Former barrister James Esses said he was concerned many youngsters were confused about gender identity and, wrongly, were automatically categorised as transgender or fast-tracked into making life-altering decisions such as undergoing major surgery.
But after sharing his concerns on social media, Mr Esses, 29, claims he became a victim of a belief that young children know their own minds about gender.
Rather like all the victims of the belief that 'children don't lie about abuse'...
First, he was told to leave a five-year degree course because of his 'social media activity'.
And nor was that enough for the activists:
Ten days later, Childline told him he could no longer be a volunteer counsellor.
They probably shouldn't have picked on a lawyer, though:
He is now taking legal action against the Metanoia Institute in West London, where he was studying for a Masters in psychotherapy.
Here's hoping he wins. Because it's no longer about just the issue of mad transgender advocates harming children or making it impossible to know who is committing crime. It's greater than that:
Mr Esses believes the way society is currently debating the issue is a watershed moment.
'This is not just about protecting children, it's also about free speech,' he said. 'If we keep going down this path, people will be far too afraid to say what they feel.
'Children's well-being and free speech are so vital that I feel it is my duty to keep speaking out.'
It's all our duty. Because - like Mr Esses - I think society is at a crossroads. And we will look back at this period in time as we looked back at the criminilisation of homosexuality, or the incarceration of slightly-mentally challenged people in secure mental asylums.
As an abomination.
I look back at the locking up of lunatics and think that the country was a safer place back then.
ReplyDeleteWhen homosexuality was a criminal act, most people knew that there were perverts around, but so long as they kept it to themselves, didn't molest children, didn't solicit people who it annoyed, or kept their campness for the stage, that was OK. Private sodomy was a private matter.
Oh, and in those days, fudge packers packed fudge in confectionery factories, uphill gardeners planted flowers in their sloping gardens, and faggots were a variety of minced meat in gravy.
I admit I am older than I would like to be but I just don't remember any youngster ever being confused about gender. Boys were boys and girls were girls and both were very happy with that arrangement particularly around puberty time. I honestly believe we have a vast industry trading in this rubbish and manufacturing misery in order to profit from it.
ReplyDelete"I look back at the locking up of lunatics and think that the country was a safer place back then."
ReplyDeleteOh, agreed, but there were a lot of people who didn't need that level of security. Now, of course, the pendulum has swung too far.
"...but I just don't remember any youngster ever being confused about gender. "
If you were 'boyish' at school, it was never suggested you get surgery! Just read a bit less 'Swallows and Amazons'!