As the United Nations independent expert on preventing violence and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, I have the privilege of working alongside LGBT communities and activists all over the world. In every country I visit as part of my mandate, I am consistently moved by the courage and perseverance of local trans communities who face daily attempts of negation or vilification of their identities. This is why in light of recent attempts in the Australian media and public debate to paint transgender youth – and the doctors who serve them – as part of a new “social fad” or “ideology”, I wish to state in the strongest terms possible that such narratives are not only profoundly incorrect, but also perpetuate harmful stereotypes which delegitimise the identities of trans people and ultimately impede access to their human rights.