Letter from academics concerned about The Cass Review
2 years ago 64
As a network of expert feminist academics and stakeholder groups who work on gender diversity, we are dismayed at the recommendations of the Cass Review (2024) for NHS provision of gender identity services for children and young people. The Feminist and Gender Equality Network urges the NHS not to act on these recommendations.
We suggest that the Cass Review contains unsound methodology, unacceptable bias, and unsupported conclusions. As academics and experts in the field, we regard The Cass Review as potentially harmful to trans children.
As academics with a wealth of research experience between us, we can confidently say that The Cass Review is an inadequate piece of research. Its methodology is unsatisfactory and unreliable. It disregards the wealth of expertise at national and international levels on best practice guidelines to support young trans people.
It does not include a proper systematic literature review since it disregards most research evidence because it fails to reach the impossibly high bar of a double-blind trial. In fact, trans healthcare is inappropriate for a double-blind trial since you cannot give hormones to one group of people and not to another. This practice would be unethical. Indeed, much medical practice is not based on this kind of evidence.
The Cass Review provides very little evidence for its proposals. The evidence it does draw upon is, in the main, anecdotal. In effect the Cass proposals are largely un-evidenced and seem to be based on anti-trans rhetoric rather than medical or scientific knowledge.
The failure to systematically include trans peoples’ voices while liberally presenting anti-trans campaigners’ rhetoric - including those accused of supporting ‘conversion therapy’ - reveals a level of bias that is unacceptable.
We regard The Cass Review as methodologically unsound, that it appears biased (despite its reasonable-sounding language), dangerous, and rights-stripping in its proposals. If implemented, its recommendations will cause great harm to trans and non-binary young people. This report should be rejected. Trans children and young children deserve so much better.
Please sign by including your name and institutional affiliation below
Signed,
Dr Natacha Kennedy, Goldsmiths, University of London
Beatrix Groves, Training & Campaigns Coordinator, Difference North East
Dr S. J. Pattison, retired
Dr Sahra Taylor, City, University of London
Dr Hester Duffy, University of Warwick
PhD Scholar and associate fellow lecturer, Kayden J Schumacher, Coventry University
Dr Charlotte Morris, University of Portsmouth
Dr Sarah Godfrey, University of East Anglia
Dr Rosie McGuire, University College London
Dr Hannah Gibson, Autonomous University of Barcelona
Mrs Hazel Gant, University of Portsmouth
Dr Sid Mohandas, Middlesex University
Max Kirk, Sheffield Hallam University
Stephanie Mindel LLB (Hons) LLM, University of West London (Retired)
Dr Liz Ellis, independent community health researcher
Dr Rachel Sumner, Cardiff Metropolitan University
Emma Procter, Independent Researcher
Dr Eleri Anona Watson, University of Oxford
Dr Alice Pember, University of Warwick
Prof Jamie Angus-Whiteoak (Emeritus) University of Salford
Dr Brian Kavanagh, University of Essex Online
