I, Ms A, am the mum of a beautiful, clever, funny, gender-non-conforming teenager who believes they are the opposite sex. My ex-husband and I disagree on whether our child should have access to medical gender treatment outside the NHS.

I applied to the Family Court for a prohibited steps order and have been granted an interim one that prevents our child from receiving medical treatment outside the NHS. This expires, however, when our child turns 16 years old early next year. I am encouraged by the cautious approach of the NHS that was recently set out in its new service specification. However, many children, young people and their parents can avoid the safeguards set up by the NHS by going to a private clinic in England or a telemedicine provider overseas such as GenderGP. I believe that this undermines attempts to protect children and young people from accessing life-changing and potentially irreversible treatment which does not, to date, have a compelling body of evidence to support it.

In March 2021, the UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published systematic evidence reviews into the use of puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones in children under 18. I understand that they found that the evidence for the benefits of their use was of very low quality. I think that while there may be short-term psychological benefits associated with the administration of hormonal interventions to youth, they must be weighed against the long-term risks to bone health, fertility, and other as-yet-unknown risks of life-long hormonal supplementation. I want to ensure that my child receives appropriate care and treatment in accordance with the new approach of the NHS and will therefore seek to extend the Order until the age of 18.

I have represented myself up to now, but the case has reached the High Court and I am out of my depth. Litigation on transgender issues is novel and I need specialist legal advice. To do that I need to raise funds as I work in low paid employment and cannot afford representation. I also do not qualify for legal aid. I am aiming to raise £20,000 to cover some of my legal fees and to engage experts in this field to support me in court. I think such examination of the evidence and what is in my child’s best interests will not only be of benefit to my child but to other children and parents in this position.

If you can afford to contribute, I would be eternally grateful. Please share amongst your friends and groups. Thank you.