Cal Horton (they/them)
@fiercemum.bsky.social
Non-binary researcher supporting trans kids and challenging cis-supremacy
Pinned
Thank goodness I can say cis on Bluesky!
My new article is just out: "Towards a Theory of Cis-Supremacy: Conceptualising Ongoing Barriers to Trans Equality".
It examines forces of cis power over trans communities, building on scholarship on white supremacy
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
My new article is just out: "Towards a Theory of Cis-Supremacy: Conceptualising Ongoing Barriers to Trans Equality".
It examines forces of cis power over trans communities, building on scholarship on white supremacy
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
Towards a Theory of Cis-Supremacy: Conceptualising Ongoing Barriers to Trans Equality - Cal Horton, 2024
Trans scholarship and trans perspectives have historically been marginalised from mainstream academia. There is value in ongoing theoretical exchange between so...
journals.sagepub.com
Who would like to read a ten tweet (skeet?) summary of my latest article "Towards a Theory of Cis-Supremacy".
For those too tired to read a whole academic article, here's a very short summary thread on cis-supremacy. 1/12
For those too tired to read a whole academic article, here's a very short summary thread on cis-supremacy. 1/12
Reposted by Cal Horton (they/them)
Reed Erickson was a trans multimillionaire whose wealth profoundly shaped the development of Western gender clinics from the 1960s onwards.
@vic-parsons.bsky.social unpacks what his legacy tells us about modern models of gender-affirming care.
www.wearequeeraf.com/the-multimil...
@vic-parsons.bsky.social unpacks what his legacy tells us about modern models of gender-affirming care.
www.wearequeeraf.com/the-multimil...
The multimillionaire who shaped modern Trans+ healthcare
Erickson’s access to wealth and relationship to trans healthcare went on to greatly shape how Western gender clinics developed from the 1960s onwards
www.wearequeeraf.com
December 29, 2025 at 1:04 PM
Reed Erickson was a trans multimillionaire whose wealth profoundly shaped the development of Western gender clinics from the 1960s onwards.
@vic-parsons.bsky.social unpacks what his legacy tells us about modern models of gender-affirming care.
www.wearequeeraf.com/the-multimil...
@vic-parsons.bsky.social unpacks what his legacy tells us about modern models of gender-affirming care.
www.wearequeeraf.com/the-multimil...
Reposted by Cal Horton (they/them)
Worked hard to get this into Guardian Oz & big props to @fiercemum.bsky.social for setting it up & Melissa Davey for publishing it. She will doubtless get loads of hassle from transphobes for it, but it needs to be out there.
Puberty Blocker bans harm trans kids, no-one should pretend they don’t.
Puberty Blocker bans harm trans kids, no-one should pretend they don’t.
Puberty blocker bans in Queensland and NZ risk extreme harm to trans youth, UK expert warns
Sociologist who surveyed effect of 2024 UK ban says denial of gender-affirming care has left trans and non-binary children in ‘abject misery and severe distress’
www.theguardian.com
December 21, 2025 at 6:10 AM
Worked hard to get this into Guardian Oz & big props to @fiercemum.bsky.social for setting it up & Melissa Davey for publishing it. She will doubtless get loads of hassle from transphobes for it, but it needs to be out there.
Puberty Blocker bans harm trans kids, no-one should pretend they don’t.
Puberty Blocker bans harm trans kids, no-one should pretend they don’t.
Reposted by Cal Horton (they/them)
Please share this widely. There have been 13 peer-reviewed critiques of the Cass Review, to the extent that academia regards it as pseudoscience, but so far all have been subject to organised censorship by mainstream media. This is the first time one has broken through. Oz Guardian only still.
Worked hard to get this into Guardian Oz & big props to @fiercemum.bsky.social for setting it up & Melissa Davey for publishing it. She will doubtless get loads of hassle from transphobes for it, but it needs to be out there.
Puberty Blocker bans harm trans kids, no-one should pretend they don’t.
Puberty Blocker bans harm trans kids, no-one should pretend they don’t.
