The Times is paying to promote an article attacking trans kids

PinkNews Exclusive
A Times article which says government plans to streamline the process for changing gender will harm children is being promoted on Facebook.

The article, entitled “Gender fluid world is muddling your minds”, has been given a paid for spot by the newspaper.

Trans campaigners say such stories are attacking vulnerable trans children, half of whom attempt suicide.

Clare Foges, a former speechwriter for Prime Minister David Cameron, wrote in her comment piece that the new reforms that giving children the freedom to self-define – which seems to be outside of these potential reforms – would worsen mental health problems in young people.

“I am no expert on children,” she adds.

But, she continues, seeming to express intimate knowledge on the subject, “children…are being led to believe, on social media and in schools, that gender is simply a lifestyle choice.”

Now PinkNews has seen the article – labelled transphobic by LGBT activists – being ‘sponsored’ by the newspaper’s official Facebook page.

The caption for the post reads: “Replacing ‘boy’ and ‘girl’ with a menu of dozens of identities only adds to children’s anxiety”.

It is unclear how many people will have seen the post due to the funded promotion, but it is likely to be thousands.

In the article, Foges claims “all of the great legislative battles on equality have been won,” which will be news to many campaigners, before going on a tirade laced with hypotheticals.

“If they don’t enjoy ‘girly’ things like make-up are they perhaps a boy?”

She then confuses the concepts of gender and sexuality, saying: “If they have a crush on people of both sexes could they be agender?”

Foges adds: “If they simply feel different to everyone else and uncomfortable in their own skin, common enough in adolescence, might they be genderfluid?”

This viewpoint was dismantled by Susie Green, chief executive of Mermaids, a charity which campaigns for the rights of gender nonconforming children, who told PinkNews: “This is not political correctness, this is children dying.”

She added: “Once again, people who this will never affect, who have no issues around their gender and never will are attempting to dictate to a vulnerable population how they should be supported,” Green told PinkNews.

Pointing to the latest Stonewall statistics, she added: “Trans children have a 45 percent suicide attempt rate, and 1 in 10 young trans people receive death threats in school due to ignorance and prejudice.

“Surely,” she added, “any moves to both educate and support these young people should be embraced.

The government announced plans to streamline and de-medicalise the Gender Recognition Act in July, allowing transgender people to more easily change their legal gender.

The progressive move was widely welcomed by a huge number of LGBT activists.

• Dec 01 2023

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