Overview
- The £10.7 million Pathways study, led by King’s College London, plans to enroll about 250 participants aged 10 to 15 diagnosed with gender dysphoria.
- More than half of those enrolled are set to receive puberty‑suppressing medication, with outcomes tracked on bone health, brain development and mental wellbeing.
- Trial materials for participants aged 12 and over include a gender‑identity labels question offering options such as “two spirit,” “agender” and “genderqueer.”
- Clinicians including Dr Louise Irvine and former Tavistock staffer Sue Evans criticized the survey language as ideological, and opponents have threatened a High Court challenge.
- The trial is intended to address evidence gaps flagged by the Cass review after the NHS halted routine prescribing in March 2024 and the government curbed private provision last December.