Brooke Rose

Today I learned that stalking a 17 year old girl, writing up a 400 page 'dossier' about her, falsely reporting her to the police and smashing her phone does not constitute 'harassment'.

One wonders what *would*.

You can literally say what you want about trans people and the UK courts are fine with it.

This was a *child*

Changes in Suicidality among Transgender Adolescents Following Hormone Therapy: An Extended Study To examine changes in suicidality following hormone therapy (HT) among transgender and gender-diverse adolescents and young adults.A retrospective cha…

"Hormone Therapy was associated with clinically meaningful reductions in suicidality over time, extending prior findings with a larger sample and longer follow-up." www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Changes in Suicidality among Transgender Adolescents Following Hormone Therapy: An Extended Study To examine changes in suicidality following hormone therapy (HT) among transgender and gender-diverse adolescents and young adults.A retrospective cha…

A very, very important peer-reviewed empirical study published in the academic journal Pediatrics shows that hormone treatment of young trans people decreases suicidality very significantly.

Doubtless it will be ignored by Simonoff et al, who are not even measuring this in the “Pathways” study.

License to Discriminate: UK’s Labour Pushes Unethical Anti-Trans Steps — Assigned Leading Off: Studies try to put a veneer of legitimacy on Cass’s political project. A powerful UK agency says bigotry based on appearance is A-OK. Top story lines for the week.

The UK has finally announced a study on puberty blockers to treat youth gender dysphoria, more than a year after banning them despite finding no evidence of any harm.

Some might say this is the opposite of how medicine is normally done, but with trans care the only rule is bigotry.

More here:

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...

Senior medical doctors condemn the puberty blocker ban: “It is completely inappropriate for the Government of the day to be determining treatment options for our patients."

asms.org.nz/senior-docto...

Doctors and parents should make decisions about what is best for their kids health - not politicians. The Government has said doctors cannot give new prescriptions of puberty blockers to children who are suffering from gender dysphoria. That is putting kids at risk.

Even though NZ is misogynistic af, there would still be far more pushback against an abortion ban than there has been for a trans kids ban, and they know it. So the ban won’t be outright (at first), but something more subtle like underfunding and not filling positions, restricting locations, etc.

Hipkins jumped on bluesky after a 2month break to support Winston Peters here

Has so far refused to do the same to support the trans community in the face of destructive and, frankly, fatal policy that NZF and National delivered this week

Really showing his, and Labour's, priorities

Puberty blockers: why politicians overriding doctors sets a dangerous precedent Analysis: The government's ban on puberty blockers for gender-affirming care prioritises politics and ideology over decades of expert clinical guidance and patient safety evidence.

Good to see some reporting on this.
Spread it far and wide, folks.

www.rnz.co.nz/news/on-the-...

So many doctors, medical experts, paediatric organisations, human rights organisations, and medical organisations coming out against the government’s ban on puberty blockers.

It’s a tsunami of support for the trans community, and boy are the anti-trans bigots mad about it.

Bullshit alert: some NZ politicians (dishonestly) claiming that the puberty blocker ban is about "saving" kids from "unnecessary" medical interventions and "letting them make up their own minds"

No, that's *what puberty blockers* do. It gives those kids time to work out their own identity.

Since people asked, my top places for trans people right now are France, Australia (parts), Canada (parts), Spain (though politics there are tenuous), Iceland, Uruguay.

This government has done some absolutely horrendous shit but this - denial of essential health care for trans youth - is unforgivable. Pure evil.

So in a few month's time when the govt is telling you the social media under 16 age ban is to protect children, remember that they don't actually care about children's safety. They don't care about trans kids. They don't care about tamariki Māori. They don't care about feeding kids. #nzpol

Ngl it's wearing me down and leaving me feeling like Bilbo Baggins "sort of stretched, like butter scraped over too much bread". I feel entirely inadequate in the face of all the cruelty and harm being repeatedly enacted by this govt

Another 6 month review will not deliver the Golden Mile, just like the reviews before it. This city is stuck in managed decline and we desperately need to build our way out of it

If they can ban access to healthcare like puberty blockers for one group of people, they can do this with any healthcare for their next target. They will ban abortion again given the chance and they will come after contraception after that. The anti-choice movement is our govt right now. #nzpol

Anything from Hipkins yet? Anything at all?

Zero surprises that the brainless transphobic health minister in NZ ignored all expert advice and evidence and banned puberty blockers for trans youth. Literal blood on his hands.

www.beehive.govt.nz/release/new-...

Did not expect this Trans Day of Remembrance to start out with talking to my husband about how the government’s puberty blocker decision will lead to immense mental distress in young trans people.
Yet here we are.

Absolutely fuck these people. Politicians overruling medical professionals is a shit position.

The Professional Association for Transgender Health Aotearoa (PATHA) condemns today's decision from Minister of Health Simeon Brown introducing a ban on new prescriptions of GnRH analogues (puberty blockers) for transgender children and young people who are not currently on them. This ideologically driven ban will have a devastating impact on the lives and wellbeing of our transgender and gender diverse young people. We know that children, young people and their whanau will be highly distressed by this decision. We also acknowledge health professionals' frustration at the way their expertise has been ignored and disregarded. "The ban will lead to a deterioration in mental health, increased risk of suicidality and increased dysphoria in gender diverse children and young people, and will put them at a higher risk of experiencing marginalisation and discrimination," says Dr Elizabeth McElrea, GP specialist in gender affirming care and PATHA Vice-President. "The prescribing of puberty blockers is always undertaken with the utmost care and consideration. They have been prescribed safely for decades for transgender children and banning their use will lead to profound distress in this already vulnerable group." This decision is not supported by the Ministry of Health's November 2024 evidence brief on this care.

