Paul Thistoll

Study In The Journal Of Pediatrics Finds Trans Youth Care Lowers Suicidality, Few Detransition The groundbreaking study found that suicidality dropped for transgender youth receiving hormone therapy by nearly 70%, with only 7 patients of 432 discontinuing treatment.

1. A landmark study was just published in The Journal of Pediatrics.

It found a 68% reduction in suicidality for trans youth getting HRT.

It also found only 7 of more than 400 stopped taking HRT... and of those that did, 4 still identified as gender-diverse.

Transgender care saves lives.

If you are a parent, and your kids' school is not on the list, email the board of trustees and ask them to join it.

Dear Minister Brown, Ms Sonerson, and Dr Borne, I am writing to bring to your urgent attention that the wording of the new puberty blockers regulation is far too wide. It would stop the new initiations of blocker therapy for adults. It is a known treatment for the gender affirming care of adult trans women. The regulation needs to be amended to make it clear that it applies only to under 18s, or does not apply to people who have completed puberty. You are not only taking away choices from children and their parents/caregivers, but also from adults - this is surely not the intention of the regulation? Yours faithfully, Paul Thistoll

***Call to action***

Here is the email I sent to Minister Brown, Ms Sorenson and Dr Joe Bourne (yes, I misspelt his name in the email!).

Please send something similar:

s.brown@minister.govt.nz
audrey.sonerson@health.govt.nz
joe.bourne@health.govt.nz

Everyone, the wording of the Puberty Blockers regulation has come out.

It's too broad and prohibits adults from using blockers as part of their gender affirming care drug regimen for new initiations of therapy.

Write to Simeon and MOH to point this out. It's unacceptable.

bsky.app/profile/jenn...

44BA Restriction on prescribing gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogues (1) An authorised prescriber must not prescribe a prescription medicine that is a gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogue for the treatment of a person with— (a) gender incongruence; or (b) gender dysphoria. (2) See Part 2 of Schedule 1AA for a transitional provision in respect of this regulation.

No matter what the politicians say, this is discrimination. Look at how the regulation is worded: This is not a ban on its use for a particular indication, it's a ban for a population.

www.legislation.govt.nz/regulation/p...

What a great post.

Yes, Shanan and Duncan have made strong statements on socials - they are strong allies.
But we need a formal organisation-wide statement from the Labour Health spokesperson or leadership.
Keep the pressure up on them - they are vacillating, I understand.

Yes, we are hoping that to be the case.
:-)

Media Release: Government Bans Trans Youth While Protecting Cisgender Access to Puberty Blockers. Rights Aotearoa condemns the Government’s decision today to ban the prescription of puberty blockers for transgender youth as an act of unlawful discrimination and political interference in clinical m...

Exactly.

I took this approach in our press release.

www.rightsaotearoa.nz/media-releas...

Yes, Ninja Kitty ELF(!), my email acknowledged Shanan and Duncan's statements - but we need a formal party release like the Greens and TPM have done.

Everyone, I have written to Dr Verrall saying that the lack of a formal statement from the Labour Party decrying the new blockers policy is unacceptable.

Please email her politely and ask her to issue a formal statement on behalf of Labour.
The Greens and TPM have both issued good statements.

Our trans whānau deserve better than this Government We are building a future where we do more, faster, to protect our planet and make sure everyone is treated equally.

Good statement from the Greens.

www.greens.org.nz/our_trans_wh...

Those with object permanence going back 7 years to July/August 2018 might recall the Southern/Molyneux visit, Phil Goff's reaction, and the online reaction to Phil Goff's reaction. Smaller liberalish societies like us and Ireland are imaginary country rhetorical devices to the farrightosphere

Just an update on Thistoll v Minister of Justice—my judicial review of Paul Goldsmith's decision to appoint Rainbow and Derby as Human Rights Commissioners.

The hearing was on 4th August and we are still awaiting the judgment.

I will post a copy of the judgment as soon as we get it.

But the right to freedom of expression is no more important than the other rights, like the right to live free from discrimination, or to pursue your own private life. They exist in tension which is why we have mechanisms for inter-rights conflicts.

This is your Monday morning reminder that there is no foundational human right.

All human rights exist with equal importance, which is why we have mechanisms (NZBORA s5) to deal with inter-rights tensions.
There are foundational concepts, such as bodily autonomy, which underpin several rights.

There is a really disturbing trend on X of blaming "white, liberal, women" for everything and then arguing they should lose the right to vote, i.e. the end of universal suffrage.

This position is so absolutely batshit that I don't think people realise what they are saying when they espouse it!

If you want a good summary of what's happened this week, what happens next, what the NZ anti-trans network wants to happen next, and some things you can do to help, here's your listen.

Can I just point out that these warnings are far, far from empty alarmism. Look at the states. Repro rights orgs started warning people years ago as the antis chipped away at our rights until finally Roe v Wade fell. We can’t let it happen here. We need a new govt. #nzpol

👀

Utterly deranged!?

Puberty blockers: why politicians overriding doctors sets a dangerous precedent The government’s ban on puberty blockers undermines clinical expertise and targets trans youth with a policy that lacks evidence, consistency and fairness.

Jaimie Veale, the founding president of PATHA and Director of the Trans Health Research Lab at Waikato has written an excellent op-ed for the Conversation: "The government has placed a burden of proof on puberty blockers that we do not place on other paediatric care."

UN to hear human rights complaint over New Zealand’s treatment of Māori UN committee to consider claim by prominent Māori leader Tureiti Moxon that alleges government policies have harmed Indigenous people

Excellent news!

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...

Extremely.

Puberty blocker pause could harm vulnerable young people, psychiatrists say | RANZCP Puberty blocker pause could harm vulnerable young people, psychiatrists say

Good statement from the RANZCP

www.ranzcp.org/news-analysi...

I notice Rainbow just could not bring himself to put his name to it.

Ban on puberty blockers serious human rights infringement

Good statement from the HRC.

tikatangata.org.nz/news/ban-on-...

Trump's Anti-Trans Report Authors Revealed: Hate Groups and Billionaire-Funded Anti-Trans Activists The majority of the “expert” comments cited in the “peer review” seem to be just as ignorant as the authors about the reality of trans people’s care.

1. Trump's Anti-Trans HHS Report authors have been unmasked, and as someone said, "Now we know why they were previously kept anonymous."

It's a who's who of hate groups and billionaire-funded anti-trans activists.

We detail the names in our latest report.

Subscribe to support our journalism.

I am speaking from a semi-informed view - I know people have taken/are taking advice.

I have a one JR at a time rule, so this action won't be mine. I haven't got the judgment in Thistoll v Goldsmith yet.

I won't be saying much more - just that you should hold on to possible donation funds!

PSA: Everyone, hold tight for a while. I imagine OIAs are being filed presently by the groups who may challenge the puberty blockers' decision.
That will take up to 3 months, given delaying tactics, so don't expect to see anything publicly for a while.
Hold on to your cash for any future fundraiser.