Parents of ”trans” kids. Part 6

Reflections on experiences with GP’s.

Here a parent describes her experience with her GP. He immediately referred them to the Gender Identity Service at which point she discovered the lengthy waiting lists. {For the record I think the waiting lists are too long to get help. I just don’t think GIDs provides the right kind of help. Parents would be better provided with therapeutic interventions who do not centre being ”transgender” but offer a holistic approach. We need to explore the root cause of the distress}.

The parent’s reflections on their experiences with their GPs is very similar, in tone, to the parents I covered in series one. Parents have already ”socially transitioned” their children and all have accepted, bar one, that their child is really the opposite “gender”. Having already invested in this narrative it is clearly jarring for a doctor to express any skepticism or, indeed, caution.

Unsurprisingly the parent, above, had done her research and knew their was an option for GPs to prescribe ”bridging” hormones while the child awaits an appointment. For the GP this means there has been no ”specialist” input and some GPs are understandably reluctant to prescribe puberty blockers /cross-sex hormones. The G.M.C allows an exemption for those doctors, which the parent calls a ”get out clause”.

The parents tend to be fully informed of treatment options via parent forums, or, as we saw in earlier posts via, lobby group, Mermaids. This reaction is not untypical. 👇. Disbelief, anger, and letters of complaint follow:

This parent sought another practice that was ”transgender” friendly but hit the same problem and even contacted her M.P. Finally she contacted an on-line supplier.

There is a note of panic in these parents which is to be expected when they have socially transitioned their child and the realities of puberty begin to set in. This 👇 is an account of a young male whose hair was beginning to recede. To her, this makes the situation urgent. Finally she decides to return to the GP and insists on giving her a presentation to ”educate” her, she tells us that she tried to be reasonable in her tone. Really? 👇 I would not want to see what ”unreasonable” looks like.

It did not end there. The mother wrote to advise the practice of all the letters she was sending to complain about their service. She also raised the issue of females getting hormone replacement therapy to add to the perception they were discriminating against “transgender” youth. The surgery finally capitulated, providing an endocrinologist issued the prescription.

Another parent had a much more positive experience, having done prior research with Mermaids. She issued this advice ”do your research and find out if a ”transphobe” is running the surgery”. A father found his surgery very good but was unhappy about the way the forms referenced ”male” and ”female”. He recommends the use of ”Mx” because the health service will know to look out for any unusual symptoms you would not expect. In part this is because the children/youth are registered as the opposite sex. The fact that the medical profession is colluding with this practice astounds me, but they are!

Georgina knew what to do if the GP failed to comply with her demands. 😳

Georgina’s GP was acceptable because she was willing to ”educate herself” and was assumed to ne willing to work with private providers.
Another parent was able to bypass the GP because, unbelievably, the school is allowed to refer the pupil.

Some GPs provided someone to administer the injections and even offered home visits.

Another common complaint is the lack of training on transgender medicine. Mermaids, as ever, are there to offer advice to help resolve any issues with a non-compliant GP.

Parents felt there were a number of barriers to getting the care they demanded. Some they ascribed to prejudice about ”trans” people, some to ignorance or lack of funding. One parent was refused blood tests for her son because he was using hormones from a private provider, she took the fight to social media. Another parent was critical of the GMC guidelines and felt they should be more prescriptive. That is, she believes there should be no clause that allows a GP to decline to practice ”transgender medicine”. I would imagine some doctors simply feel out of their depth but others may decline as a matter of conscience.

Lisa thought her GP was condescending and dismissive

This GP would only refer to mental health services as he felt a specialist should diagnose any issue. He seems to have been quite clued up about the medication and no doubt this informed his reluctance to refer to GIDs. Nevertheless a complaint was made and the referral made.

The parents take any form of safeguarding, as an affront and unnecessarily gatekeeping. Some practices provided three monthly blood tests but others refused because the parents were using private providers. This report, from another parent, explained how she felt the doctor was ridiculing her.

My perception from reading these accounts is that the parents feel they are the experts on their child’s care. They have adopted the medical approach, as advocated by trans lobby groups; most of their research is likely from pro-transgender sources. Because they have ”socially transitioned” their children the onset of puberty is to be feared and blocking it takes on a sense of urgency. I cannot imagine seeing your son express doubts when he has been left with a micro-penis because of puberty blockers. Bear in mind, also, some of these children have been living in ”stealth mode”. From the parent’s perspective they must be allowed to prevent any changes which will betray their sex and prevent ”passing”. The child must ”pass” and nothing must raise the spectre that the parent has made a mistake. Not one parent even raised the issue of detransitioners. The thought would be horrific to contemplate if you had enabled an early medical transition. It is this context which I believe makes these interactions, with GPs, so fraught.

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