A 4,000 % surge in teenage girls asking to become boys
Between 2009 and 2018, the London clinic saw a forty-fold jump in natal girls saying they were boys. Detrans women who passed through the service say the numbers alone were a red flag. “Tavistock Clinic in London has had a 4000 % increase in young women presenting as FTM… it’s only kids, the figures for adult clinics are even worse.” – westernskies93 source [citation:34d5db41-dee1-4f80-b3d5-ee9977b7e395] Many of these girls were uncomfortable with puberty, same-sex attraction, or past abuse; staff rarely explored those links before offering hormones.

Assessments that lasted “much less than six sessions”
Former workers complain that the clinic dropped normal exploratory therapy. In other NHS mental-health teams, it takes six-to-ten meetings to discover whether the problem a person first names is the real problem. At Tavistock, some youngsters left with a diagnosis and a referral for drugs after only one or two visits. “We know that some people are obtaining a diagnosis and subsequent treatments… after much less than that.” – Movellon source [citation:45c854bd-f183-4346-bc73-69000b7ad12c] Without space to talk, many girls never had the chance to see that their distress was tied to trauma, homophobia, or simply not fitting feminine stereotypes.

Clinicians quit, calling the model “not fit for purpose”
Psychologists, the hospital governor, and even the head of the Tavistock foundation resigned, saying children were being rushed onto a medical path they could not fully understand. “Here’s an article… about the clinicians… who resigned on ethical grounds.” – lacroicsz5 source [citation:152b063f-5626-4b35-a5bc-f397be754e23] Their leaked internal report showed that, when a therapist did slow the pace, a large share of girls eventually desisted and embraced their bodies without drugs or surgery.

Echoes of past social-contagion scandals
Some staff who lived through the 1980s “satanic panic” say they watched the same pattern repeat: leading questions, implanted memories, and clusters of identical stories spreading through friendship groups. “Children being coached what to say, having statements elicited by leading questions… social contagion.” – ValiMeyer source [citation:040194e8-a32c-4467-b2d3-e6a5c1ce898a] They believe the clinic turned normal gender non-conformity into a medical condition instead of celebrating it as part of growing up.

A growing wave of regret
Years later, many of these young women return, reporting ruined fertility, weakened bones, and the painful realization that their discomfort came from homophobia, trauma, or misogyny—not from being “born in the wrong body.” Detransitioners call the program “the biggest medical scandal of all time” because it required the agreement of surgeons, endocrinologists, therapists, and social workers to make “mistakes this big.” – Embarrassed_Chest76 source [citation:b25561d0-8002-46ff-b2be-695b906a8ede]

If you are a girl who feels she does not fit the pink-and-pretty box, the Tavistock story shows you are not broken—you are part of a long line of courageous women who refuse narrow sex roles. Take time to explore your feelings with open-minded counselors, trusted friends, and creative outlets; let your body breathe; and remember that discomfort with stereotypes is proof of your authenticity, not a disease to be medicated away. Your future is wide, strong, and female on your own terms.