Dr. Hilary Cass's report argued evidence supporting gender care for minors is 'remarkably weak'
JK Rowling 'practically daring police' to arrest her after new hate crime law
'Outnumbered' panelists discuss Scotland's controversial new law on hate crimes, which critics warn will have a 'chilling effect' on free speech.
"Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling came to the defense of a renowned British pediatrician who is reportedly unable to travel on public transit after receiving backlash for her role in a massive study that revealed a lack of evidence supporting the efficacy of gender care for minors.
"'Follow the money' may be a conspiracy theorist trope and I hate the X cliché 'let that sink in', but when a respected paediatrician is advised not to travel by bus, and when lobby groups fall over themselves to discredit a meticulous medical review, both might seem to apply," Rowling wrote in the last of a trio of posts weighing in on the development.
Rowling shared a link to a Sunday Times report detailing the ordeal through its interview with Dr. Hilary Cass, the physician behind the study.
JK ROWLING SAYS ‘HARRY POTTER’ STARS WHO CRITICIZED HER TRANS VIEWS CAN ‘SAVE THEIR APOLOGIES’
Author J.K. Rowling arrives at the RFK Ripple of Hope Awards at New York Hilton Midtown on December 12, 2019, in New York City. (Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)
"I’m not going on public transport at the moment, following security advice, which is inconvenient," she told the outlet.
Cass, the former president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, was commissioned by the United Kingdom's National Health Services (NHS) to conduct an independent review on gender-affirming care services for children and teens in 2020. She handed over her 388-page report recently, and the findings indicated "no good evidence" for the medical push to transition children's gender, noting the push had been "built on shaky foundations."
The report also found that puberty blockers did not help youth suffering from gender dysphoria feel better about their bodies, noting that evidence on the treatments' mental effects was insufficient.
The report sparked backlash from activists and politicians who insisted its researchers intentionally ignored crucial scholarship.
Labour Party MP Dawn Butler was among the critics.
JK ROWLING TORCHES TRANS BROADCASTER WHO REPORTED HER FOR HATE CRIME: ‘MALE NARCISSIST’
Retired consultant pediatrician Dr. Hilary Cass speaking about the publication of the Independent Review of Gender Identity Services for Children and Young People (The Cass Review) at the PA Media offices in west London. (Yui Mok/PA Images via Getty Images)
She told the House of Commons, "There are around 100 studies that have not been included in this Cass report, and we need to know why."
Cass, meanwhile, insisted such claims are "straight disinformation" and explained to The Times that researchers appraised every paper included in the review but "pulled the results from the ones that were high quality and medium quality, which was 60 out of 103."
She also noted critics have come after her in other ways, including via social media and vitriolic emails.
"What dismays me is just how childish the debate can become," she told the outlet. "If I don’t agree with somebody, then I’m called transphobic or a Terf [trans-exclusionary radical feminist]."
Trans rights activists take part in a protest against the ban on hormone blockers on April 20, 2024, in London, England. (Carl Court/Getty Images)
Many in the comments on Rowling's posts came to Cass's defense.
Journalist EJ Rosetta wrote, "Why are the police telling a woman who is a victim of explicit threats of physical violence that the only answer is to "just stay home" tho? Sorry, do the *males making these threats not get any warnings? Asked to stop? Of course not. The women must stay home. See it yet?"
Others homed in on the threat to free speech, the violence that comes from disagreeing with the transgender movement,
According to a recent report from Sky News, England's National Health Service (NHS) said it would "now pause first appointments at adult clinics for teenagers under 18, and intends to carry out a major review of its adult gender services and use of hormones" after the report's release.
Taylor Penley is an associate editor with Fox News.
