Calls for LGBT youth charity to be banned from schools

Medical experts have called for a gay rights charity which supports puberty blockers for children to be kept out of schools.

Paediatricians and psychologists have questioned the expertise of LGBT Youth Scotland staff who work in about 250 primary and secondary schools across the country.

The charity has revealed that nearly two out of every three young people it supports have mental health problems and its critics have claimed they are not qualified.

The group itself insists it does not offer professional medical advice but that it instead supports lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans children in what it described as difficult times.

Last month LGBT Youth Scotland called on the country’s only gender identity clinic for under-18s, the Sandyford in Glasgow, to reverse a decision to stop prescribing puberty blockers.

The clinic made the move in response to the review of gender care for youngsters carried out by Hilary Cass, a respected paediatrician, in England and Wales.

Jennifer Cunningham, a retired doctor who specialised in autism, said she thought the charity’s work in schools should be suspended.

“I have concern that this group are anywhere near schools in the first place as their pro-trans ideology is harmful,” she told The Sunday Post.

“Dr Cass was very clear that socially transitioning children is dangerous as it has psychological implications. Concerns deepen over the question of their qualifications when they are dealing with such vulnerable children with ­learning disabilities and mental health issues.

The paper also cited Carolyn Brown, a former depute principal psychologist, saying Scottish schools were putting “ideology ahead of facts and safeguarding children and, to date, has ignored the best evidence including systematic reviews”.

She added of the charity: “It has repeatedly shut down and ­dismissed concerned voices.”

LGBT Youth Scotland, which gets about £1 million in public funding, says it has trained thousands of teachers on diversity and inclusion.

The group said: “We are not a medical organisation or a care provider but a charity committed to supporting young people during challenging times for the LGBTQ+ community. Our team is both qualified and experienced, with a dedicated focus on helping every young person in Scotland lead the normal life they deserve.

“We are fully in line with the objectives of the UN and the Scottish government to foster diversity and inclusion. Our focused efforts in schools are dedicated to educating about gender and sexual identities, aiming to create tolerance and understanding across all communities.”

Last week Meghan Gallacher, the Scottish Conservatives’ deputy leader in Scotland, called for a review of the charity’s work.

This remark led to claims that the Tories were trying to revisit the ban on gay “propaganda” in schools which was repealed in Scotland in the early years of devolution.

Malcolm Harvey, a politics expert from Aberdeen University, said on Twitter/X: “We’re *this close* to the Scottish Tories trying to reintroduce Section 28, whip up a moral panic, and turn the clock back 50 years on LGBTQ+ rights. Regressive and reactionary, the Nasty Party are back.”

Gallacher responded, saying: “My daughter has two gay godparents — the best uncles a little girl could ask for. Not sure how that fits with your narrative?”