A coalition representing a number of LGBTQIA+ charities in Northern Ireland have hit out at The Executive's decision to indefinitely extend the ban on puberty blockers for those experiencing gender dysphoria.
While the Executive Office and the Department of Health have yet to issue an official statement confirming the indefinite ban, deputy First Minister Emma Little Pengelly took to the social media platform X on Tuesday night where she said: "Today, we in the Executive agreed to permanently ban puberty blockers for under-18s. This is the right approach, informed by medical and scientific advice. The protection and safety of our young people must be paramount."
Puberty blockers delay puberty by stopping the body from producing hormones that cause it and have been prescribed to young people experiencing precocious puberty since the 1980s and it is understood that the drugs will continue to be prescribed for this in Northern Ireland.
In the 1990s, medics in the Netherlands began to prescribe the drugs "off-label" to young people experiencing gender dysphoria. It wasn't until 2011 that medics in the UK began to prescribe the medications for gender dysphoria in the UK as part of a research study and in 2014 puberty blockers were routinely made available in clinical care in the UK.
Following the publication of the Cass Review report earlier this year, the British Government announced a series of three-month bans on the prescription of the medication in July.
The First and deputy First Minister for Northern Ireland later approved a similar ban to be implemented by the Health Minister in Northern Ireland in August using emergency procedures called an Urgent Decision, which meant that they did not need to seek approval from the full Executive, a move that was also announced on X rather than through official channels.
Alexa Moore, Policy Campaigns and Communications Manager at the Rainbow Project, said: “We are extremely disappointed by the decision taken by the Executive to impose an indefinite ban on puberty blockers in Northern Ireland. We have made clear, in our meetings with Executive Ministers, that politicians should not override the expertise of frontline clinicians, young people and their families in taking the healthcare decisions that are best for them.
“We regret that the Executive have taken the decision to ban puberty blockers when, in effect, trans young people have had little or no access to adequate healthcare in many years. This ban compounds what was an already challenging environment for families and children here in Northern Ireland. We call on the Executive to provide meaningful and urgent support to the young people who will be impacted by this decision.”
The Executive Office later refused a request from Belfast Live for a copy of the evidence considered by the First and deputy First Minister in making their decision stating that releasing the information would "inhibit Ministers' ability to consider difficult policy issues with candour" and "has the potential to damage the concept of collective responsibility."
The charities say that they remain concerned that evidence and circumstances for trans children and young people in Northern Ireland have not been adequately considered. They added that the consultation on a permanent ban on puberty blockers, which was responded to by the LGBTQIA+ sector locally, had seemingly "no bearing on the outcome of this decision", with local politicians being "bounced" into decisions by London.
Christopher McIlwaine, Director of the Belfast Trans Resource Centre, added: “The Executive has serious questions to answer, particularly around what support is available for young people affected by this ban, and what contingency arrangements will be put in place to reduce the harm caused by this decision.
"We must see now, from the Department, a clear plan and pathway to support young people who have been accessing puberty blockers from private services, to safeguard both the physical and mental health and wellbeing of those most impacted.”
"Gender Identity Services for trans people in Northern Ireland have been in a state of disarray for the past number of years. Adolescent services have experienced staffing and funding pressures, resulting in many young people being left without support or care for several years."
Green Party Councillor Anthony Flynn said “When this temporary ban was announced in the summer, we and many activists argued that the executive should release the evidence that informed this decision. Now that the ban has been made indefinite, it should be released.
“The Executive parties have failed LGBTQ+ people. They have promised us a strategy since 2007 to address the inequalities that our community face but it has never been delivered. We are particularly disappointed in Sinn Féin and the Alliance party who give much lip service to LGBTQ+ equality but have yet to use their 26 years in Government to improve our lives in any meaningful way. This decision turns failure into betrayal. We will not forget.”
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