Gender Clinic News
Gender Clinic News is an English-language newsletter on Substack by Bernard Lane, a journalist from Sydney with more than thirty years of experience. Lane previously worked for the national newspaper The Australian. He describes his newsletter as independent, offering global coverage of the debate over medical gender transition in young people. A similar newsletter by an independent journalist, focused on the United States, is Benjamin Ryan’s Hazard Ratio.
What you will find
The newsletter follows developments involving gender clinics, puberty blockers, hormones and surgeries in various countries. Lane writes about guidelines, court cases, research and political decisions. The news is available to read without a paywall. This site has articles about the review of the gender clinic in Cairns and Australia’s national review of the puberty blocker guidelines, Lane’s home country. Compare the overview of policies by country.
Why it is included on this list
Gender Clinic News is one-author journalism with a critical perspective on the medical treatment of minors. The newsletter is useful for following international developments. Its selection and tone reflect those of an engaged observer, however, so it is worthwhile to consult other sources alongside it.
The author
According to his own biography, Lane has won awards for reporting on law, higher education and foreign affairs. In addition to writing for The Australian, he has written for The Australian Financial Review, The Sydney Morning Herald, The International Herald Tribune, The Bulletin, Quadrant and The Cairns Post. He also publishes in Quillette. Transgender Map, a website that follows critics of gender-affirming care and calls Lane an anti-transgender activist, states that he worked at The Australian from 1991 to 2022 and started the newsletter in 2022. PinkNews reported in 2019 that The Australian faced criticism over a new section covering transgender issues.
Format and reach
According to its Substack page, the newsletter has more than 6,000 subscribers. All articles are free to read. Those who pay can comment below the articles and engage in discussion with other readers. Lane asks readers to take out paid subscriptions to cover the costs and keep the reporting accessible to everyone. He writes that the newsletter covers what he calls an emerging medical scandal. In his view, mainstream media have largely missed the story or uncritically promoted the medical treatment.
How to assess this source
By using the word scandal, Lane presents his conclusion in advance. The newsletter is therefore engaged journalism. Its strength lies in its references to guidelines, judgments and studies from many countries, which you can read for yourself. Lane spoke at a conference by Genspect in Lisbon, showing his proximity to that circle. Background information on the main topic is available at puberty blockers.