Dr Hannah Yelin, Oxford Brookes University
Dr Naoise Murphy, Maynooth University
Dr Dawn Woolley, Leeds Arts University
Dr Lo Marshall, UCL
Dr Charlotte Beyer, University of Gloucestershire
Dominique Bailey, Human Being With Morals
T. Pilgrim University of Surrey
Dr Grace Scrimgeour, University of Bristol
Dr Gina Gwenffrewi, University of Edinburgh
Assoc. Prof Shelley Berry, Eastern Illinois University
Martin Crowe
Dr Katie Hunt, University of Lincoln
Dr Dori Grijseels, Max Planck Institute for Brain Research
Dr, Carol Steele, University of Salford
Dr. Quinnehtukqut McLamore, University of Missouri at Columbia
Professor Megan Povey, University of Leeds
Sarah Thompson-Cook, Manchester Metropolitan University
Instructor, David Whitehouse, American Public University System
Pierre Cloutier de Repentigny, Carleton University
Dr Hannah Gibson, Autonomous University of Barcelona
Dr Kate Davison, University of Edinburgh
Rachel Saunders, University of Nottingham
Max Kirk, Sheffield Hallam University
Stephanie Mindel LLB (Hons) LLM, University of West London (Retired)
Dr Alex Powell, Oxford Brookes University
Ms Xu Yang, University of Georgia
Dr Kamila Kamaruddin, RCGP
Dr S. J. Pattison, retired
AProf Rachel Heath, University of Newcastle Australia
Dr Sarah Charles, Nottingham Trent University
Dr Monique Botha, University of Stirling
Rebecca Jiggens, PhD student, University of Leeds
Professor Emerita Helen Jefferson Lenskyj, University of Toronto
Dr Adeline Berry, University of Huddersfield
Dr Christopher Hanby, Goldsmiths College
Dr Seán Henry, Edge Hill University
Dr David Allsopp, University of Cambridge
Prof Elisabeth Lund Engebretsen, University of Stavanger
Dr. Francesca Romana Ammaturo, London Metropolitan University
Dr Jay Vickers, University of Salford
Beth Roberts, University of Surrey
Dr Lucie Fremlova
Raf Benato, City, University of London
Mrs Lesley Dougan, Liverpool John Moores University
Prof David Andress, University of Portsmouth
Dr Tereza Hendl, University of Augsburg and the LMU of Munich
Michael Phillips (PhD Candidate), University of Brighton
Dr Kyja Noack-Lundberg, University of Hull
Robyn Lawson, M.S., Virginia Tech
Dr. Kaylee Koss, Lecturer in Quantitative & Qualitative Methods, University of Europe for Applied Sciences
Prof. Grace Lavery, University of California—Berkeley
Dr Xine Yao, University College London
Dr John McCallum, Nottingham Trent University
Dr Jo Edge, University of Edinburgh
Dr Matilda Fitzmaurice, Lancaster University
Dr Max Morris, Oxford Brookes University
Dr Kai Wikeley, University of Leeds
Dr. Siobhan Guerrero Mc Manus, UNAM
Dr Aimee Bailey, De Montfort University
Prof Kirstin Ringelberg, Elon University
Dr Paul Simpson, University of Manchester
Dr Mark Pendleton, University of Sheffield
Dr Hillary Pimlott, Wilfrid Laurier University
Dr Angelos Bollas, Maynouth University
Dr Glyn Everett, University of the West of England
Emma Rebecca Wallace, Ulster University
Dr Diego Garcia Rodriguez, University of Nottingham
Dr Kari Koskinen
Dr Christopher Lloyd, University of Hertfordshire
Dr Eagan Dean, Rutgers University
Prof Sally Hines, University of Sheffield
Dr Chris Millora, Goldsmiths, University of London
Prof Gavin Brown, University of Sheffield
Dr Robert Bohan, University of Dublin
Dr SJ Pattison, Rtd.