Puberty blocker bans in Queensland and NZ risk extreme harm to trans youth, UK expert warns
Sociologist who surveyed effect of 2024 UK ban says denial of gender-affirming care has left trans and non-binary children in ‘abject misery and severe distress’
www.theguardian.com
December 21, 2025 at 1:03 PM
Please share this widely. There have been 13 peer-reviewed critiques of the Cass Review, to the extent that academia regards it as pseudoscience, but so far all have been subject to organised censorship by mainstream media. This is the first time one has broken through. Oz Guardian only still.
Reposted by Cal Horton (they/them)
🎄 Just getting my last Xmas cards out there.
✍🏼 Dear cabinet....
✍🏼 Dear cabinet....
December 20, 2025 at 11:42 AM
🎄 Just getting my last Xmas cards out there.
✍🏼 Dear cabinet....
✍🏼 Dear cabinet....
Reposted by Cal Horton (they/them)
19 Dec 2025 @rikiwilchins.bsky.social -- In bizarre British Med Jrnl intertiew, Hilary Cass suggests that 5 or less trans kids seen by NHS should get GAMT, compares its mild side effect to those of chemotherapy & radiation, and equates withholding GAMT from them with "helping" & "supporting" them.
“This is why the trial is necessary”: experts behind the puberty blockers study respond to mounting opposition
As the NHS launches its most contested clinical trial in decades, Deborah Cohen speaks to Emily Simonoff, Pathways lead investigator, and Hilary Cass, the author of the review that led to the study
T...
www.bmj.com
December 19, 2025 at 7:26 PM
19 Dec 2025 @rikiwilchins.bsky.social -- In bizarre British Med Jrnl intertiew, Hilary Cass suggests that 5 or less trans kids seen by NHS should get GAMT, compares its mild side effect to those of chemotherapy & radiation, and equates withholding GAMT from them with "helping" & "supporting" them.
Reposted by Cal Horton (they/them)
Trans Safety Network are concerned to see that NHS England have committed to expanding the role of the National Research Oversight Board for Children and Young People’s Gender Services to cover audit and research for adult patients too.
December 19, 2025 at 2:48 PM
Trans Safety Network are concerned to see that NHS England have committed to expanding the role of the National Research Oversight Board for Children and Young People’s Gender Services to cover audit and research for adult patients too.
Reposted by Cal Horton (they/them)
In light of the Levy Review potentially giving transphobes oversight of medical research on trans healthcare, Trans Safety Network recommend English trans people OPT OUT of their healthcare data being used in research.
Information on how to do this can be found in the quoted post and thread.
Information on how to do this can be found in the quoted post and thread.
This can be done via the following links, the first to stop GP records being shared and the second to stop secondary care records being shared: www.nhs.uk/using-the-nh...
digital.nhs.uk/services/nat...
digital.nhs.uk/services/nat...
Opt out of sharing your health records
Find out how to opt out of sharing your health records for research and planning.
www.nhs.uk
December 19, 2025 at 3:25 PM
In light of the Levy Review potentially giving transphobes oversight of medical research on trans healthcare, Trans Safety Network recommend English trans people OPT OUT of their healthcare data being used in research.
Information on how to do this can be found in the quoted post and thread.
Information on how to do this can be found in the quoted post and thread.
Reposted by Cal Horton (they/them)
Reposted by Cal Horton (they/them)
Highly recommended reading on actual working Trans Healthcare - nobody needs to despair or, as in the UK, die waiting. That is a politicians choice and we need to see them for who they are.
The Barcelona model is described here: growinguptransgender.com/2025/10/12/t...
Trans health waiting lists are a political choice
I’m just back from an awesome trans healthcare conference in Norway (blog on that to follow). Here I wanted to share information from a presentation by the founder of the transit trans health…
growinguptransgender.com
December 19, 2025 at 1:57 PM
Highly recommended reading on actual working Trans Healthcare - nobody needs to despair or, as in the UK, die waiting. That is a politicians choice and we need to see them for who they are.
Reposted by Cal Horton (they/them)
Most alarmingly, research and *audit* for adult services gets taken over by the Youth research oversight group.
