Keira Bell, 23, who was born female and prescribed puberty blockers at 16 to transition to male, has won a landmark high court ruling against the Tavistock Centre in London, which runs England's only NHS gender identity development service (GIDS). The court ruled that children under 16 are unlikely to be able to give informed consent to receive puberty-blocking drugs, meaning referrals for such drugs and cross-sex hormones for under-16s will only be permitted when approved by a court.
Paul Conrathe, Bell's solicitor, said the case raises wider questions about the role of the internet in encouraging young people to transition. He highlighted that Bell herself said she 'gained courage from the internet' when she had doubts. Conrathe called for safeguarding guidance to protect children from information that 'will encourage them down an experimental medical pathway'.
However, many parents of transgender children discount the role of social media. One mother, now considering going abroad for help, said her child did not 'decide' on their gender identity – it is natural, like ginger hair. She compared the debate to past questions about homosexuality, noting that sexuality is not a choice.
The Bayswater Support Group, which supports parents of children with adolescent-onset gender dysphoria who want to explore all options before irreversible treatments, welcomed the ruling. A spokesperson said the current approach affirming transition is embedded at institutional level. One mother said parents feel powerless when only medical transition is presented as a solution.
But the ruling has dismayed many other parents and been attacked by Amnesty International and Liberty. Molly Muirhead, mother of a transgender boy, called it a withdrawal of medical care from children in need. She argued that puberty blockers are safe, reversible, and give children thinking time. Conrathe, however, hailed the ruling as historic, noting the court found puberty blockers experimental with limited evidence and part of a pathway to irreversible cross-sex hormones.
