Everything about gender, in one place.
For each topic Genderinfo.nl sets the facts, the discussions and the sources side by side: from terms and identities to medical care, legislation and policy by country.
Independent and factual
One perspective is not information.
In the information available in the Netherlands, one perspective often predominates. For each topic Genderinfo.nl sets the facts, the discussions and the sources side by side — from the Dutch Protocol to the Cass Review.
News
The latest news
Foto: Márton Novák via Pexels9 October 2026
Dutch House of Representatives to fly rainbow flag after roll-call vote
On Coming Out Day, the rainbow flag will fly at the building of the Dutch House of Representatives (Tweede Kamer) for the first time. The House decided this on 8 October 2026 by 90 votes to 36, after the Presidium had withdrawn an earlier decision following a procedural objection from the SGP.
AI-generated illustration8 October 2026
Therapy First and Genspect clash over the approach to gender care
At Therapy First’s annual conference in New York in early October 2026, it became clear just how divided even the cautious side of the gender debate is. Therapy First remains committed to a therapy-first approach that leaves room for later medical steps; Genspect categorically rejects medical transition for minors — and the departure of a critical social worker exposes the tension between the two.
Photo: Valentin Ivantsov via Pexels8 October 2026
Australian Educational Materials Remove Sex from Biology Lessons — and Call It Inclusive
New Australian teaching materials and government guidelines replace “boys have penises” with “bodies with penises” and explain reproduction without human figures. A retired sexologist warns that this leaves children without the vocabulary to talk about their own bodies.
In the spotlight
Featured
Photo: Steven Lek, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsMedical
The Dutch Protocol
The Dutch Protocol is Amsterdam’s treatment model for gender dysphoria in young people. Learn about its content, spread, and scientific criticism.
Drawing: Elsa Paulson, CC0, via Wikimedia CommonsMedical
Puberty Blockers
Puberty blockers delay puberty in young people with gender dysphoria. Learn how they work, explore the debate, and read about policy changes in the UK, Sweden, and Denmark.
Photo: Mouli Sharma via PexelsMedical
What is gender dysphoria?
Gender dysphoria is the persistent distress about one's gender: its meaning, characteristics, diagnosis and where to turn for help.
Photo: House of Lords / Roger Harris, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia CommonsPolicy by country
The Cass Review Explained
The Cass Review (2024) examined gender care for minors in England. Read about the report’s findings, recommendations and international impact.
Photo: Pax Ahimsa Gethen, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsIdentity
What is transgender?
Transgender means that someone does not identify with the sex registered at birth.
Photo: Banned pride, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsIdentity
What does non-binary mean?
Non-binary means that someone does not identify as a man or a woman, or not exclusively as one or the other.
Photo: Thomas Wolf (foto-tw.de), CC BY-SA 3.0 DE, via Wikimedia CommonsOrganisation
EGGÖ — Austrian association critical of self-identification
EGGÖ (Europäische Gesellschaft für Geschlechtergerechtigkeit Österreich) is an Austrian association critical of self-identification and gender-affirming care.
Photo: Nicholas Gemini, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsOrganisation
Generazione D — Italian association critical of gender care for young people
Generazione D is an Italian association founded by parents that criticizes gender-affirming care for minors and follows international reviews.
Photo: Dietmar Rabich, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsOrganisation
MeMoMa — sex-realist feminism against self-identification
MeMoMa publishes essays and analyses from a sex-realist feminist perspective that rejects self-identification as a legal criterion and defends women’s rights.
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Timeline
Important moments in gender care
From the work of John Money in 1955 to today's international reorientation.
1955
John Money introduces the concept of gender role
In Baltimore, psychologist John Money is the first to use the word gender to describe the behavior and roles of men and women, separate from the body. This marks the beginning of modern thinking about gender.
1966
Harry Benjamin and the First American Gender Clinic
Endocrinologist Harry Benjamin publishes The Transsexual Phenomenon. That same year, Johns Hopkins Hospital opens the first gender clinic at an American university.
1967
The Reimer Case
On John Money’s advice, a boy was raised as a girl after a botched circumcision. Money reported success; in 1997, it became clear that the boy had never accepted the female role.
1975
Gender care takes root at VU Amsterdam
Around 1975, the Vrije Universiteit hospital in Amsterdam established a gender team. It grew into one of the largest and most influential gender centres in the world.
1979
First Standards of Care; Johns Hopkins Stops Performing Surgeries
The newly established Harry Benjamin Association, later known as WPATH, drew up the first international guidelines. That same year, Johns Hopkins stopped performing gender-affirming surgeries following a critical study.
1980
DSM-III: transsexualism becomes a psychiatric diagnosis
The American psychiatric manual includes diagnoses for transsexualism in adults and gender identity disorder in children for the first time.
1985
The Netherlands makes it possible to change the sex recorded on a birth certificate
Since 1 August 1985, a court has been able to change the gender recorded on a birth certificate. The requirements are physical adaptation and permanent infertility.
1987
The Beginning of Gender Care for Young People in the Netherlands
The first European clinic for children and young people with gender-related issues opens in Utrecht — laying the foundation for what would later become known as the Dutch Protocol.
1998
First Publication on Puberty Suppression
Cohen-Kettenis and Van Goozen describe the first young person whose puberty was suppressed with medication while awaiting further treatment.
2006
The Dutch Protocol Is Published
Delemarre-van de Waal and Cohen-Kettenis describe the complete treatment model: puberty blockers from age twelve, hormones from age sixteen, and surgery from age eighteen.
2009
Endocrine Society includes puberty suppression in its guideline
The first guideline issued by the international association of endocrinologists recommends puberty blockers for young people with gender dysphoria. The Dutch Protocol thus becomes standard practice worldwide.
