What the Cass Review fails to tell us about growing up trans

Trans barrister Robin Moira White says the 388-page report was billed as a ‘new start’ for gender services in the UK – but its glaring holes, notably around controversial puberty blockers, will leave the NHS unable to deal with the real challenges faced by young trans people

‘It is not reassuring for trans people to see the Cass report welcomed by a slew of trans-hostile organisations’ (PA)

Trans people – particularly young trans people – have been repeatedly failed by the state for as long as I can remember.

Throughout the 2010s, London’s Tavistock Centre, the NHS’s only dedicated gender identity clinic for children and young people, became increasingly overwhelmed, with demand for its services far outstripping available resources. This was a position mirrored in adult trans services, too, where waiting lists can stretch to decades – or are closed entirely.

So, many of us hoped the review of NHS gender services for children and young people, conducted by Dr Hilary Cass, would prove a hopeful new start.