Eunuch should be recognised as a formal gender identity, according to documents published by the Scottish NHS.
The National Gender Identity Clinical Network for Scotland (NGICNS) shared the claims from the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) that "eunuch-identified people" were the "least visible" trans group and would benefit from "gender affirming medical care".
The paper was deleted on Wednesday night and the Scottish Government issued an apology, claiming it had been published by mistake.
The paper was uploaded to an official NHS website as part of a consultation over proposed updates to its guidelines, which Scotland’s NHS says it currently follows.
It defines a eunuch as "an individual assigned male at birth whose testicles have been surgically removed or rendered non-functional, and who identifies as a eunuch" and "individuals who feel that their true self is best expressed by the term eunuch".
Eunuchs "generally desire to have their testicles surgically removed or rendered non-functional", the document states.
It adds that eunuchs should be offered "surgical intervention" if there is a risk that withholding treatment could lead to them attempting to carry out a medical procedure themselves.
The paper also provided a direct link to a website which includes graphic and sexually explicit fictional descriptions of child eunuchs.
When signing up to the website, called the Eunuch Archive, users are asked to select their interests from a menu of options that includes "forced castration" and "smooth look".
Other organisations to endorse eunuch as a gender identity are the Royal College of Nursing, which cited it as an "alternative" alongside terms such as "boygirl", "girlboy" or "gender queer".
The controversy follows the emergence of the "Nullo", movement among those who do not wish to identify as male or female.
A 44-year-old man known as the "eunuch maker" was arrested in London in December over claims he had carried out dozens of castrations in his north London basement flat.
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The World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) updated its 'standards of care' guidelines over the weekend.
The 260-page document includes a new chapter on caring for 'eunuchs'.
It even advocates that medical professionals should consider castrating people who identify as such.
The authors of the new standards, which include NHS medics and heads of UK trans charities, argue that castration could help some eunuchs better align with their 'gender identity'.
'As with other gender diverse individuals, eunuchs may also seek castration to better align their bodies with their gender identity,' they said.
'Like other transgender and gender diverse individuals, eunuchs require access to affirming care to gain comfort with their gendered self.'