Dr Natalie Jester, University of Gloucestershire
Dr Jennifer Drabble, formerly of Sheffield Hallam University
Dr Mae Caroll, University of Melbourne
Dr Sneha Krishnan, University of Oxford
April Preston MA, University of Manchester
Dr Nat Thorne
Dr Celestine Kunkeler, University of Oslo
Dr Deniele Metilli, University College London
Dr Chris Parkes, King's College London
Assistant Professor Irene Zempi, Nottingham Trent University
Dr Rhian Elinor Keyse, Birkbeck, University of London
Dr Ewan Harrison, University of Manchester
Dr Royce Mahawatte, Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts, London
Prof Claire Dunlop, University of Exeter
Dr Diego Garcia Rodriguez, University of Nottingham
Prof Sunny Singh, London Metropolitan University
Anupama Ranawana, University of St Andrews
Braedyn Ezra Simon, Freie Universität Berlin
Feona Attwood, Editor, Journal of Gender Studies
Dr Fran Amery, University of Bath
Abbey Brunault MSc, King's College London
Elizabeth Currie BA (Hons) The Open University
Dr Briony Hannell, University of Sheffield
Mx Jess Randall, University of Liverpool
Prof Anson MacKay, University College London
Dr Alice Corble, University of Sussex
Dr Owen Walsh, University of Aberdeen
Dr Elizabeth Anderson, University of Aberdeen
Dr Lena Wånggren, University of Edinburgh
Dr Benjamin Weil, University College London
Dr Meg-john Barker, Independent Scholar
Dr Charlotte Lydia Riley, University of Southampton
Georgia Rivers, University of Sheffield
Dr Onni Gust, University of Nottingham
Dr Sally Pezaro, Coventry University
Dr Ece Kocabicak, The Open University
Dr Alon Lischinsky, Oxford Brookes University
Dr Jaya Jacobo, Coventry University
Prof Annelise Weckesser, Birmingham City University
Dr Cal Horton, Research Fellow, Oxford Brookes Business School
Agnieszka Wodzinska, University of Edinburgh and Glasgow School of Art
Dr Andy Kaladelfos, University of New South Wales
Dr Hamish McIntosh, University of Melbourne
Prof Priyamvada Gopal, Cambridge University
Dr Alice Nuttall, Oxford Brookes University
Mx Nick Cherryman, University of Warwick
Dr Roseanna Kettle, University of York
Prof Kate Maxwell, UiT Arctic University of Norway
Dr Vanja Hamzic, SOAS University of London
Prof Megan Povey, University of Leeds
Dr Helen Coulshed, Kings College London
Dr Aisha Belkadi, SOAS University of London
Dr Billy Holzberg, Kings College London
Pippa Sterk, PhD Candidate at King's College London
Dr Aura Lehtonen, University of Greenwich
Dr Jai Mackenzie, Birmingham Newman University
Naomi Smart, PhD Student, King's College, London
Professor Rebecca Boden, Tampere University (retired)
Dr Aliénor Lemieux-Cumberlege, University of Edinburgh
Dr Soe Tjen Marching, SOAS University of London
Dr Sidonia Lucia Kula, SOAS University of London
Prof Gabriel Reedy, King's College London
Dr Elizabeth Elliott, University of Aberdeen
Dr Caroline Gonda, St Catharine's College, Cambridge
Dr Naomi Holford, Open University
Jonny Hunt, Senior Lecturer, University of Bedfordshire
Dr Sohni Chakrabarti, University of St Andrews
Gemma Williams, Research Fellow, Birmingham City University
Athanasia Francis, PhD Researcher, University of Liverpool
Dr Sian Hawthorne, SOAS University of London
Dr Kiron Ward, University of St Andrews
Dr. Martin Young, Birkbeck, University of London
Dr Alyosxa Tudor, SOAS, University of London
Dr Alex Lee, Goldsmiths, University of London
Dr Tania de St Croix, King's College, University of London
Dr Parvathi Menon, SOAS University of London
Dr Cat Wayland, University of Edinburgh
Tanvi Kanchan, PhD Candidate, SOAS, University of London
Barbara Schenkel, SOAS, University of London
Prof Julia Sallabank, SOAS University of London
Laura Reyes Pollak MA, University of Hamburg
Dr Maia Holtermann Entwistle, Queen Mary University of London
Mia Parkes, University of Birmingham
Dr Alicia Spencer-Hall, University College London
Jodie Hughes, PhD Candidate, Roehampton University
Meggie Copsey-Blake, King’s College London
Prof Ashley Thompson, SOAS University of London
