An ex-barrister turned trainee therapist who publicly expressed his gender critical beliefs – that sex is biological and immutable – has been expelled by the Metanoia Institute three years into a five-year university degree.
James Esses was attempting to safeguard therapy and counselling for vulnerable children with gender dysphoria, lodging a public petition which has garnered more than 10,000 signatures. Speaking out also cost him his role as a Childline volunteer.
Mr Esses recently launched a crowdfunding campaign to seek justice against Metanoia Institute, exceeding his £50,000 target in days.
Lynda Rose at Voice for Justice UK said he should be ‘commended for his brave stand’. She added: ‘Yet again, harmful transgender ideology seemingly trumps child welfare. James Esses is entirely right to raise concerns over the unquestioning affirmation of young children who say they feel they are in the wrong body and are then propelled, without exploration, into life-changing and possibly irreversible reassignment treatments.’
She highlighted research showing that if given love, support and affirmation, 70% of children presenting with gender dysphoria will, by puberty, be entirely happy with their birth sex.
Rose added: ‘As it is, increasing numbers of children undergoing reassignment will, in later life, seek to detransition – but by then their lives will have been irrevocably scarred. Whenever a child claims they are “in the wrong body”, the reasons should be fully explored and they should be given appropriate support, including counselling and therapy. A very few will still want to transition, but the vast majority, with proper help, won’t.
‘Children must not be the sacrificial victims of those who are seeking to promote so-called transgender rights’, she added.
