希拉蕊·卡斯博士警告說，針對跨性別青少年的轉變治療禁令可能會「嚇跑」治療師

In today's society, the rights and well-being of transgender youth have become a hot topic of public discussion. A recent report published by Dr. Hilary Cass has attracted a lot of attention. In the report, Dr. Cass suggests that the Scottish government's proposed bill to ban LGBTQ+ conversion therapy could have a negative impact on healthcare professionals who provide treatment to transgender youth.

轉化治療，一種旨在改變或壓制個人的性別認同或性取向的做法，長期以來一直受到批評和反對。卡斯博士在向蘇格蘭議會健康委員會提供的證據中強調，雖然每個人都應該受到保護，免受轉化治療的傷害，但立法的過程中也需要考慮到如何保護那些僅僅是在履行職責的治療師。

卡斯博士指出，如果在治療過程中，年輕人對自己的性別認同有了新的理解或改變，這可能會被錯誤地解釋為治療師試圖改變他們的性別認同。這種情況下，治療師可能會因為擔心成為法律試煉的對象而對從事這一領域的工作感到焦慮。

In addition, the Cass Report mentions that many transgender, gender non-conforming or gender-questioning young people are not heterosexual, a point that is often confused when discussing gender identity. The report calls for more mental health support for transgender youth and criticizes existing research on clinical guidance for transgender youth, calling it "poor quality."

Notably, the Cass report also urges "extreme caution" when prescribing puberty blockers to transgender youth, even though the drugs have been used safely in both transgender and cisgender children for years. Following the release of the report, prescriptions for puberty blockers were suspended in England, Wales and Scotland.

Against this backdrop, providing support and assistance to transgender youth and their families has become particularly important. Mermaids, an organization that provides confidential help and support to young people, parents and families, offers services via phone and online chat to provide a safe space for those seeking help with gender identity issues.

The Cass report and the discussion it has generated highlights the fact that while protecting transgender youth, we also need to be concerned about the plight of the professionals who support and treat them. Finding a balance between preventing the harms of conversion therapy without making therapists dedicated to helping transgender youth feel threatened or anxious is a challenge we face today.