Dr Carole Jones, University of Edinburgh
Ekabali Ghosh, PhD student, SOAS, University of London
Dr Laura Gazzoli, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna
Dr I Moon, Warwick University
Dr Leanne Bibby, Teesside University
Polina Zelmanova, University of Warwick
Prof Lizzie Seal, University of Sussex
Dr Abeera Khan, SOAS, University of London
Dr Jason O'Toole, University College Dublin
Beatriz Santos Barreto, University of Cambridge
Munzar Sharif, Trainee Clinical Psychologist, University of East London
Dr Sana Rizvi, Liverpool John Moores University
Dr Abs S Ashley, University of Bristol
Harry Ainscough, PhD Student, McGill University
Alexis Davin, University of Bristol
Prof Navtej Purewal, SOAS, University of London
Prof Laurence Cox, National University of Ireland Maynooth
Prof Goldie Osuri, University of Warwick
Dr Sian Hawthorne, SOAS University of London
Dr Anja Komatar, University of Leeds
Dr. Ruth Marshall, University of Toronto
Professor Emerita Farah Mendlesohn, Anglia Ruskin University
Dr Rachel Sykes, university of Birmingham
Dr Emma Campbell, Ulster University
Dr. J Wallace Skelton, Assistant Prof of Queer Studies in Education, University of Regina
Dr Tone Walford, UCL
Dr Jos Twist, Hertfordshire University
Dr. Dana Mahr, Karlsruhe Institute for Technology
Dr. Amaya Deakins, Forest Institute of Professional Psychology
Prof Stephen Whittle OBE, The Manchester Law School
Dr Bethan Jones, University of South Wales
Dr Danielle King, Sussex Partnership Foundation Trust
Kevin Tan, SOAS, University of London
Dr Kerryn Drysdale, University of New South Wales, Australia
Prof Claire Rasmussen, University of Delaware
Dr Bridget Haire, UNSW Australia
Dr Melissa Stepney, University of Oxford
Dr Ben Spatz, University of Huddersfield
Shreeta Lakhani, SOAS, University of London
Dr Anthony K J Smith, University of New South Wales, Australia
Dr David Scott, Abertay University
Dr Harry R. McCarthy, University of Exeter
Dr Ruth Pearce, University of Glasgow
Dr Naomi Hetherington, University of Sheffield
Dr Tacey O'Neil, The Open University
Ms River Cronin, University of Cambridge
Ms Jane Haynes Agoro, SOAS, University of London
Dr Mathew Rickard, Université de Picardie Jules Verne
Dr Chandni Dwarkasing, SOAS University of London
Dr Maria La Falce, SOAS University of London
Dr David J Hayes, University of Sheffield
Dr Francis Ray White, University of Westminster
Dr Alex Fitzpatrick, University of Leeds
Prof. Khursheed Wadia, University of Warwick
Lorne Power, University of Sussex
Dr Kerem Nisancioglu, SOAS, University of London
Dr Sophie Duncan-Shepherd, University of Edinburgh
Dr Phoenix Andrews, University of Aberdeen
Scarlett de Courcier, PhD candidate, University of Southampton
Prof Robert Andrew Smith, University of Leeds
Dr Ashlee Christoffersen, York University/University of Edinburgh
Melissa P. Martin, Cardiff University
Prof Lauren Hall-Lew, University of Edinburgh
George Taxidis, Goldsmiths, University of London
Prof Surya Monro, Loughborough University
Marissa Dainton, Canterbury Christ Church University
Dr Katie Nicoll Baines, University of Edinburgh
Dr Tamsin Jones, Newcastle University
Dr Maria do Mar Pereira, University of Warwick
Dr Hannah Piercy, University of Bern
Dr Sophie Chamas, Lecturer in Gender Studies, SOAS, University of London
Dr Sarah Knowles, University of York
Dr Senija Causevic, SOAS, University of London
Dr Sophie Quinney, NHS
Dr Ingrid Young, University of Edinburgh
Dr. Anne Augustine, University of Strathclyde
Dr Audrey Linden, UCL
Dr Alessandra Mezzadri, SOAS, University of London
Christian Harrison, University of Leeds
Dr Lucy Hinnie, independent scholar
Brian Finlay, University of Strathclyde
Dr Charlotte Bosseaux, University of Edinburgh
LJ Potter, University of Central Lancashire
Hannah Ayres, University of Warwick
Sarah Flynn, University of Hertfordshire
Dr Chris Mowat, University of Sheffield
Dr Robyn Orfitelli, University of Sheffield
Prof Laura Hammond, SOAS, University of London