CBBC doctor ‘leads trans mob’s bid to storm conference in puberty blocker row’
A CBBC presenter has been accused of leading a transgender rights mob that yesterday set off smoke bombs and tried to storm a conference on gender issues.
Dr Ronx Ikharia, who presents Operation Ouch!, was seen using a loud hailer outside a meeting of doctors and academics at the Royal College of General Practitioners in London.
Police and security staff clashed with dozens of activists who set off smoke bombs and tried to get into the building, but no arrests were made.
Inside the venue, experts from the Clinical Advisory Network on Sex and Gender (Can-SG) discussed issues such as the dangers of sex-change drugs for children.
The protest came days after ministers banned children from being prescribed puberty blockers on the NHS.
In a speech outside the First Do No Harm conference, Dr Ronx said: ‘I am a doctor of 13 years, I am a trans, non-binary doctor and Can-SG is doing harm.’
Dr Ronx, 40, presents alongside twin doctors Chris and Xand van Tulleken on the popular children’s health show Operation Ouch! Last night, Stephanie Davies-Arai, of campaign group Transgender Trend, said: ‘A CBBC presenter should not be involved in protests against evidence-based medical care for children.
‘That Dr Ronx led a mob that prevented attendees from accessing the conference is a serious public order infraction.’
Conference speakers included Dr Anna Hutchinson, education lead for the new NHS gender services for children, and Sonia
Appleby, former safeguarding lead at the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust, which had its gender clinic ordered to close after it was deemed ‘not safe’.
In an Instagram post yesterday, Dr Ronx said: ‘To see people who are “professionals” tut, frown and take pictures of us as if we are the enemy whilst accessing the conference was not nice. The intellectualisation of trans bodies frames our existence as debatable.’
Author Helen Joyce said: ‘This is somebody with influence with children. Adults were behaving like tantruming toddlers.’
A police spokesman said: ‘At 9.45am a group attempted to gain access to an event in Euston Square. A smoke flare was set off. No reported injuries or damage.’
The BBC declined to comment. A source said Dr Ronx is not a BBC staff member and so is not covered by the broadcaster’s guidelines on protests.