This decision is not supported by the Ministry of Health's November 2024 evidence brief on this care. While the evidence brief identified some limitations in the academic quality of evidence regarding the risks and benefits of GRH analogues, limitations in evidence quality are common across a number of areas of medicine, especially within paediatric medicine, and do not justify a ban on access. "PATHA supports evidence-based medicine, which consists of three key components: academic evidence, clinical experience, and patient preferences and values," says Dr McElrea. "When the quality of available academic evidence is of lower quality, it's incredibly common for clinicians to lean on guidelines drawn from clinical experience." "Practising medicine, and paediatric medicine (not just within gender affirming healthcare), often necessitates providing care without a high-quality evidence base. The absence of high-quality clinical evidence does not mean providing this care is wrong." "Children benefit from innovative medical treatments that improve their survival and quality of life. Pediatric care would all but cease if physicians denied treatments for which the evidence base is imperfect." (McNamara et al., 2024, p. 15) 'An Evidence-Based Critique of "The Cass Review" on Gender-affirming Care for Adolescent

The new restrictions will be in place until the conclusion of clinical trials in the United Kingdom, which are not due until at least 2031. "In no other area of care would life-saving medication be withheld from a vulnerable population for six years. This will have a traumatic impact on a generation of transgender children," says Avery Zavoda, PATHA Executive Committee member. PATHA is strongly against the decision. It is a shocking act of discrimination against transgender children and young people. "That New Zealand First announced this news three hours before the Minister of Health shows the way this care has been politicised, and how politics have been prioritised over the wellbeing of New Zealand children," said Zavoda. "Banning puberty blockers will not prevent children from being transgender, despite the disinformation New Zealand First are promoting," says Jennifer Shields, PATHA President. "It's obvious that this has been a political decision made to appease a coalition partner based on an imported culture war, rather than a medical recommendation reflecting the expertise of NZ clinicians and researchers who have been working in this field for over 25 years." Identify, a 2022 New Zealand research survey on the experiences

Identify, a 2022 New Zealand research survey on the experiences of rainbow young people showed "the proportion of young people who wanted puberty blockers and were able to use them was nearly half the number of young people who wanted these medications but could not access them." These findings made it clear that the prescription context and existing regulations "did not result in the easy access to young people who wanted puberty blockers that some people have claimed existed. In fact, the results demonstrate a seriously constrained prescription context that urgently needs further attention to be more equitable." "We call on the Ministry of Health to publish their consultation report immediately, so that health professionals, trans people, and the wider public can see that this decision has been made by politicians rather than based on clinical experience," says Shields. "We also look forward to the Minister now immediately allowing the updated guidelines for gender affirming healthcare to be published." "We also call on Labour, the Green Party, and Te Paati Mãori to commit to reversing this harmful decision if they are elected into government next year. Our communities need the reassurance that this ban will not last." "PATHA is committed to ensuring all trans children and children experiencing gender dysphoria have access to the best quality care.

PATHA's statement has been published: patha.nz/news

Restricting the availability of puberty blockers to trans kids but allowing them for cis kids is a blatant violation of NZBORA (1990) and the Human Rights Act (1993).

This will undoubtedly end up in court - very quickly as the subject of a Judicial Review.

this is a key point - they know they're not dangerous cos if there was really an issue with 'side effects' it would be a blanket ban rather than different ONLY for trans kids

they KNOW this is purely to target trans people & the split policy is them overtly bragging about the fact. It's pure evil

Govt halts new puberty blockers prescriptions for gender-affirming care Green Party MP Ricardo Menéndez March says the government is "buying into imported culture wars" .

Karen Chhour is quoted in this piece actively promoting conversion practices, after previously comparing gender affirming care to torture at Lake Alice. This coalition is evil. www.rnz.co.nz/news/politic...

Puberty blockers are safe and proven - the THIRD PARAGRAPH acknowledges that children WILL still be prescribed them, just not if they're trans

This is an attack on trans children, full stop

This government does not care about children, full stop

Jesus Christ announcing the puberty blocker ban the day before trans day of remembrance. Don't tell me that's not deliberate.

Cabinet has agreed to introduce new safeguards on the prescribing of gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogues, while ensuring patients with medical needs can continue to access appropriate care, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. "We are putting in place stronger safeguards so families can have confidence that any treatment is clinically sound and in the best interests of the young person or child. "Gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogues play an important role in treating a range of medical conditions. We are ensuring they remain available for patients who need them for conditions such as early-onset puberty, endometriosis, or prostate cancer, where there is strong clinical evidence of benefit." The Ministry of Health’s evidence brief found that there is a lack of high-quality evidence that demonstrates the benefits or risks of the use of gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogues for the treatment of gender dysphoria or incongruence. While this uncertainty persists, the Government is taking a precautionary approach. Following public consultation, Cabinet has agreed to introduce new regulations under the Medicines Act to align New Zealand's approach with the United Kingdom: New patients seeking treatment for gender dysphoria or incongruence can no longer be prescribed gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogues, pending the completion of the United Kingdom's clinical trial on their use in this context. Ensure existing youth gender services are maintained for young people experiencing gender dysphoria or incongruence and bringing these services together through a central, accessible online resource. "These changes will ensure a more consistent and carefully monitored approach. This mirrors steps taken in other countries, such as the United Kingdom, Finland, Norway, and Sweden, where additional safeguards have recently been implemented to ensure decisions are made in line with the best available evidence," Mr Brown says. The new approach will not impact patients cu…

It's being reported that New Zealand has banned puberty blockers for transgender youth. I removed New Zealand from my recommendations to families fleeing a while back after the far right saw a surge in power in the country.

Sad day for NZ trans youth.