A CAMPAIGN group backing the Conservative Party has argued that “it should not be easy” to have a gender reassignment, and suggested that people who wish to do so are not in a healthy frame of mind.

The remarks were made by Mary Douglas, a spokesperson for Grassroots Conservatives – a group that is independent of the party but draws its membership primarily from Tory supporters.

Douglas was commenting on a government initiative which plans to de-medicalise gender transitioning, making the process quicker and more accessible.

During a radio interview yesterday, Douglas said: “It should not be easy to do something as massive as change your gender. The law is there to protect us, normally from other people but also sometimes from ourselves ... If somebody thinks they have a mismatch between how they think and the way their body is, the question is: ‘Which should be changed?’”

The family, religion and public life spokesperson added: “What’s interesting is that many people who have gender dysphoria also have – not all, but many – other mental health conditions, like depression or drug addiction. They’re deeply troubled.

“And it has been proven that, when they change their gender, that doesn’t solve those issues. So, there’s an underlying issue here.”

James Morton, manager at the Scottish Trans Alliance, contradicted Douglas’ claims that academic study supported her arguments, explaining: “There’s a clear medical consensus – and there has been for around 20 years – that it’s shown to be beneficial to allow people to transition as it improves their mental health.

“Being transgender is not any kind of psychotic or mental disturbance. People don’t know exactly why people are trans but the key point is that you can be trans and be perfectly well-adjusted.

“Being allowed to undergo gender reassignment enables somebody’s quality of life and general well-being to improve. It’s only provided on the NHS because there’s clear evidence that it is a successful treatment.”