2011
First Outcome Study of the Dutch Protocol
The Amsterdam group describes seventy young people undergoing treatment with puberty blockers. Depressive symptoms decrease; gender dysphoria itself does not change.
2013
DSM-5: gender dysphoria replaces disorder
The American psychiatric classification system replaced “gender identity disorder” with “gender dysphoria” — a less stigmatizing term focused on the distress itself.
2014
Transgender Act: Sterilisation Requirement Abolished
Since 1 July 2014, surgery or infertility is no longer required to change gender registration. A statement from an expert is sufficient from the age of sixteen.
2014
Follow-up study: outcomes after hormones and surgery
The Amsterdam group describes 55 young adults after puberty blockers, hormones, and surgery. The study is the most frequently cited evidence for the Dutch Protocol.
2018
Littman publishes ROGD paper
In PLOS ONE, Lisa Littman describes a pattern of rapid-onset gender dysphoria in adolescents—a subject of intense methodological debate.
2019
Somatic Transgender Healthcare Quality Standard
The Netherlands is getting its own national standard for medical transgender care, including a module on children and young people. The standard follows the Dutch Protocol.
2020
Finland opts for restraint
Finland’s Council for Choices in Health Care makes psychosocial support the first step. Hormonal treatment for minors is now only available after an individual assessment at one of two university hospitals.
2020
Bell v Tavistock
The British court ruled that young people under sixteen are probably unable to consent to puberty blockers. On appeal, that ruling was overturned in 2021.
2021
NICE assesses the evidence for puberty blockers and hormones
The UK institute NICE concludes that the evidence for puberty blockers and hormones in minors is of very low certainty. This finding carries significant weight in the Cass Review.
2022
Sweden Restricts Hormonal Treatment for Minors
The Swedish health authority, the National Board of Health and Welfare, concludes that the risks of puberty blockers and hormones for minors outweigh the benefits. Treatment remains an exception.
2022
Closure of the Tavistock Gender Clinic Announced
Following Hilary Cass’s interim report, NHS England decided to close England’s only gender clinic for young people and replace it with regional centres.
2022
WPATH Standards of Care Version 8
The global guideline for transgender healthcare is being updated. Minimum ages for treatments were removed shortly after publication—a decision criticized for its lack of supporting evidence.
2023
Norwegian Investigation Board Recommends Caution
The Norwegian Healthcare Investigation Board, Ukom, concludes that the evidence base for treating minors is insufficient and recommends revising the national guideline.
2024
Dutch House of Representatives Calls for Research into the Dutch Protocol
The Dutch House of Representatives wants the outcomes of treatment for young people in the Netherlands to be investigated. In response, the ministry asked the Health Council for advice.
2024
The Cass Review Is Published
British paediatrician Hilary Cass publishes her inquiry into youth gender care: the evidence base for puberty blockers and hormones in young people is limited. NHS England adjusts its policy.
2024
United Kingdom bans puberty blockers indefinitely
The UK government is making the ban on prescribing puberty blockers to minors with gender dysphoria permanent. Treatment will only be available as part of research.
2025
U.S. Department Assesses the Evidence
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has published its own assessment of treatment for minors. The report is critical and advocates psychotherapy as the first step.
2025
U.S. Supreme Court: States May Ban Treatment
In United States v. Skrmetti, the Supreme Court ruled that Tennessee may ban puberty blockers and hormones for minors with gender dysphoria.
2026
Health Council: transgender care for young people is carefully organised
The Health Council advises the minister that healthcare for young people in the Netherlands is carefully structured. The Netherlands is therefore maintaining its existing approach to treatment.
Frequently asked questions
What many people want to know
In Dutch, 'gender' is literally the English word for 'geslacht' (sex). In present-day usage, however, it is an ambiguous concept: it sometimes stands for biological sex ('gender reveal party'), sometimes for social role expectations, sometimes for gender identity. The same term with several conflicting meanings leads to confusion. For precise usage it is better to avoid 'gender' and to speak explicitly of 'sex' or 'gender identity'. See What is gender?.
Estimates vary widely — from about 0.1% (registered changes of sex registration) to around 1% for self-report of a transgender identity. The number of referrals to gender clinics has increased tenfold since 2010, especially among young people. See Research and statistics.
The treatment model developed in Amsterdam in which selected young people with persistent gender dysphoria first receive puberty blockers, later cross-sex hormones, and possibly surgery in adulthood. Once leading internationally; now the subject of reconsideration. See Dutch Protocol.
The four-year British review led by paediatrician Hilary Cass concludes that the scientific basis for puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones in young people with gender dysphoria is weak. The report led to policy changes in the NHS in 2024. See Cass Review.
In the Netherlands puberty blockers are possible from the start of puberty (from about 12 years of age) after extensive diagnostics; cross-sex hormones from 16; surgery from 18. However, waiting times run to several years. See Waiting times and care pathway.
Detransition is the reversal of an earlier transition — social, medical or both. The percentage of detransitioners is a matter of debate: figures vary, depending on definition and study design, from <1% to more than 10%. See Detransition and Transspijt.nl.
The network
One network, one mission.
From Transspijt and Alfabetbende to Dutchprotocol and Transkompas: each project highlights one subject. Together they form a broad independent information network about gender in the Netherlands.
About Genderinfo.nl
What is Genderinfo.nl?
The debate about gender, gender identity and transgender care affects young people, parents, care providers, education, policymakers and journalists. In the information available in the Netherlands one perspective generally predominates — the gender-affirmative model — while scientific caveats and international reorientations (Cass Review, Scandinavian policy changes) often remain underexposed. For each topic Genderinfo.nl provides factual explanation, the related discussions and the sources on which those discussions rest.