Yes, we’ve breached the 3,000 subscriber mark—spread across 62 countries.
It’s 18 months since Gender Clinic News was launched. And it’s a year since I left my newspaper job and began to fly solo.
So, thanks for your support & for the encouragement.
Immersed in the story of gender clinics, it’s easy to forget just how many people in the mainstream know virtually nothing about it—or worse, what little they know is wrong.
Well, I think this means that my subscriptions will continue to grow.
As for this thread, please feel free to talk about anything—what’s happening over at the American Academy of Pediatrics, what’s not happening in Australia, things that bug you about the debate, news tips, whatever!
Such a fantastic achievement Bernard; your authority and tenacity is an inspiration to many other journalists in Australia and abroad. As Jazz says it is extraordinary that the NSW government is considering conversion therapy laws given the growing international debate on affirmative care. Parents already have a hard time securing ethical psychological care for their kids in the community. The treatment for gender dysphoria is already shockingly politicised : conversion therapy laws would only intensify that dynamic and have a chilling effect on quality care. Your reporting is urgent and crucial.
Thanks Julie! Great to have you on the Substack beat, too.
Back in 2019 I interviewed Paul McHugh, the psychiatrist who shut down sex reassignment surgery at Johns Hopkins. He told me he regarded the gender-affirming model as coercive. He was right.
We recall his quote from his then Paul Hopkins position, alongside Ken Zucker: “ hell has no fury like a vested interest, masquerading as a moral principle “ and as Nick Cater has similarly said “ the woke, prepared to fight harder, and are taking no prisoners!” We are in trouble.
"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.” - C.S.Lewis
Perhaps an oversimplification but , if not the primary driver which has facilitated the metastasis of ideology from social science, then it seems , once having gained foothold in medical practice, to have fertile ground within a hierarchy of virtue?
Bernard, I deeply appreciate your unique and marked contributions to this space, especially from the Aussie perspective. I know so many people around the country who really respect and value not just a hat you present, but also your clarity, boldness and thoughtfulness. I reckon very many of us are glad you took the bet when stepping away from the broadsheet world. 🎉Cheers to 3008++🎉
Bernard, as a (retired) medico, i have been very concerned about teenagers being misled by woke ideology, and sadly, woke, virtue seeking doctors often. Your updates and info are much appreciated. I send them to others to raise awareness. John Buchanan
Congratulations Bernard - I’m the parent of an ROGD teen girl in NZ, thank you so much for the important work you do. I really appreciate it. Sanity amongst the madness!
I suspect it occupies not much of Minns's attention. Queensland's bill was the first in Australia & thanks to some solid submissions it was toned down in a sensible way. As for NSW, it may be that people come to its bill with more understanding of the risks ... maybe.
Alex Greenwich the politician is trying to do a sneaky targeted non consultation to bring in a NSW copy cat legislation to Victoria’s Suppression & Conversion Practices Act.
Here it is. The way to put in a submission onbthe NSW conversion therapy.
All written submissions to policy@justice.nsw.gov.au by close of business 25 August 2023. As this is a targeted consultation submissions will not be made public.
You have proved, consistently, to be a great news source with reliable, well-researched information. So glad your subscriber count has reached this important marker, and may your readership continue to grow.
You spoke up, and wrote, when few would. And you copped a vicious onslaught from the chief Melbourne gender clinician for it. Still today few speak up but it's a little more than when you began Bernard and but the evidence for child protection is becoming more public. Thank you!
I find the Victorian conversion laws disturbingly Draconian and poorly thought out. 10 years jail for parents who attempt to get their kids off the trans production line. A Royal Commission into Gender Clinics would be good. The AAP is not the most ethical organisation, a decade or so ago they wanted to allow their members to perform female genital mutilation, but gave up after a public backlash. Recent news to me is the promotion of trans activism by large corporations: Starbucks, Costa Coffee and hundreds of others. I find what has happened in Californian schools unfathomable. I was surprised to learn how much money was poured into gender ideology by people like the billionaire Pritzker family.
Congrats on hitting 3000 and thanks for all you do!
I've seen several trans activists trying to say that "low evidence studies" is a myth and shouldn't be taken seriously. I believe their argument is thoroughly flawed (and some of the other practices that low evidence studies justify I don't agree with, either!), but I'm curious what your thoughts are. It seems to be a new favorite to throw at people in comment sections (leading behind the ever popular "puberty blockers are completely reversible!" and "no one is influencing anyone to be trans), so I always like to have a reasonable response ready to go for those types of statements.
The no influence claim is one of the things that bugs me the most about the debate. To answer "no one is influencing anyone to be trans" I imagine what such influence would look like. And is it happening?
Social influence is well documented in many areas & social media probably makes it stronger. Adolescent girls are known to be more susceptible to social influence, eg anorexia, self-harm, and are disproportionately represented in trans/non-binary identification. Suicide can have an element of social influence. Our culture is drenched in trans/non-binary promotion. So why, in this one area, would there be no social influence?
