Ex-barrister lost his job as a volunteer counsellor with the charity after raising fears over the way children confused about their gender are rushed into changing sex

 

A volunteer counsellor with the charity Childline was dismissed after raising concerns about the way some young people are rushed into changing gender. 

Former barrister James Esses said he was concerned many youngsters were confused about gender identity and, wrongly, were automatically categorised as transgender or fast-tracked into making life-altering decisions such as undergoing major surgery. 

But after sharing his concerns on social media, Mr Esses, 29, claims he became a victim of a belief that young children know their own minds about gender. 

First, he was told to leave a five-year degree course because of his ‘social media activity’. 

Ten days later, Childline told him he could no longer be a volunteer counsellor. 

‘I just wanted an open and honest debate about a hugely important topic – I’m not sure what is wrong with that,’ Mr Esses told The Mail on Sunday. 

He is now taking legal action against the Metanoia Institute in West London, where he was studying for a Masters in psychotherapy.