A gay psychologist who worked at the NHS’s only gender transition clinic for children spoke of his fears that the clinic was running “conversion therapy for gay kids”.
Dr Matt Bristow said he feared the Tavistock and Portman NHS trust was ignoring the possibility that boys and girls who said they wanted to change sex might simply be gay.
Bristow’s claim has emerged in witness statements for Sonia Appleby, a psychotherapist responsible for safeguarding children at the gender identity clinic, who is suing the trust.
She told an employment tribunal last week she was “vilified” for raising concerns about the safety of children undergoing treatment, which included the clinic referring children as young as 12 for puberty blocking drugs.
The Tavistock has been at the
