An academic researcher who was refused permission by a university to study people who regret or reverse gender reassignment treatment is to challenge the decision in the High Court (writes Rosemary Bennett).

After a battle of lasting over two years, the court has granted James Caspian an oral hearing on February 19 to challenge Bath Spa University’s decision to veto his Masters thesis proposals into “detransition”, which he says is a growing and worrying trend. It means he will be able to put his case publicly for the first time.

Mr Caspian, 59, is a psychotherapist who has spent his career working with transgender people and became alarmed by reports from clinicians that the number of reverse gender reassignment procedures was on the rise. He