Gender-affirming care will be looked back on with horror
Helen Joyce said:
“I think the kindest thing to do to people who identify as trans is absolutely not to give them evidence free harmful medicine and I think that's what she's doing and this type of care is not going to last. It is going to be looked back on with horror.”
Historical comparisons to discredited medical practices carry emotional weight, and the phrase 'evidence free' borrows the authority of science to make a sweeping moral claim that sounds like a considered clinical judgement.
Gender-affirming care is supported by the Endocrine Society, WPATH, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the World Health Organisation, all of which have reviewed the evidence and concluded that the benefits for appropriately assessed patients outweigh the risks. 'Evidence free' is not a clinical finding; it is the conclusion of one contested review, which has itself been widely criticised by gender medicine experts internationally, and it does not reflect the consensus of the bodies that set the standards for this field. The 'future horror' framing has a long history: it has been used to discourage care for gay and lesbian people, for those with HIV, and for many other marginalised groups whose medicine was called scandalous precisely because it took their lives seriously. What the evidence actually shows us will cause harm that endures is leaving trans people without care, without recognition, and with the message that their suffering is too controversial to treat.
What I said at the time:
“Absolutely not. Think I think this this present time in history is going to look back in horror when we when there are thousands and thousands of transgender people not accepted hurting, being harmed by these kind of views.”
Trans people of all ages who internalise the message that their healthcare is not legitimate medicine but a future scandal, compounding stigma and discouraging them from seeking care.