Thanks Bernard for your so prompt summary of the events leading up to the pending arm wrestling to be had by the new Queensland LNP government and Mark Butler’s tactical attempt to derail an enquiry by the Queensland State government , which by seeking evidence, (on which to support or not support medicalising G.A.C. in minors ) to look beyond defaulting to AusPATH’s “ standard of care”, is threatening to the virtual social science industry, backed by the Labor party’s specific policy position regarding G.A.C. Bernard your last three paragraphs said it all. Butler, Kearney et al would be quietly confident that the NHMRC will come up with a report , which would not frighten the horses, or the policy makers in the ALP.
Reports like this are never commissioned without the result not known.
I find it difficult to generate optimism that our Minister of Health and Aged Care is capable of managing a review of best practice that could possibly lead to new national guidelines for the model of Gender Care’ to children so challenged.
Referencing Minister Butler’s experience and expertise in relation to medical issues does not generate enthusiasm:
The Parliamentary website summarises the ‘Occupation prior to entering Federal Parliament’ for Federal politicians. Therein Butler’s entire work experience outside of politics is:
'Union official from 1992 to 2007'.
Fifteen years with the Unions would hardly provide the man with the capacity to comprehend the complexities of the subject matter involved.
. . . and besides Dr Cass et al have already reviewed and advised comprehensively on the subject.
Yes Vincent, Butler’s position might be best viewed as another illustration of the Dunning Kruger effect, where any challenge to consider “ second opinions “ are not going to be welcomed if they can be expected to risk threatening ( unconsciously, or perniciously) a vulnerable position held?
This is good news, but the really big issue that needs addressing is government impartiality, and the fact that millions of public dollars are given to lobby groups headed by career activists like ACON and AusPATH and hundreds of others to spruik their anti-scientific pseudo religion as uncontested “fact”. ACON and AusPATH have become extraordinarily powerful and will stop at nothing to protect their investments in the Diversity and Inclusion gravy train. They will stop at nothing- including the medical mutilation of children, the heartbreak of families, the ruining of honest professionals blowing the whistle on their lies, and the totalitarian abuse of any individual who can’t look away from the harm we are seeing in our professions, communities and society.
A fantastic summary with crucial points on the history, including the appropriateness of the NHMRC’s more stringent framework for guideline development, which may still be found to be inappropriate for any forthcoming work by a panel which will clearly include believers from inside the tent.
This federal health minister’s proposal should not subvert the decision of a state health minister, who Mr Butler himself has earlier conceded, or insisted, is the offical with responsibility for the care of patients being treated in gender clinics. Not only are the state health ministers responsible for the care of patients, but the particular health minister in Queensland, Mr Nicholls, has already decided on the ample evidence now available that he ought to pause new prescriptions of puberty blockers in Queensland. He would be culpable for not maintaining that position just because a federal minister of a failing government coming into an election period requested him to retreat from his decision and allow the status quo for more than 12 months. The same goes for Mr Nicholls’ review, which would likely report long before the end of next year and would likely have a more balanced panel and perhaps a wider brief. Already there are red-flags that ought to stiffen his resolve on continuing with his plan.
The federal proposal risks a focus on medical evidence in medical journals on a particular medical treatment, ignoring the elephant in the room that treatment of children in gender clinics is more than 90% a non-medical issue. It is a passive and driven social contagion perversion of medical care. That may be found to be outside the NHMRC’s remit. With momentum elsewhere, not just in the US and UK, we should all hope to see Mr Nicholls stick to his plans to pause new prescriptions and to review the care of gender dysphoric minors in his state. This might lead to other states reviewing their practices.
With commonsense on gender ideology beginning to emerge in English speaking countries, regardless of particular policy decisions, allowing a political motive to pickle the current gender clinic practices in Australia for up to two years, against the growing tide of reason, would be the ultimate travesty in the greatest medical scandal in a hundred years. The later in history medical practitioners and health officials double down, the more culpable they will be found to have been.
Yes Richard, our profession has got itself into a clinical cul de sac, courtesy of the social science “ leadership “and our colluding medical colleagues need to extricate their feet off the ideological sticky paper, as in a Japanese saying “ If you get on the wrong train, get off at the nearest station as the longer it takes you to get off, the more expensive will be the return trip”
As a parent who had a teen attend the Qld gender clinic from 2021 for 18 months I know that they do not practice evidence based medicine there. They only affirm, never delve into any psychological issues that may have led to the child's trans-identity. They provided us with 12 scientific papers to support transitioning, all which were poor quality, and did not ever consider anything except affirmation. They offered us to come in and try binders almost immediately. When my kid was suicidal they said they didn't have any psychologists or psychiatrists that could help (so much for "multi-disciplinary") and referred us back to other support services. None of the other services would help us because of the trans identity - the local psychologists, the local hospital mental health unit, headspace - none of these would give us any support at all. We were left alone and struggling.