That seemingly would mean Wessely, Cass and other CAN-SG/SEGM aligned folks are going to be in charge of evaluating services and deciding what “research” to commission.
That seemingly would mean Wessely, Cass and other CAN-SG/SEGM aligned folks are going to be in charge of evaluating services and deciding what “research” to commission.
December 18, 2025 at 4:44 PM
Most alarmingly, research and *audit* for adult services gets taken over by the Youth research oversight group.
That seemingly would mean Wessely, Cass and other CAN-SG/SEGM aligned folks are going to be in charge of evaluating services and deciding what “research” to commission.
That seemingly would mean Wessely, Cass and other CAN-SG/SEGM aligned folks are going to be in charge of evaluating services and deciding what “research” to commission.
They are manipulating (crappy) diagnoses to keep everyone defined under mental illness. In Levy 'Gender Incongruence', the less pathologising WHO diagnosis is equated to 'being trans', while 'Gender Dysphoria' the DSM psychiatric disorder is defined as being distressed enough to need medical care.
🚩 Heads up - I’m in the pub two glasses of wine down and have not read the Levy report, so, correct me if I’ve misunderstood.
May I repeat: for a health issue NOT classified as a mental health condition, why are psychiatrists and psychologists the first line of assessment for trans patients? 🚩
May I repeat: for a health issue NOT classified as a mental health condition, why are psychiatrists and psychologists the first line of assessment for trans patients? 🚩
“First assessments should be conducted by a senior clinician, such as a psychiatrist or consultant clinical psychologist, in a face-to-face meeting.”
This is going to be interesting.
This is going to be interesting.
December 18, 2025 at 3:45 PM
They are manipulating (crappy) diagnoses to keep everyone defined under mental illness. In Levy 'Gender Incongruence', the less pathologising WHO diagnosis is equated to 'being trans', while 'Gender Dysphoria' the DSM psychiatric disorder is defined as being distressed enough to need medical care.
It is a sign of how fundamentally abused and traumatised trans communities are in the UK that many folks are responding to Levy with relief and cautious welcome.
It could have been a lot worse.
But it fundamentally fails to deliver meaningful improvements to trans healthcare. 1/4
It could have been a lot worse.
But it fundamentally fails to deliver meaningful improvements to trans healthcare. 1/4
December 18, 2025 at 3:08 PM
It is a sign of how fundamentally abused and traumatised trans communities are in the UK that many folks are responding to Levy with relief and cautious welcome.
It could have been a lot worse.
But it fundamentally fails to deliver meaningful improvements to trans healthcare. 1/4
It could have been a lot worse.
But it fundamentally fails to deliver meaningful improvements to trans healthcare. 1/4
Reposted by Cal Horton (they/them)
I know there are many valid critiques of Sarah McBride within Trans+ communities - and for good reason
But every UK politician should listen carefully to what she says here and ask themselves, are they personally doing anything close to enough to protect Trans+ children and young people?
1.
But every UK politician should listen carefully to what she says here and ask themselves, are they personally doing anything close to enough to protect Trans+ children and young people?
1.
@mcbride.house.gov is right. It’s hard enough being a kid — and politicians don’t need to make it harder.
Thank you, Congresswoman, for speaking out against the cruel Republican attacks on health care for trans youth.
Thank you, Congresswoman, for speaking out against the cruel Republican attacks on health care for trans youth.
December 17, 2025 at 8:59 PM
I know there are many valid critiques of Sarah McBride within Trans+ communities - and for good reason
But every UK politician should listen carefully to what she says here and ask themselves, are they personally doing anything close to enough to protect Trans+ children and young people?
1.
But every UK politician should listen carefully to what she says here and ask themselves, are they personally doing anything close to enough to protect Trans+ children and young people?
1.
Reposted by Cal Horton (they/them)
Trans Kids Deserve Better are outside the DHSC protesting the puberty blocker trial
December 17, 2025 at 11:46 AM
Trans Kids Deserve Better are outside the DHSC protesting the puberty blocker trial
Reposted by Cal Horton (they/them)
Brilliant news from Aotearoa New Zealand, where trans health professionals have won an interim halt to the country's politically-driven puberty blocker ban. Wishing them all the best for further legal action.
