Skip to content

Issues

Fact-check: About Socialstyrelsen’s Decision and Trans Care in Sweden

By Anonymous

Editor note: This submission is from a Swedish-French comrade who wishes to remain anonymous. In an effort to combat the prolific disinformation circulating about Sweden’s trans health care system and the decisions from Socialstyrelsen, Health Liberation Now! is hosting an English version below. It should be accurate as of 10.15.2022. We will make edits as needed should new information or corrections come up.

Author note: This was translated from a French version and may feature clunky phrasing.

Why does this document exist?

Anti-trans organisations in any given country love to argue that other countries, such as Sweden and Finland, have fully stopped (notably hormonal) transitions for youths (thereafter used to mean “under 18yo”). It’s at best an oversimplification and at worst a plain lie. Even among those who support trans people and transition access for youths, inaccurate information is often repeated and goes viral, with most of the readers unable to fact-check due to not reading Swedish or even English.

As an annoyed French-Swedish trans person tired of repeating myself, I instead wrote this to sum up what was actually decided, with cultural / administrative context and links to all the original documents (generally in Swedish).

Read More »Fact-check: About Socialstyrelsen’s Decision and Trans Care in Sweden

A New Era: Key Actors Behind Anti-Trans Conversion Therapy

Editor note 6.4.2022: A previous version of this report stated in the Methodology section that the threshold for identifying notable figures was four or more connections. The correct threshold is five or more, as noted throughout the rest of the report. This error has since been corrected.

Over the past six years, a new cottage industry has emerged promoting what’s now being called “gender exploratory therapy” as the first line of care for trans and gender diverse people. This push stems from a central web of anti-trans groups whose leadership bases, citations, and collaborations interconnect. As the spread of targeted anti-trans conversion practices continues, Health Liberation Now! (HLN) investigated the relationships between fifteen prominent anti-trans groups or projects that have significant interest in “exploratory therapy” and international influence. The following report serves as a pair to our Anti-Trans Conversion Therapy Map of Influence, detailing our findings of the data behind the network map and what it means for trans and gender diverse people around the world.

Click below to read online or via PDF.

Content Notes and Definitions

This report contains detailed discussion of anti-LGBTQ+ conversion practices of secular and faith-based varieties, with a particular focus on anti-trans conversion practices. There is also brief reference to childhood sexual abuse (including child sexual abuse material), grooming, and pornography. Some quotes or citations may be upsetting for survivors.

This piece is published by trans survivor advocates in the name of public interest. It should not be construed as legal advice. If you’re from the United States and need supports related to conversion practices, you can find information at Born Perfect. Additional supports for trans and gender diverse people who are distressed or in crisis can be found at the Trevor Project (youth and young adults up to age 24, (866) 488-7386 (US)) or Trans LifeLine (adults, available in English and español, (877) 565-8860 (US) or (877) 330-6366 (CA)).

Download pdf
Read More »A New Era: Key Actors Behind Anti-Trans Conversion Therapy

Leaked audio confirms Genspect director as anti-trans conversion therapist targeting youth

Content notes: discussion of conversion practices targeting trans youth, pedophilia, transfemicide, sexual assault/rape, mass infanticide, and forced adoption/human trafficking of children. Included are also specific audio clips with targeted hate speech, comparisons with “autogynephilia” and pedophilia, and confessions of practicing conversion therapy with teenage clients. This is a particularly intense one, so please take all measures to care for yourself and proceed with caution.

If you need supports related to conversion practices, you can find information at Born Perfect (1-800-528-6257 (US)) and Galop (0800 130 3335 (UK)). Additional supports for trans and gender diverse people who are distressed or in crisis can be found at the Trevor Project (youth and young adults up to age 24, (866) 488-7386 (US)), BeLonG To (youth and young adults 14-23, 01 623 5606 (Dublin IE)), Switchboard (0300 330 0630 (UK)), Mindline Trans (by and for trans people, Mon/Wed/Fri 8PM-12AM, 0300 330 5468 (UK)) or Trans LifeLine (adults, available in English and español, (877) 565-8860 (US) or (877) 330-6366 (CA)).

Recorded audio of a Twitter Space from 2021 was released on YouTube last week as part of an ongoing feud between Genspect affiliates and self-proclaimed “gender industry abolitionists” who aim to eliminate all forms of gender affirming care. Within the Space Stella O’Malley, a prominent psychotherapist in Ireland facing allegations of conversion therapy and the director of Genspect (among other groups), reveals that she has made it her life mission to prevent trans youth from accessing any form of gender affirming care. In doing so, she inadvertently confesses to seeking to suppress or change trans youth’s gender identity, the very definition of gender identity change efforts (GICE, i.e. conversion therapy/practices),[1] despite her past denials. The audio proves the legitimacy of the allegations put towards O’Malley by trans people and concerned health professionals and, consequently, the allegations towards Genspect and other organizations or projects she leads or is affiliated with.

