, Davies-Arai spoke at the "Sex, Gender and Schools" seminar at the University of Edinburgh. The co-chairs at the University of Edinburgh Staff Pride Network said that there was "no presentation of research data provided to the audience" and that the speakers used "scaremongering tactics" to propose that teachers should "question why a child might be expressing themselves in this way" instead of affirming their gender identity. [30]
Approximately 8,000 women signed an open letter to Liz Truss stating "We are incredibly concerned that the language you have used is very similar to the anti-trans rhetoric used by transphobic hate groups and organisations such as Woman’s Place UK, Transgender Trend and the LGB Alliance" in response to her depiction of "trans rights as a new threat to cisgender women like ourselves". [31]
In 2022, Davies-Arai was awarded the British Empire Medal by Queen Elizabeth II, with the citation "Founder, Transgender Trend. For services to Children". [32] [33]
Stonewall Equality Limited, trading as Stonewall, is a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBTQ) rights charity in the United Kingdom. It is the largest LGBT rights organisation in Europe.
PinkNews is a UK-based online newspaper marketed to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning community (LGBTQ+) in the UK and worldwide. It was founded by Benjamin Cohen in July 2005.
The rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland have developed significantly over time. Today, lesbian, gay and bisexual rights are considered to be advanced by international standards.
In the United States, the rights of transgender people vary considerably by jurisdiction. In recent decades, there has been an expansion of federal, state, and local laws and rulings to protect transgender Americans; however, many rights remain unprotected, and some rights are being eroded. Since 2020, there has been a national movement by conservative/right-wing politicians and organizations to target transgender rights. There has been a steady increase in the number of anti-transgender bills introduced each year, especially in Republican-led states.
Transgender youth are children or adolescents who do not identify with the sex they were assigned at birth. Because transgender youth are usually dependent on their parents for care, shelter, financial support, and other needs, they face different challenges compared to adults. According to the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, the American Psychological Association, and the American Academy of Pediatrics, appropriate care for transgender youth may include supportive mental health care, social transition, and/or puberty blockers, which delay puberty and the development of secondary sex characteristics to allow children more time to explore their gender identity.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ) people in the U.S. state of Florida have federal protections, but many face legal difficulties on the state level that are not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Same-sex sexual activity became legal in the state after the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Lawrence v. Texas on June 26, 2003, although the state legislature has not repealed its sodomy law. Same-sex marriage has been legal in the state since January 6, 2015. Discrimination on account of sexual orientation and gender identity in employment, housing and public accommodations is outlawed following the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County. In addition, several cities and counties, comprising about 55 percent of Florida's population, have enacted anti-discrimination ordinances. These include Jacksonville, Miami, Tampa, Orlando, St. Petersburg, Tallahassee and West Palm Beach, among others. Conversion therapy is also banned in a number of cities in the state, mainly in the Miami metropolitan area, but has been struck down by the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. In September 2023, Lake Worth Beach, Florida became an official "LGBT sanctuary city" to protect and defend LGBT rights.
The U.S. state of New York has generally been seen as socially liberal in regard to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ) rights. LGBT travel guide Queer in the World states, "The fabulosity of Gay New York is unrivaled on Earth, and queer culture seeps into every corner of its five boroughs". The advocacy movement for LGBT rights in the state has been dated as far back as 1969 during the Stonewall riots in New York City. Same-sex sexual activity between consenting adults has been legal since the New York v. Onofre case in 1980. Same-sex marriage has been legal statewide since 2011, with some cities recognizing domestic partnerships between same-sex couples since 1998. Discrimination protections in credit, housing, employment, education, and public accommodation have explicitly included sexual orientation since 2003 and gender identity or expression since 2019. Transgender people in the state legally do not have to undergo sex reassignment surgery to change their sex or gender on official documents since 2014. In addition, both conversion therapy on minors and the gay and trans panic defense have been banned since 2019. Since 2021, commercial surrogacy has been legally available within New York State. In 2024, the Constitution of New York was amended to explicitly ban discrimination on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation.
Feminist views on transgender topics vary widely.