PATHA's statement follows: “This is a win for trans young people, their whānau, and the health professionals who care for them. The High Court has recognised the harm this ban will cause, and the significant issues in the decision Cabinet made to restrict access to this life-saving care.”
December 17, 2025 at 8:36 AM
Brilliant news from Aotearoa New Zealand, where trans health professionals have won an interim halt to the country's politically-driven puberty blocker ban. Wishing them all the best for further legal action.
Reposted by Cal Horton (they/them)
New Zealand's libertarian/ populist/ right wing coalition Government is trying to follow Wesley Streeting's lead in banning puberty blockers.
This is what the New Zealand High Court has just decided (www.courtsofnz.govt.nz/assets/cases...).
This is what the New Zealand High Court has just decided (www.courtsofnz.govt.nz/assets/cases...).
![[17] There is also no evidence of a particular need to act urgently to prevent new prescriptions because of some immediate risk to physical health if young people commence treatment. [18] Puberty blockers are reversible. There is no evidence that they affect fertility. If they did, they would hardly be prescribed for children with precocious puberty and they have been prescribed for that purpose for decades. They may alleviate distress for a child who is simply not ready to cope with puberty either because they are too young or because their mental health is such that a delay is recommended. The only evidence-based impact on physical health is on bone density and that impact results from long term use. A period of months until the Judicial Review can be heard is not said to create any issues with bone density for a young person commencing treatment. [19] The evidence relating to mental health outcomes suggests negative outcomes from a ban are a far more immediate concern.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:xurjtu2wa2akyi64gab34ahg/bafkreih3dcnwld4y5s4wqdtgps3fdhnnw2jcetmvkit4ictclmkfixiese@jpeg)
December 17, 2025 at 9:59 AM
New Zealand's libertarian/ populist/ right wing coalition Government is trying to follow Wesley Streeting's lead in banning puberty blockers.
This is what the New Zealand High Court has just decided (www.courtsofnz.govt.nz/assets/cases...).
This is what the New Zealand High Court has just decided (www.courtsofnz.govt.nz/assets/cases...).
Reposted by Cal Horton (they/them)
BREAKING: The High Court of New Zealand has granted PATHA’s application for interim relief, declaring that the Crown should not take any steps to enforce the incoming ban on new prescriptions of puberty blockers to transgender children and young people. More to come:
www.courtsofnz.govt.nz
December 16, 2025 at 10:20 PM
BREAKING: The High Court of New Zealand has granted PATHA’s application for interim relief, declaring that the Crown should not take any steps to enforce the incoming ban on new prescriptions of puberty blockers to transgender children and young people. More to come:
Reposted by Cal Horton (they/them)
A genuinely held belief (that I would love to have proven wrong): I don't think Stephenson is assuming that trans people have no legal rights as trans - I think she is assuming (correctly) that stating a lie as a fact converts the lie into a fact for many in this current climate
Mary-Ann Stephenson assumes - either from ignorance or malice - that trans people have no legal rights as trans. That is deeply troubling from someone holding her role - although hardly surprising given her history.
Awful - and hopelessly out of her depth (just as two Select Committees concluded).
Awful - and hopelessly out of her depth (just as two Select Committees concluded).
December 14, 2025 at 1:55 PM
A genuinely held belief (that I would love to have proven wrong): I don't think Stephenson is assuming that trans people have no legal rights as trans - I think she is assuming (correctly) that stating a lie as a fact converts the lie into a fact for many in this current climate
Reposted by Cal Horton (they/them)
It's not illegal to use the right toilets and no one should adhere to Mary-Ann Stephenson's headmistressly call to "follow rules" that serve no good purpose, breach the UK's human rights obligations, will be bad for all women, and debase trans dignity. Make her appoint her sodding toilet police.