Congrats Bernard! The more people who understand what's going on, the better. This ideology is so well-entrenched now, it's going to be a long, hard fight to defeat it. We need stamina as much as clarity.
For anyone interested, Christopher Rufo's new book "America's Cultural Revolution: How the Radical Left Conquered Everything" is well worth a read. He explains how we ended up in this Marcuse-ian universe, in which "the dictatorship of educated elites" (the preferred option for "Neo Marxists" despairing of the proletariat's refusal to revolt) has taken firm hold. The philosophy promulgated by Marcuse and taken up by self-described socialists is explicitly anti-democratic and contemptuous of ordinary people, who are seen to be too ignorant and backward to know what's best for them and must therefore have it imposed upon them (as well as being silenced). The pathway to this glorious revolution has necessitated, Rufo says (paraphrasing Mao): "a long march through the institutions". In other words, the takeover of state and institutional bureaucracies by the ultra left. Thus, ultra left terrorist groups like The Weather Underground and frankly paranoid fantasists like Derrick Bell ("the prophet of racial pessimism") found a new pulpit in academia and spawned many followers who went forth and conquered more institutions. Rufo concentrates more on critical race theory but gender identity ideology is very much its evil twin and followed effortlessly in its wake, the institutions having already been conquered by anti-intellectual identitarian nonsense.
Thank you so much Bernard. I am in NZ and really appreciate someone in Australasia looking into this and occasionally looking across the ditch. I think NZ might be even more entrenched than Australia in affirmation-only thinking and policy. The "be kind" mantra has blinded decision-makers to seeking robust evidence, including those who were sensible and science-based when Covid first hit. If you dare to ask questions about puberty blockers you are deemed far right and even genocidal.
Such a fantastic achievement Bernard; your authority and tenacity is an inspiration to many other journalists in Australia and abroad. As Jazz says it is extraordinary that the NSW government is considering conversion therapy laws given the growing international debate on affirmative care. Parents already have a hard time securing ethical psychological care for their kids in the community. The treatment for gender dysphoria is already shockingly politicised : conversion therapy laws would only intensify that dynamic and have a chilling effect on quality care. Your reporting is urgent and crucial.
Thanks Julie! Great to have you on the Substack beat, too.
Back in 2019 I interviewed Paul McHugh, the psychiatrist who shut down sex reassignment surgery at Johns Hopkins. He told me he regarded the gender-affirming model as coercive. He was right.
We recall his quote from his then Paul Hopkins position, alongside Ken Zucker: “ hell has no fury like a vested interest, masquerading as a moral principle “ and as Nick Cater has similarly said “ the woke, prepared to fight harder, and are taking no prisoners!” We are in trouble.
"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.” - C.S.Lewis
Perhaps an oversimplification but , if not the primary driver which has facilitated the metastasis of ideology from social science, then it seems , once having gained foothold in medical practice, to have fertile ground within a hierarchy of virtue?
Bernard, I deeply appreciate your unique and marked contributions to this space, especially from the Aussie perspective. I know so many people around the country who really respect and value not just a hat you present, but also your clarity, boldness and thoughtfulness. I reckon very many of us are glad you took the bet when stepping away from the broadsheet world. 🎉Cheers to 3008++🎉
Thanks GP! I wish I still had that hat. Trans activists sometimes abuse me by making unkind remarks about my fedora.
Haha (what). For what’s it’s worth you did that fedora proud 😉
Bernard, as a (retired) medico, i have been very concerned about teenagers being misled by woke ideology, and sadly, woke, virtue seeking doctors often. Your updates and info are much appreciated. I send them to others to raise awareness. John Buchanan
Good to hear, thanks John.
Congratulations Bernard - I’m the parent of an ROGD teen girl in NZ, thank you so much for the important work you do. I really appreciate it. Sanity amongst the madness!
Thanks!
NSW compulsory conversion laws being in the offing is very worrisome- not to introduce a downer note.
Yes, just heard a suggestion the proposal would be more draconian than Victoria's!
No this has to be stopped!!! I was wondering why we’ve heard little to nothing from Minns since he became Premier!!
I suspect it occupies not much of Minns's attention. Queensland's bill was the first in Australia & thanks to some solid submissions it was toned down in a sensible way. As for NSW, it may be that people come to its bill with more understanding of the risks ... maybe.
Not sure about that. Hearing that the pollies may exempt cases from prosecution where consent to be councelled has been given.
Nope. Im wrong. Even consent isnt an excuse to avoid prosecution.
Jazz could you please expand on the topic of Proposed Compulsory Conversion Laws in NSW?
Alex Greenwich the politician is trying to do a sneaky targeted non consultation to bring in a NSW copy cat legislation to Victoria’s Suppression & Conversion Practices Act.
Is there no general public consultation? No web page where anyone can look at the proposal?
Apparently not just leaks from friendly NSW politicians. But I heard someone may be writing about it this week/very soon.
Here it is. The way to put in a submission onbthe NSW conversion therapy.
