Calls to Childline from kids concerned about gender identity double in a year
By Will Stroude
The NSPCC’s anonymous helpline Childline has been receiving an average of eight calls a day from young people about gender issues.
2796 calls were made by young people seeking counselling and advice about gender identity in 2015-16 – the highest number ever recorded by Childline, and over double the number of calls received in 2014-15 (1,299), The Guardian reports.
The charity explained that some young people may have called more than once, but because the service is confidential they have no way of separating unique calls from repeat calls.
According to reports, kids aged 12 to 15 were most likely to call Childline about gender issues, but around 10% of the calls they received on the subject were from 11-year-olds.
The news comes as transgender issues come further into the spotlight across Britain. While strides are being made to increase representation for trans youth – including a recent CBBC programme about dealing with gender dysphoria as a child – trans people are still subjected to discrimination and harassment at a disproportionate rate.
“I don’t think we can be clear in why there is a big increase in the number of calls. I think we’re slowly trying to talk more openly about trans issues,” said Emily Cherry, Head of Children and Young People Participation at the NSPCC.
“We’re hearing about a huge amount of anxiety about talking to trusted adults about transitioning, one thing we give them is confidence and help with finding the words to talk to parents,” she added.
Earlier this year, the NSPCC were forced to scrap a debate after being criticised for inviting transphobic journalist Sarah Ditum to discuss how society is meeting the needs of trans youth