this post was submitted on 07 Feb 2026
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cross-posted from: https://lemmy.blahaj.zone/post/38251967

A freedom of information request by Good Law Project has found that deaths by suicide of trans young people under 18 surged following the withdrawal of gender-affirming healthcare

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[–] leraje@piefed.blahaj.zone 10 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

~~Wes Streeting~~ DoH et al were warned suicide numbers would surge if they did it. They ignored the warning and did it anyway. Suicide numbers did then surge. Streeting et al called the reporting on the surge irresponsible and wrong and denied it all. Now this FOI shows the carnage. Carnage that is most likely as this stage under-reported.

And nothing will change because to the Wes Streeting's of this world - and sadly a lot of the UK general public - there's a difference between dead kids and dead trans kids.

[–] wewbull@feddit.uk 5 points 1 week ago (1 children)

The surge is in 2021. 3 years before Labour was in power.

I suspect this is probability COVID related.

[–] leraje@piefed.blahaj.zone 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

You're right that I was wrong that it was Wes Streeting who was warned - got my dates muddled - but it was him as then leader of DoH who commissioned and then downplayed the report into the surge in suicides. It was him and his dept who tried to block various FOI requests. They knew.

Not sure how you come to the conclusion this is COVID related though.

[–] stsquad@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 week ago (3 children)

I guess to would have to look at the suicide rates in other populations coming out of COVID.

COVID and the associated turmoil certainly did have an effect on the mental health of the country.

[–] wewbull@feddit.uk 3 points 1 week ago

That is what I was trying to convey, yes.

[–] Tweak@feddit.uk 2 points 1 week ago

Surely a better and far easier measure is to look at suicide rates of the whole population vs suicide rates in trans people specifically? You don't need to factor in covid at all.

[–] leraje@piefed.blahaj.zone 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

No doubt. But the time correlation (and yes, I know correlation does not automatically equate to causation) together with the direct consequences it would have on trans kids seems much more suggestive of the withdrawal of care playing a role than COVID.

[–] wewbull@feddit.uk 2 points 1 week ago

I used COVID as shorthand for "the pandemic, lockdown, restricted NHS care, etc"