Wes Streeting must ‘listen to trans young people’ after NHS restrictions, say 10 LGBTQ+ groups
The letter was coordinated by TransActual and backed by groups including Mermaids, Gendered Intelligence and The Proud Trust
By Callum Wells
10 LGBTQ+ youth organisations have written to Wes Streeting, urging him to reverse recent restrictions on gender-affirming healthcare and to “start listening to the trans young people his decisions impact.”
The letter – coordinated by TransActual and backed by groups including Mermaids, Gendered Intelligence and The Proud Trust – follows a series of NHS policy changes affecting trans young people across England.
These include the pause of the PATHWAYS puberty blocker trial, as well as new restrictions preventing 16 and 17-year-olds from accessing gender-affirming hormone treatments. Updated guidance around GP shared care has also tightened access further.
“We are deeply concerned about the impact of your approach” reads the letter addressed to Wes Streeting
In the letter, addressed to Streeting and NHS England medical director James Palmer, the organisations warn of the long-term consequences of the current approach.
“As organisations that work with and support trans young people, we are deeply concerned about the impact of your approach,” the letter reads.
The signatories argue that current policies risk “serious long-term damage to a generation of trans youth,” calling instead for a system rooted in informed consent, timely access to care, and what they describe as a more “careful, compassionate, and supportive approach.”
The intervention comes amid an increasingly heated national debate around trans healthcare, particularly for under-18s. Campaigners say that the voices of trans young people themselves have been sidelined in policymaking, and are urging ministers to engage directly with those affected.
Where is the full letter available to read?
Alongside TransActual, the letter is signed by a coalition of organisations working across the UK and internationally, including IGLYO, The Kite Trust, Proud2Be, FFLAG, SAGE Staffordshire and Mosaic LGBT+ Young Persons’ Trust.
The groups say they are open to working with government and the NHS to improve care provision, but stress that current restrictions represent what they describe as an “assault on the availability of gender-affirming care.”
The full letter is available online here.