Transgender Children

Toby Young, Stephanie Davies-Arai

"Children registering as 'transgender' - that the gender they feel themselves to be is at odds with their biological sex - is a growing phenomenon. Applications by children wanting to change their gender by deed poll have leapt in recent years, as have referrals to the Tavistock, the only NHS clinic specialising in this subject. This publication features two short essays - one by Toby Young, the other by Stephanie Davies-Arai - considering whether this trend should be a cause for alarm, and whether current approaches to children experiencing gender dysphoria are appropriate. Trans activists argue that the rise in young people identifying as transgender or 'gender non-conforming' is due to the decline of the stigma attached to doing so and, as such, it should be celebrated. Others are concerned that it has become fashionable to identify as transgender and that it is unlikely that the...