When our daughter finally came out of her trans identification her mental health improved significantly. Not once after we discontinued our appointments with the gender clinic did they contact us to find out why. Not once in several years of writing to various Qld health staff and the board have they deigned to take our history and point of view into consideration. Not once have any Qld Health staff ever looked into the actual evidence base they are basing their practices on and the harms that they are doing. The only person who has spoken up, Dr Jillian Spencer, has been hounded and suspended her her whistleblowing.
I think it's time we publicly name all of the staff who have ignored the problems with the gender clinic and sue them to stop the harm they are perpetrating to our children.
You & your daughter’s experience provides an interesting perspective from the inside of our venerated Gender Clinics as referenced in Australia’s Broadcasting Commission (ABC)
• When it comes to the treatment of trans youth, the beautiful stories of those whose lives are transformed by affirmative care are often lost amidst the debate. .
• Dr Michelle Telfer saving the lives of hundreds, even thousands of children – without ‘ever picking up a scalpel or treating a disease’.
Thanks Bernard for producing such a helpful summary and analysis of a suddenly fast-moving political response to an issue whose urgency had previously been studiously ignored or denied. Those of us who have been actively advocating for a genuine independent review of evidence and guidelines with detransitioner involvement will need to keep the pressure up for the Qld Government inquiry to go ahead. And the pause on new prescriptions to stay.
The most likely explanation for Butler's response is that he wants to push the issue off the table until at least the next election. If I sincerely wanted a federal enquiry, I would not be trying to prevent a state enquiry.
What a telling point! If Butler ( and Kearney) did not feel threatened, they should only welcome any State based enquiry as an opportunity to have their position further endorsed. What do they have to fear from a “ second opinion “?
Thanks Bernard for your so prompt summary of the events leading up to the pending arm wrestling to be had by the new Queensland LNP government and Mark Butler’s tactical attempt to derail an enquiry by the Queensland State government , which by seeking evidence, (on which to support or not support medicalising G.A.C. in minors ) to look beyond defaulting to AusPATH’s “ standard of care”, is threatening to the virtual social science industry, backed by the Labor party’s specific policy position regarding G.A.C. Bernard your last three paragraphs said it all. Butler, Kearney et al would be quietly confident that the NHMRC will come up with a report , which would not frighten the horses, or the policy makers in the ALP.
Reports like this are never commissioned without the result not known.
Go Queensland!
I find it difficult to generate optimism that our Minister of Health and Aged Care is capable of managing a review of best practice that could possibly lead to new national guidelines for the model of Gender Care’ to children so challenged.
Referencing Minister Butler’s experience and expertise in relation to medical issues does not generate enthusiasm:
The Parliamentary website summarises the ‘Occupation prior to entering Federal Parliament’ for Federal politicians. Therein Butler’s entire work experience outside of politics is:
'Union official from 1992 to 2007'.
Fifteen years with the Unions would hardly provide the man with the capacity to comprehend the complexities of the subject matter involved.
. . . and besides Dr Cass et al have already reviewed and advised comprehensively on the subject.
Yes Vincent, Butler’s position might be best viewed as another illustration of the Dunning Kruger effect, where any challenge to consider “ second opinions “ are not going to be welcomed if they can be expected to risk threatening ( unconsciously, or perniciously) a vulnerable position held?
This is good news, but the really big issue that needs addressing is government impartiality, and the fact that millions of public dollars are given to lobby groups headed by career activists like ACON and AusPATH and hundreds of others to spruik their anti-scientific pseudo religion as uncontested “fact”. ACON and AusPATH have become extraordinarily powerful and will stop at nothing to protect their investments in the Diversity and Inclusion gravy train. They will stop at nothing- including the medical mutilation of children, the heartbreak of families, the ruining of honest professionals blowing the whistle on their lies, and the totalitarian abuse of any individual who can’t look away from the harm we are seeing in our professions, communities and society.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/row-over-hiv-health-cash-20110115-19rvu.html
https://www.governmentnews.com.au/concerns-raised-about-government-links-to-advocacy-group/
In a sense the sinister use of children as canon fodder in battles on other fronts, is now matched by a federal minister doing exactly the same thing.
A fantastic summary with crucial points on the history, including the appropriateness of the NHMRC’s more stringent framework for guideline development, which may still be found to be inappropriate for any forthcoming work by a panel which will clearly include believers from inside the tent.
