Timeline · Last reviewed 2026-05-16
Timeline 1972–present
Summary
Chronological documentation of the Dutch Protocol from the founding of the VU adult transgender clinic in 1972 to the current period of international revision. Each entry refers, where possible, to the underlying primary source. Rows are clickable via anchors (e.g. /timeline/#y2014).
| Year | Event | Source / reference |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | VU Amsterdam starts adult transgender care under Louis Gooren | protocol/origins |
| 1987–1988 | First GnRH agonist prescribed to a 13-year-old adolescent | studies/cohen-kettenis-1998 |
| 1997 | Cohen-Kettenis & van Goozen — first adolescent follow-up | JAACAP |
| 1998 | Case report publication — formal introduction of the protocol | Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry |
| 2006 | Delemarre & Cohen-Kettenis — formal protocol description | studies/delemarre-2006 |
| 2009 | Endocrine Society Clinical Practice Guideline | J Clin Endocrinol Metab |
| 2011 | de Vries et al. — first follow-up study n=70 | studies/de-vries-2011 |
| 2012 | WPATH SOC-7 | Int J Transgenderism |
| 2013 | Steensma — desistance in children | studies/steensma-2013-desistance |
| 2014 | de Vries — cohort study n=55 ("Amsterdam study") | studies/de-vries-2014 |
| 2017 | Endocrine Society revised guideline | J Clin Endocrinol Metab |
| 2018 | Dutch Quality Standard Transgender Care | guidelines NL |
| 2018 | AAP Policy Statement (Rafferty et al.) | Pediatrics |
| 2020 | NICE evidence reviews — GnRHa and CSH | UK |
| 2020-06 | COHERE guideline Finland | COHERE 2020 |
| 2020-12 | Bell v Tavistock — first ruling | legal cases |
| 2021-05 | Karolinska policy | Karolinska 2021 |
| 2021-09 | Bell v Tavistock — Court of Appeal overturns | EWCA Civ 1363 |
| 2022-02 | SBU systematic review (Sweden) | SBU 2022 |
| 2022-06 | Florida AHCA review | Florida review |
| 2022-09 | WPATH SOC-8 — age thresholds removed after publication | WPATH SOC and DP |
| 2022-12 | Socialstyrelsen guideline (Sweden) | Sweden |
| 2023-03 | Ukom report (Norway) | Norway |
| 2024-03 | WPATH Files publication | WPATH Files |
| 2024-03 | NHS England withdraws GnRHa reimbursement | UK |
| 2024-04 | Cass Review — final report | Cass Review |
| 2024-12 | US v Skrmetti — Supreme Court oral arguments | legal cases |
| 2026 | ZonMw interim report on the Dutch evaluation expected | ZonMw |
Critical note
The timeline shows that the centre of gravity of the evidence lies before 2014 (two Dutch cohort publications, n=70/55), while the expansion of the protocol — both in inclusion criteria and in geographic spread — continued thereafter without independent replication confirming the original findings. The cluster of evaluation reports 2020–2024 (NICE, COHERE, Karolinska, SBU, Ukom, Cass) marks a turning point: for the first time the original assumptions are systematically scrutinised, with the shared conclusion that the evidence base is weaker than implementation assumed.1
See also
- People index — key figures in this chronology.
- International comparison — policy per country in table form.
- Original publications — chronological list with PMID.
- Evaluations — dossiers per evaluation report.
Footnotes
- Cass H. Independent review of gender identity services for children and young people: final report. NHS England; April 2024.