All written submissions to policy@justice.nsw.gov.au by close of business 25 August 2023. As this is a targeted consultation submissions will not be made public.
Yes there is. Public submissions will be enabled.
You have proved, consistently, to be a great news source with reliable, well-researched information. So glad your subscriber count has reached this important marker, and may your readership continue to grow.
Thanks, Susan! B
Congratulations on the growing subscribers and all the work you do particularly in the Australian context is incredibly valuable!
Thanks! Though I hope to be made gradually redundant as gender clinics becomes a *normal* subject for mass media journalism.
I appreciate the direct facts you provide about events. Delighted to hear your subscriptions are growing.
Thanks Hera!
Congratulations Bernard. Such great news. 💜
thanks Jazz!
Excellent and thorough journalism!
Thank you for some sanity in this dystopian nightmare for so many children and their families.
Thank you, Amy. B
You spoke up, and wrote, when few would. And you copped a vicious onslaught from the chief Melbourne gender clinician for it. Still today few speak up but it's a little more than when you began Bernard and but the evidence for child protection is becoming more public. Thank you!
Thanks, Anna! B
I find the Victorian conversion laws disturbingly Draconian and poorly thought out. 10 years jail for parents who attempt to get their kids off the trans production line. A Royal Commission into Gender Clinics would be good. The AAP is not the most ethical organisation, a decade or so ago they wanted to allow their members to perform female genital mutilation, but gave up after a public backlash. Recent news to me is the promotion of trans activism by large corporations: Starbucks, Costa Coffee and hundreds of others. I find what has happened in Californian schools unfathomable. I was surprised to learn how much money was poured into gender ideology by people like the billionaire Pritzker family.
Yes, Bill, the institutional spread & financial resources available to gender ideology are remarkable & not widely known.
I would like to add that it's a common fallacy that gender ideology is a grassroots phenomenon, it is not and is backed by big money.
Best wishes to you too Bernard. I think it’s still important for you to write in the Australian (sorry if I missed one).
We are making progress- albeit slowly
Blessings on you
Thanks Helen. B
Congratulations, Bernard. You are an inspiration.
Congrats on hitting 3000 and thanks for all you do!
I've seen several trans activists trying to say that "low evidence studies" is a myth and shouldn't be taken seriously. I believe their argument is thoroughly flawed (and some of the other practices that low evidence studies justify I don't agree with, either!), but I'm curious what your thoughts are. It seems to be a new favorite to throw at people in comment sections (leading behind the ever popular "puberty blockers are completely reversible!" and "no one is influencing anyone to be trans), so I always like to have a reasonable response ready to go for those types of statements.
I think the best response is to cite the systematic evidence reviews in Finland, Sweden, the UK and Florida.
The no influence claim is one of the things that bugs me the most about the debate. To answer "no one is influencing anyone to be trans" I imagine what such influence would look like. And is it happening?
Social influence is well documented in many areas & social media probably makes it stronger. Adolescent girls are known to be more susceptible to social influence, eg anorexia, self-harm, and are disproportionately represented in trans/non-binary identification. Suicide can have an element of social influence. Our culture is drenched in trans/non-binary promotion. So why, in this one area, would there be no social influence?
Wonderful news Bernard. Keep going!
Thanks, Nerissa! B
Congrats Bernard! The more people who understand what's going on, the better. This ideology is so well-entrenched now, it's going to be a long, hard fight to defeat it. We need stamina as much as clarity.
For anyone interested, Christopher Rufo's new book "America's Cultural Revolution: How the Radical Left Conquered Everything" is well worth a read. He explains how we ended up in this Marcuse-ian universe, in which "the dictatorship of educated elites" (the preferred option for "Neo Marxists" despairing of the proletariat's refusal to revolt) has taken firm hold. The philosophy promulgated by Marcuse and taken up by self-described socialists is explicitly anti-democratic and contemptuous of ordinary people, who are seen to be too ignorant and backward to know what's best for them and must therefore have it imposed upon them (as well as being silenced). The pathway to this glorious revolution has necessitated, Rufo says (paraphrasing Mao): "a long march through the institutions". In other words, the takeover of state and institutional bureaucracies by the ultra left. Thus, ultra left terrorist groups like The Weather Underground and frankly paranoid fantasists like Derrick Bell ("the prophet of racial pessimism") found a new pulpit in academia and spawned many followers who went forth and conquered more institutions. Rufo concentrates more on critical race theory but gender identity ideology is very much its evil twin and followed effortlessly in its wake, the institutions having already been conquered by anti-intellectual identitarian nonsense.
Thank you so much Bernard. I am in NZ and really appreciate someone in Australasia looking into this and occasionally looking across the ditch. I think NZ might be even more entrenched than Australia in affirmation-only thinking and policy. The "be kind" mantra has blinded decision-makers to seeking robust evidence, including those who were sensible and science-based when Covid first hit. If you dare to ask questions about puberty blockers you are deemed far right and even genocidal.