Helen Bowes-Catton (she/her)
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hbowescatton.bsky.social
Helen Bowes-Catton (she/her)
@hbowescatton.bsky.social
750 followers 550 following 310 posts
Academic researching 1) inclusion in doctoral education and 2) LGBTQIA+ identities and politics.

Northern, working class, queer, cis feminist. Lifts heavy things for fun. Views mine.
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Reposted by Helen Bowes-Catton (she/her)
spetsdad.bsky.social
There's some nice analysis here:
bsky.app/profile/tany...
January 16, 2026 at 7:48 PM
Reposted by Helen Bowes-Catton (she/her)
notrightruth.bsky.social
Participants in Dr Horton's study described an invasive, abusive approach in NHS England's child/adolescent gender clinics (new and old), with some naming these as conversion practices.
A young person who had attended sessions at the new gender service described it as “probably the worst thing I’ve ever experienced”. Families emphasized the quantity of inappropriate questions they were being asked, that one parent described as “a barrage of questions”. Another parent felt their parenting was being probed, looking for negative parental influence on a child’s identity: We were there in total three hours… It was just really weird. They were there to judge me. They were there to try and find out what they could about me and how I’ve brought [adolescent] up, and whether I’ve made her be like this. I felt like it was all questions about [adolescent]’s life, like right from pregnancy right up until that current point, but it wasn’t questions about what could help them. It was all probing questions, really. I don’t like confrontation, and I was petrified being there anyway, and I should have called them out on asking questions like that… but didn’t have the confidence with all those people.
January 8, 2026 at 10:31 AM
Reposted by Helen Bowes-Catton (she/her)
notrightruth.bsky.social
Participants in Dr Horton's study contrasted abuse under GIDS and the new Children and Young People’s Gender Service with the affirmative approach of WellBN GP practice, which provided real space for exploration and reflection.

WellBN is now under NHS investigation for providing this care.
Interviewees reflected upon a very different approach to being questioned within affirmative services. One parent commented that “I think she probably trusted [affirmative GP] more because he was trans—That first appointment was extraordinary because [adolescent], I think, felt seen for the first time, felt heard… and I felt like he was asking questions that were pertinent”. Several parents felt that an affirmative service created a safe space where trans adolescents could speak honestly about their feelings and their worries. One parent described seeing their child open-up more in one affirmative appointment, than in 2 years in a non-affirming service: I was just quite blown away. I was like, Wow. We sat in that office for 45 minutes. I came out like almost puzzled. I’m like years. I was almost ** angry when I left, about the Tavistock again. In f****** years. Never once has somebody sat down and talked to my daughter like that, like she’s a person and it’s not an interrogation. It’s just a holistic health approach to a trans young person. It was wonderful actually.
January 8, 2026 at 10:36 AM
hbowescatton.bsky.social
Oh this looks amazing!
January 8, 2026 at 7:32 AM