Gaston: Nesbitt’s gender identity service comments raise more questions than answers

(L-R): North Antrim TUV MLA Timothy Gaston, and UUP MLA, Health Minister Mike Nesbitt

TUV MLA Timothy Gaston has sharply criticised Health Minister Mike Nesbitt over his decision to allocate more than £800,000 in funding for Northern Ireland’s gender identity services, warning that the move lacks transparency, public consultation, and clinical oversight.

In a statement released following Minister Nesbitt’s recent comments defending the funding boost, Gaston questioned how the Department of Health could proceed when even the Minister admits basic questions remain unanswered.

“I am deeply concerned by Minister Mike Nesbitt’s recent comments defending additional public money for a service whose very foundations are increasingly in doubt — not just among the public but among leading clinicians, independent reviewers, and even the Minister himself,” said Gaston.

He cited Nesbitt’s own admission:

“There are questions to be asked about how this service operated and about what ministers knew about it.”

Gaston said that while it was welcome to hear the Minister acknowledge the gaps in governance, it was inconsistent with pushing ahead with more funding before those concerns are addressed.

“That is fair enough and indeed my own party has correspondence with the Health Department seeking clarity on who knew what and when. But if even the Minister is still looking for such basic answers, then why is he pressing ahead with expanding and funding it further, before those questions have been answered?”

He added:

“How can the Department of Health justify allocating more taxpayer money when there is no clarity about past governance, no transparent review, and no public consultation?”

The £800,000 investment will go to services run by the Belfast Health Trust, including the Brackenburn Clinic, which supports adults experiencing gender dysphoria.

A separate service for young people is also being amalgamated into a lifespan model to prevent what Nesbitt called a “waiting list cliff edge” as individuals transition from youth to adult services.

Nesbitt defended the funding as necessary to re-establish the clinic — which he said had been left “dormant” — in order to bring Northern Ireland into alignment with a UK-wide ban on the use of puberty blockers for children.

The minister expressed concern that without an operational local service, some individuals may seek treatments from unregulated sources abroad.

However, Gaston countered that the move ignores major concerns raised in the Cass Review, the independent NHS-commissioned report into gender identity services in England.

“The Cass Review also criticises the very lack of clinical oversight and scrutiny that Minister Nesbitt admits existed here,” he noted, quoting the report:

‘The evidence base for medical interventions is often overstated, and there has been a lack of open discussion about the uncertainty and complexity involved.’

Gaston argued that the current pressures on the health system make the allocation even more difficult to justify.

“At a time when our cancer services are stretched, mental health services are overwhelmed, and waiting lists are at record highs, people deserve to know why more money is going into a controversial, ideologically driven service whose own Minister admits lacks clarity and accountability.”

Public petition launched

Gaston is urging members of the public to oppose the funding decision by signing an online petition, which he plans to present to the Northern Ireland Assembly in September.

“I urge everyone who shares these concerns—not just about gender ideology, but about good governance and evidence-based care—to stand up and say: enough.”

Background: Gender identity services and the puberty blockers ban

The Department of Health’s renewed investment follows a UK-wide tightening of regulations surrounding puberty blockers, which suppress hormonal development in children questioning their gender identity.

In December 2024, the Stormont Executive backed an indefinite ban on such treatments.

Nesbitt has said the funding was necessary to ensure safe, regulated services are available in Northern Ireland, pointing to rising waiting lists — currently 1,163 adults and 45 young people — and warning of potential dangers from international providers operating beyond UK oversight.

Despite these concerns, the controversy continues to intensify as political and public scrutiny grows over the clinic’s direction, evidence base, and accountability.