0:00
controversial. Can you unpack what you mean? Why are trans identified children more likely to come
0:05
from white or more privileged groups? Yes. Well, I was asked by the journalist
0:09
if we have any trans children at Michaela. And I said, no. And he said, well, why do you think
0:13
that's the case? And I think, well, the vast majority of them are ethnic minority. And I do
0:18
think that will have impact. Now, obviously, I'm not talking about adults. There are trans men and
0:23
women who are adults. And I imagine there are just as many in all the different races, just as
0:28
there are same-sex attracted people in all the different races. And I imagine there would be no
0:32
reason why there'd be more in one group than the other. But we are talking about children who are
0:37
different. And the reason why with children it's different is that there's lots of children who get
0:43
caught up in fads. And while, of course, there will be some genuinely trans children out there
0:50
when I'm saying trans to the journalist, I'm putting quotation marks, but of course
0:54
you don't see that in the writing when it ends up in the newspaper. There are lots of children who end up caught up in fads
1:01
as we've seen some who think that they are dogs or they think that they're snow leopards
1:07
I've got a little year seven boy at the moment who thinks he's a detective and goes on the train
1:11
and encounters the police and does all sorts of, you know, because he thinks he's a detective
1:17
Now, the fact is that children do these sorts of things and they can get caught up because they're socially pressured
1:24
into doing so, or the media encourages them, they're online, they see certain discussions
1:30
and they get, they're vulnerable to that sort of thing. Now, then we need to ask ourselves, which children are most vulnerable to the idea of transitioning
1:41
And children who I don't think in the end will ever properly transition
1:46
What I mean is actually become of the other gender. They just, in their school days, will be in that moment of transition
1:54
And the children who I think are most vulnerable to these are the children who don necessarily have a claim to victimhood So anecdotally I just know that there are a lot more children who are transitioning
2:08
And I do it with my quotation marks again in in private schools, white children in private schools, white children who are more privileged in our comprehensives
2:19
And this is because I would put this down to them feeling that they need something to be kind of valued in terms of a victim
2:31
And I do feel we have a society nowadays where we very much admire victimhood
2:40
People can climb that social ladder when they are the bigger victim
2:44
And so this enables those children who are feeling under pressure because they're a bit too posh, they're a bit too white, they're a bit too male, that they then say, oh, you know, well, actually, I'm not really
2:57
Let me transition. But then by the time they're 20 years old, that will no longer be the case. So that is what I meant
3:03
Catherine, there is another group that does seem to be particularly likely to be caught up in this, and that is children in care
3:11
So in the Cass review, in the Cass report, Hilary Cass pointed out that children who are adopted or brought up in care are about eight times as likely to be referred to the gender clinics at Tavistock, which is now closed
3:24
Why do you think that might be? Well, I mean, those children are crying out for support and for attention in a million different ways
3:34
So I imagine that it won't just be that they are thinking about transitioning
3:40
they will be appearing on the stats for all kinds of issues
3:44
So, you know, that's a different issue. I'm talking about the children who I think will be wanting to be seen as victims
3:52
You're talking about children who are really in genuine need of support
