The Labour Government‘s attacks on trans people have reached a new low. With this new guidance (inaccurately dubbed ‘new legislation’), pharmacists are threatened with a criminal offence for distributing GnRH’s to under 18s for gender affirming care. The government is, in effect, encouraging pharmacists to snitch on doctors for treating trans young people properly in line with globally recognised standards of care.
To be clear, this is explicit transphobic discrimination. GnRH’s are only banned for treating gender dysphoria in trans people. Cisgender kids can still be prescribed exactly the same medications for exactly the same purpose – delaying puberty to prevent social stigma. Wes Streeting is putting trans kids’ lives at risk with this cruel and medically irresponsible ban.
The government’s puberty blocker ban, introduced following the widely discredited Cass Review, is starting to look increasingly like a police state for young trans people. This circular appears to be encouraging “snitch” behaviour; inferring that pharmacists should report medical practitioners for prescribing these lifesaving medications.