December 14, 2025 at 8:09 AM
It's not illegal to use the right toilets and no one should adhere to Mary-Ann Stephenson's headmistressly call to "follow rules" that serve no good purpose, breach the UK's human rights obligations, will be bad for all women, and debase trans dignity. Make her appoint her sodding toilet police.
Reposted by Cal Horton (they/them)
Two parliamentary committees recommended against appointing the now chair of the EHRC, not because of her obvious transphobia but because of her lack of experience on race and disability. She also doesn’t seem that up on LGB+ issues either.
There are 9 protected characteristics, she’s shit at 4.
There are 9 protected characteristics, she’s shit at 4.
Meet the new boss, same as the old boss
Doubling down on effectively excluding trans and non-binary individuals from public spaces.
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Doubling down on effectively excluding trans and non-binary individuals from public spaces.
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Equality boss expects people to 'follow rules' over single-sex spaces
Dr Mary-Ann Stephenson said "things could be sorted out if there is goodwill and recognition that everybody has rights".
www.bbc.com
December 14, 2025 at 8:26 AM
Two parliamentary committees recommended against appointing the now chair of the EHRC, not because of her obvious transphobia but because of her lack of experience on race and disability. She also doesn’t seem that up on LGB+ issues either.
There are 9 protected characteristics, she’s shit at 4.
There are 9 protected characteristics, she’s shit at 4.
Reposted by Cal Horton (they/them)
'One parent told me that she was hearing reports of Dr Hillary Cass (of the Cass Review) teaching staff at NHS Sussex on how to detransition trans children.'
northwestbylines.co.uk/opinion-corn...
northwestbylines.co.uk/opinion-corn...
Giving a voice to the voiceless – A trans woman investigates
How and why I investigated what is going on with the treatment of trans children in Sussex, and how if affects the children, their families and me
northwestbylines.co.uk
December 12, 2025 at 4:23 PM
'One parent told me that she was hearing reports of Dr Hillary Cass (of the Cass Review) teaching staff at NHS Sussex on how to detransition trans children.'
northwestbylines.co.uk/opinion-corn...
northwestbylines.co.uk/opinion-corn...
Also slow hand clap for Stonewall appearing as the only voice in support of the harmful and unethical trial. With allies like these...
BBC News feature about the puberty blockers trial was so biased and pathetic, it beggars belief. Keira Bell gets an arty-farty film shot outside broadcasting house. Completely one-sided and twisted. Bell truly is one of the most contemptible figures in transgender history.
December 11, 2025 at 1:24 PM
Also slow hand clap for Stonewall appearing as the only voice in support of the harmful and unethical trial. With allies like these...
Reposted by Cal Horton (they/them)
This whole thread from Sarah, plus all the auxiliary bits.
(Love from your resident cissexual theyfab*)
(*if you ever call me these things, we are not friends)
(Love from your resident cissexual theyfab*)
(*if you ever call me these things, we are not friends)
There's no way to call a nonbinary person (who is definitionally trans) a "cissexual" without strongly implying that they are cis in the more commonly understood sense, any more than there's a way to call trans women "biologically male" or "male socialised" without strongly implying that we are men.
December 11, 2025 at 9:13 AM
This whole thread from Sarah, plus all the auxiliary bits.
(Love from your resident cissexual theyfab*)
(*if you ever call me these things, we are not friends)
(Love from your resident cissexual theyfab*)
(*if you ever call me these things, we are not friends)
Reposted by Cal Horton (they/them)
Overnight, past 2 a.m., the Alberta United Conservative Party passed Bill 9, a bill to **strip away the right to life of trans youth** in order to impose on them a gender-affirming care ban.
We’re assisting to the beginning of a humanitarian crisis, in Canada, in real time.
We’re assisting to the beginning of a humanitarian crisis, in Canada, in real time.
December 10, 2025 at 3:35 PM
Overnight, past 2 a.m., the Alberta United Conservative Party passed Bill 9, a bill to **strip away the right to life of trans youth** in order to impose on them a gender-affirming care ban.
We’re assisting to the beginning of a humanitarian crisis, in Canada, in real time.
We’re assisting to the beginning of a humanitarian crisis, in Canada, in real time.