This federal health minister’s proposal should not subvert the decision of a state health minister, who Mr Butler himself has earlier conceded, or insisted, is the offical with responsibility for the care of patients being treated in gender clinics. Not only are the state health ministers responsible for the care of patients, but the particular health minister in Queensland, Mr Nicholls, has already decided on the ample evidence now available that he ought to pause new prescriptions of puberty blockers in Queensland. He would be culpable for not maintaining that position just because a federal minister of a failing government coming into an election period requested him to retreat from his decision and allow the status quo for more than 12 months. The same goes for Mr Nicholls’ review, which would likely report long before the end of next year and would likely have a more balanced panel and perhaps a wider brief. Already there are red-flags that ought to stiffen his resolve on continuing with his plan.
The federal proposal risks a focus on medical evidence in medical journals on a particular medical treatment, ignoring the elephant in the room that treatment of children in gender clinics is more than 90% a non-medical issue. It is a passive and driven social contagion perversion of medical care. That may be found to be outside the NHMRC’s remit. With momentum elsewhere, not just in the US and UK, we should all hope to see Mr Nicholls stick to his plans to pause new prescriptions and to review the care of gender dysphoric minors in his state. This might lead to other states reviewing their practices.
With commonsense on gender ideology beginning to emerge in English speaking countries, regardless of particular policy decisions, allowing a political motive to pickle the current gender clinic practices in Australia for up to two years, against the growing tide of reason, would be the ultimate travesty in the greatest medical scandal in a hundred years. The later in history medical practitioners and health officials double down, the more culpable they will be found to have been.
Yes Richard, our profession has got itself into a clinical cul de sac, courtesy of the social science “ leadership “and our colluding medical colleagues need to extricate their feet off the ideological sticky paper, as in a Japanese saying “ If you get on the wrong train, get off at the nearest station as the longer it takes you to get off, the more expensive will be the return trip”
As a parent who had a teen attend the Qld gender clinic from 2021 for 18 months I know that they do not practice evidence based medicine there. They only affirm, never delve into any psychological issues that may have led to the child's trans-identity. They provided us with 12 scientific papers to support transitioning, all which were poor quality, and did not ever consider anything except affirmation. They offered us to come in and try binders almost immediately. When my kid was suicidal they said they didn't have any psychologists or psychiatrists that could help (so much for "multi-disciplinary") and referred us back to other support services. None of the other services would help us because of the trans identity - the local psychologists, the local hospital mental health unit, headspace - none of these would give us any support at all. We were left alone and struggling.
When our daughter finally came out of her trans identification her mental health improved significantly. Not once after we discontinued our appointments with the gender clinic did they contact us to find out why. Not once in several years of writing to various Qld health staff and the board have they deigned to take our history and point of view into consideration. Not once have any Qld Health staff ever looked into the actual evidence base they are basing their practices on and the harms that they are doing. The only person who has spoken up, Dr Jillian Spencer, has been hounded and suspended her her whistleblowing.
I think it's time we publicly name all of the staff who have ignored the problems with the gender clinic and sue them to stop the harm they are perpetrating to our children.
Dr Dylan Wilson has a great summary of why the previous "review" of the Qld gender clinic (under Labor) was so badly done https://substack.com/home/post/p-155986000
Mmmm,
You & your daughter’s experience provides an interesting perspective from the inside of our venerated Gender Clinics as referenced in Australia’s Broadcasting Commission (ABC)
• When it comes to the treatment of trans youth, the beautiful stories of those whose lives are transformed by affirmative care are often lost amidst the debate. .
• Dr Michelle Telfer saving the lives of hundreds, even thousands of children – without ‘ever picking up a scalpel or treating a disease’.
Thanks Bernard for producing such a helpful summary and analysis of a suddenly fast-moving political response to an issue whose urgency had previously been studiously ignored or denied. Those of us who have been actively advocating for a genuine independent review of evidence and guidelines with detransitioner involvement will need to keep the pressure up for the Qld Government inquiry to go ahead. And the pause on new prescriptions to stay.
Hey Aussies, tell the ABC what matters to you in the upcoming election (government impartiality for one; ACON’s influence on the ABC a close second). https://yourquestions.abc.net.au/hc/en-au?return_to=%2Fhc%2Frequests
Not a good state of affairs. Butler’s initial presentation of his plans looks misleading.
The most likely explanation for Butler's response is that he wants to push the issue off the table until at least the next election. If I sincerely wanted a federal enquiry, I would not be trying to prevent a state enquiry.
What a telling point! If Butler ( and Kearney) did not feel threatened, they should only welcome any State based enquiry as an opportunity to have their position further endorsed. What do they have to fear from a “ second opinion “?