After puberty blocker bans were extended indefinitely across the UK and Northern Ireland, activists have been staging protests outside government buildings.
On December 11, activists from Trans Kids Deserve Better set up a temporary encampment outside UK Health Secretary Wes Streeting’s constituency office, which extended existing restrictions until at least 2027. While existing prescriptions remain valid, no new prescriptions can be issued by NHS or private providers. Meanwhile, cisgender youth receiving treatment for precocious puberty are still allowed access to the medication, a disparity activists have called discriminatory.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting defended the ban by announcing plans for further clinical trials on the effects of puberty blockers. However, activists and experts have pointed out that numerous studies already exist, overwhelmingly confirming the medication’s benefits for trans youth
Writing about the news in a piece for Huck Magazine, activist Grin stated, “We already know what happens when we get them. We live happier, healthier lives because our bodies aren’t permanently altered in ways we don’t want.” Grin described the ban as forcing trans youth to participate in a non-consensual experiment, adding, “I just wanted healthcare.”
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The encampment is one of several actions by Trans Kids Deserve Better. On December 6, members of the group staged a ‘die-in’ at Victoria Station and outside the Department of Health and Social Care to represent the stakes of inaction. As part of their broader campaign, Trans Kids Are Dying, the activists have protested outside Streeting’s office every day since July, delivering handmade paper coffins symbolising the lives of trans youth lost to systemic neglect.
On December 12, trans youth advocates in Northern Ireland similarly staged an urgent protest outside Stormont against the permanent ban on puberty blockers. In a statement, Trans Pride NI wrote: “It is unfortunate that we find ourselves here, fighting to protect the only access to gender-affirming healthcare our young people have. But we are blessed to have a community that supports each other and stands together for what’s right.”
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With protests intensifying across the UK and Northern Ireland, trans youth and their allies continue to demand an immediate end to the puberty blocker ban, arguing that it prioritises political ideology over the health and safety of young people.
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