The following outline offers an overview and guide to LGBTQ topics:
Transgender rights in Australia have legal protection under federal and state/territory laws, but the requirements for gender recognition vary depending on the jurisdiction. For example, birth certificates, recognised details certificates, and driver licences are regulated by the states and territories, while Medicare and passports are matters for the Commonwealth.
Transgender rights in the United Kingdom have varied significantly over time.
Detransition is the cessation or reversal of a transgender identification or of gender transition, temporarily or permanently, through social, legal, and/or medical means. The term is distinct from the concept of 'regret', and the decision may be based on a shift in gender identity, or other reasons, such as health concerns, social or economic pressure, discrimination, stigma, political beliefs, or religious beliefs.
Mermaids is a British charity and advocacy organisation that supports gender variant and transgender youth. It also provides inclusion and diversity training. Mermaids was founded in 1995 by a group of parents of gender nonconforming children and became a charitable incorporated organisation in 2015.
Rapid-onset gender dysphoria (ROGD) is a controversial, scientifically unsupported hypothesis which claims that some adolescents identify as transgender and experience gender dysphoria due to peer influence and social contagion. ROGD is not recognized as a valid mental health diagnosis by any major professional associations. The APA, WPATH and 60 other medical professional organizations have called for its elimination from clinical settings due to a lack of reputable scientific evidence for the concept, major methodological issues in existing research, and its stigmatization of gender-affirming care for transgender youth.
The LGB Alliance is a British advocacy group and registered charity founded in 2019 in opposition to the policies of LGBT rights charity Stonewall on transgender issues. Its founders are Bev Jackson, Kate Harris, Allison Bailey, Malcolm Clark and Ann Sinnott. The LGB Alliance describes its objective as "asserting the right of lesbians, bisexuals and gay men to define themselves as same-sex attracted", and states that such a right is threatened by "attempts to introduce confusion between biological sex and the notion of gender". The group has opposed a ban on conversion therapy that includes trans people in the UK, opposed the use of puberty blockers for children, and opposed gender recognition reform.
Stella O'Malley is an Irish psychotherapist and author, with three books on parenting and mental health. She is a regular contributor to Irish national newspapers, podcasts, and TV. She made a documentary about gender dysphoria in children for Channel 4, and is the founder of Genspect, a self-described gender critical organisation opposed to gender affirming care.
Genspect is an international group founded in June 2021 by psychotherapist Stella O'Malley that has been described as gender-critical. Genspect opposes gender-affirming care, as well as social and medical transition for transgender people. Genspect opposes allowing transgender people under 25 years old to transition, and opposes laws that would ban conversion therapy on the basis of gender identity. Genspect also endorses the unproven concept of rapid-onset gender dysphoria (ROGD), which proposes a subclass of gender dysphoria caused by peer influence and social contagion. ROGD has been rejected by major medical organisations due to its lack of evidence and likelihood to cause harm by stigmatizing gender-affirming care.
The Society For Evidence-Based Gender Medicine (SEGM) is a non-profit organization that is known for its opposition to gender-affirming care for transgender youth and for engaging in political lobbying. The group routinely cites the unproven concept of rapid-onset gender dysphoria and mistakenly claimed that conversion therapy techniques are only practiced on the basis of sexual orientation rather than gender identity. SEGM is often cited in anti-transgender legislation and court cases, sometimes filing court briefs. It is not recognized as a scientific organization by the international medical community.
Quentin L. Van Meter is a pediatric endocrinologist and president of the American College of Pediatricians, a socially conservative advocacy group which is known for opposing gay marriage, gender reassignment surgery, and abortion. He has advocated and referred his clients to conversion therapy and is known for rejecting the medical consensus on the efficacy and safety of transgender health care.
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As the number of children identifying as transgender has increased, schools have consulted trans charities such as Stonewall and Mermaids about how best to approach the topic. These charities have, however, come under criticism by campaigners, including Transgender Trend and Safe Schools Alliance, for reinforcing a rigid belief in gender roles, and for encouraging children who don't conform to gender stereotypes to believe they might be trans.