It's a very big news week with lots of implications for Trans+ healthcare and welfare in the UK.
Not the kind of news we hoped for as we enter into the first-ever Trans+ History Week, which begins on Monday 6th May.
But it shows why initiatives like it are so important.
So much of the rhetoric that surrounds the all-out attack, amid a culture war on Trans+ rights and LGBTQIA+ identities, is based on misinformation that claim we're somehow a modern thing.
When we surface and help people understand that we've always been here, that lie is countered in a powerful way, with stories of love, endurance and power.
The week, however, does something even more important. As Marty Davies, the founder of the initiative sets out in the Queer Gaze slot this week:
"What I quickly realised was that the primary power of Trans+ History Week was actually the potential to instil a great sense of wellbeing among the Trans+ community itself"
The week is designed to play a part in the fight back against anti-trans narratives - but it's not for them.
It's for us, to celebrate our history, to be moved by it, to learn lessons. It's for the Trans+ creative talent - 31 creators in total - who have been paid, mentored and provided with equipment. It's for you, to take power from the enduring resilience of our identities.
We've run this initiative, our first-ever launchpad project, as an investment in the community and its beautiful creative talent. And we don't want it to be our last project of this kind.
And remember, starting Monday, we'll send you a new history article with a specially commissioned illustration each day. Click here to opt out of the series.
Now, for this week's news.
Understand the LGBTQIA+ headlines and keep track of the latest queer content and perspectives.
💬 This week:
- Forced detransition? We get confirmation from NHS England that leaked guidance that will push transgender children away from both private and NHS gender-affirming care is being used already, with safeguarding referrals a possibility for those who don't stop them. We investigate.
- NHS Constitution. The government has announced plans to prevent transgender women from being put on single-sex women's wards as part of a raft of changes. We explore how workable these proposals really are.
- Trans+ History Week. Lots of teases, previews and news about our biggest-ever initiative and its investment into LGBTQIA+ talent all across the world.
Skip the doom scrolling and support queer creatives instead. We are QueerAF – and so are you.
Forced medical detransition - the implication of leaked NHS guidance for young trans people
TL;DR: QueerAF has confirmed that leaked guidance seen by the Good Law Project is in use by NHS England. It reveals the 6000+ children currently on the waiting list for the new Children And Young People’s Gender Service are being invited to have their mental health assessed. At these assessments children and their families will be advised to stop gender-affirming treatments, and that if they continue without “appropriate care” they could face safeguarding referrals. It could result in young people being forced to medically detransition.
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