This week we've published extensive details of an extremely alarming development in NHS England.
A document obtained by the Good Law Project, and shared with QueerAF sets out new guidance that ensure GPs will refuse care to under 18s Trans+ people who need support with their private gender affirming care. The impact of the story, as we set out in more detail, is to end a safe and secure net for Trans+ under 18s to use.
Elsewhere, we cover the increasingly prevalent evidence of entrenched institutional transphobia at even more of the UK's most important organisations. Once independent institutions, now face increasing politicisation, that are enabling anti-trans, and more to the point, anti-LGBTQIA+ narratives to capture their entire activities.
We face an acute period ahead of us in our community, where people who hate us are feeling more and more enabled to share, spread and communicate those attitudes.
In this period of uncertainty, you can trust QueerAF to be here - in your inbox every Saturday, to ensure you have all the latest information you need to navigate the changes, and to know how to fight back.
The kind of journalism we do week in week out, goes far beyond writing the 4000 words in this newsletter every week, or spending all week newsgathering. It requires us to build relationships with queer organisations, advocacy groups and with activist to ensure our ears are on the ground, and that we can connect the dots - so you're better equipped for the fight ahead.
QueerAF is a small team; for now, I'm the only one who works here full time and on top the news I do, I work with our network of contributors, mentees on our training schemes and freelance staff - to ensure we punch above our weight. We're both small and mighty.
But I'll level with you: we need your help. QueerAF's largest source of revenue is from people like you. That's by design. We've refused ads in this newsletter because it keeps us focused on what counts, not what clicks. It helps us stay grounded with what the community needs.
Understand the LGBTQIA+ headlines and keep track of the latest queer content and perspectives. The QueerAF newsletter is written by Jamie Wareham and a different queer creative each week.
💬 This week:
- NHS England Guidance: GPs have been told to refuse care to Trans+ people who need support for private gender affirming care, according to a leaked classified document. We help you understand the impact of the guidance.
- International Asexuality Awareness Day: We unpack JK Rowling’s intervention on the day, and comission an asexual writer in this week’s Queer Gaze.
- Queer News Pipeline: We’re tired of hearing that local positive and grassroots queer news isn’t of interest to the media. So we're set out how we’re going to fix the problem in the spotlight.
Skip the doomscrolling and support queer creatives instead. We are QueerAF – and so are you.
NHS England tells GPs to refuse blood tests to trans children and refer parents to safeguarding
TL;DR: NHS England guidance has instructed GPs to refuse any care that supports under 18s to receive gender affirming care like puberty blockers and hormones. It also warns specifically against entering into shared care agreements with some of the UK Trans+ communities most used private health care providers of gender affirming care. It signals this approach could happen for adults too.
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