Mark Carney, the former Governor of the Bank of England and newly elected Prime Minister of Canada, has found himself at the center of discussions not only for his economic policies and political trajectory but also for his family life—particularly his eldest daughter, Sasha Carney. Sasha, 24, identifies as non-binary and uses they/them pronouns. They have been outspoken about their experiences with gender identity and their time at the Tavistock gender clinic in the U.K., a now-shuttered institution that was once the epicenter of pediatric gender care in Britain.
Sasha, born Sophia, legally changed their name in New York in 2021, though they had been using the name Sasha for years prior. Their journey into activism and gender discourse was shaped by personal experiences, which they have detailed in various publications. In 2020, Sasha penned an essay titled “Mumsnet, and Transmasculine Childhood” for the magazine Authenticity. In the piece, they recount their teenage years grappling with gender dysphoria and their time at Tavistock. They specifically described feeling like they were not “trans enough” to receive certain medical interventions, watching peers attempt to navigate the system to qualify for gender-affirming surgeries.
Mark Carney Does Not Have a Transgender Daughter, but His Eldest Child, Sasha, Is a Non-Binary Trans Activist
The Tavistock clinic, officially known as the Tavistock & Portman NHS Foundation Trust, was the U.K.’s only youth gender identity service. It was forced to close its doors in April 2024 following widespread criticism that it had fast-tracked children into medical transitions with little psychological oversight. The clinic had prescribed puberty blockers to over 1,000 minors, some as young as six years old, without comprehensive mental health evaluations. A significant turning point came with a lawsuit led by detransitioner Keira Bell, who was given puberty blockers at 16 but later regretted the transition. The case contributed to the landmark Cass Review, which concluded that the clinic’s treatment model lacked scientific backing and was potentially harmful to children.
In their essay, Sasha expressed a mix of frustration and longing regarding their experience at Tavistock. They recalled feeling “a fierce surge of jealousy every time I walked into the Tavistock for therapy and saw patients turn left, towards the medical spaces I didn’t feel ‘trans enough’ to enter.” They also recounted how a friend of theirs struggled to obtain an official gender dysphoria diagnosis despite attending weekly therapy sessions for a year. The friend, according to Sasha, was ultimately denied access to “top surgery”—a double mastectomy often pursued by transmasculine individuals—because they occasionally wore skirts.
The closure of Tavistock was met with mixed reactions. Supporters of the clinic lamented its shutdown as a setback for transgender youth, while critics pointed to the legal battles and testimonies from former patients as evidence that the clinic had been reckless. More than 1,000 families are now expected to join a lawsuit against Tavistock, alleging that the clinic caused irreparable harm to their children.
While Sasha has remained a vocal advocate for gender-affirming care, their father, Mark Carney, has been notably silent on the subject. As he transitioned from his career in finance to politics, Carney, who has four kids, largely avoided discussing LGBTQ+ issues in public. However, his proximity to Sasha’s activism and Tavistock’s legacy has fueled speculation about how he might handle gender-related policies as Canada’s Prime Minister. His youngest daughter, Cleo, a Harvard freshman, has taken a more public-facing role in his political rise, introducing him at the Liberal Party convention where he was selected as the new leader.
Despite their father’s high-profile career, Sasha has built a name for themselves independently. A Yale graduate with a degree in English and Gender Studies, they currently reside in Brooklyn, New York, working as a freelance writer and reviewer. Their work often intersects with left-wing activism, including support for prison abolition and the use of puberty blockers for transgender youth. In 2019, they praised Yale for offering “three gender choices” on student IDs and have criticized what they perceive as transphobia within feminist circles, particularly among so-called TERFs (trans-exclusionary radical feminists).
Sasha’s stance on gender issues has placed them at odds with conservative policies emerging in Canada and abroad. In 2024, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s government banned s*x change surgeries and puberty blockers for minors, explicitly citing the Tavistock scandal as a cautionary example. The move echoed similar legislative shifts in parts of Europe, where some countries have begun restricting youth gender-affirming medical care in response to concerns about long-term effects.
Neither Mark Carney nor Sasha have publicly commented on how their personal experiences with Tavistock and gender identity might influence the Prime Minister’s approach to policy. However, political analysts suggest that Carney’s tenure could see increased scrutiny on transgender rights and healthcare, given his direct connection to one of the most contentious debates of the decade. Whether Carney embraces or distances himself from his daughter’s activism remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: Sasha Carney is unafraid to speak their truth, no matter the political climate.