Read More »Leaked audio confirms Genspect director as anti-trans conversion therapist targeting youth
Black and light grey sketch drawing of a magnifying glass, turned slightly to the left.

A Brief Commentary on Dr. Littman’s Response to Dr. Restar

By: L

Questions or comments for the author can be directed to Health Liberation Now! here.

There has been much written about Dr. Lisa Littman’s supposed identification of a “rapid-onset gender dysphoria” (ROGD) phenomenon and the subsequent use of the term by anti-trans groups to justify restricting access to gender-affirming care for transgender adolescents. Something which has gotten less attention is the post-correction defense that Littman published in 2020[1] of her original paper,[2] in which she responded to one particular critique made by Dr. Arjee Restar.[3] However, given that the criticisms Littman responded to in this paper overlap some with the concerns I raised in my own recently posed questions to Littman, I felt it would be helpful to highlight some points that she makes here and where they fall short. As in the questions that we sent to Littman, my analysis focuses on Littman’s interpretation and presentation of her work; the debate around its scientific merit is more or less a dead horse.

Read More »A Brief Commentary on Dr. Littman’s Response to Dr. Restar

A pair of hands reaching out for each other. On the right, a light-skinned person is reaching out to hand a cutout black paper heart to another outstretched light-skinned hand on the left.

What It’s Like To Attend an Anti-Trans Conference As a Trans Researcher

Originally posted on Medium.

Content notes: discussion of conversion therapy/practices, murder/transphobic hate crimes, suicide, parental transphobia, and insensitivity regarding detransition. Some links include misgendering of trans youth or references to incest and childhood sexual abuse.

Being a trans researcher of anti-trans mobilization is a trippy experience. It’s one thing to get glimpses of a person’s or group’s views through random tweets, but going to their events for a deep dive is a whole other level. You’re immersed in a sea of disdain for people like you, or your future generations, only for you get slammed with premonitions as they drop hints about (or even outright announce) their plans for our social eradication. It’s even worse when you know what’s going to come next, even if they’re not quite forthcoming about it, only to be proven right just days later. It’s emotionally and physically draining work, with a degree of impact that I feel like all of us trying to understand anti-trans organizing should approach with both respect and gentleness.

Let me give you an example using my experience at Genspect’s ROGD conference last November. Unlike my other work this won’t be a thorough analysis of the event itself or what threats it poses. I’m building up to that, learning from the aforementioned lesson of being gentle with myself. But right now, I need to work through the emotional impact it has, and hopefully this will help others work through their own to appreciate that it’s okay to care for ourselves too. And, crucially, as TGNC people doing or consuming this kind of work, we must normalize collective care to keep all of us going in this horror show. Because by G-d, some of us need to be in this for the long haul, so we’d better get ready together because shit ain’t gonna stop anytime soon.

Read More »What It’s Like To Attend an Anti-Trans Conference As a Trans Researcher

Some Additional Questions for Dr. Lisa Littman

By: L

Questions or comments for the author can be directed to Health Liberation Now! here.

Lisa Littman is a scientist who achieved notoriety in 2018 for publishing a paper claiming to discover a phenomenon of “rapid-onset gender dysphoria” (ROGD) among youth, a phenomenon in which teens with no history of gender dysphoria would immediately come out as trans in adolescence.  The paper was immediately met with criticism, both within the academic community and from trans advocates.  They specifically took issue with the study’s methodology and the way it purported to identify an entire new phenomenon of adolescent onset dysphoria in spite of the scientific consensus that trans identity can become apparent at any age.[1]  Eventually, Dr. Littman published a modified version of the paper, which was more conservative in drawing conclusions and clarified that ROGD is as of now only a hypothesis.

Despite the criticisms of her work, Dr. Littman has given a number of interviews on it:

  • With Jonathan Kay, of Quillette[2]
  • With Benjamin A. Boyce, alongside Sasha Ayad[3]
  • With Julian Vigo, of Savage Minds[4]
  • With Megyn Kelly[5]
  • With Stella O’Malley and Sasha Ayad, of Gender: A Wider Lens[6]

Dr. Littman acknowledges the controversy, but typically presents herself as an unsuspecting victim of out-of-control woke activists, hungrily pouncing on any dissent from the One Transactivist NarrativeTM.  She has also denied any affiliation with ideologically motivated anti-trans activists, stating in one interview that “I am not a religious conservative and I am not a radical feminist”.[2]  However, all of these interviews have been uncritical of her work if not outright adulating, and have not gone into detail about the critiques that advocates had of it, nor questioned how it fits into the broader discourse on pediatric trans medical care.  Thus, in the interest of openness and discussion, below are a few additional questions specific to Dr. Littman’s research that I would be interested to hear her answers to.  Note that I will at no point here call Dr. Littman a transphobe, a fraud, or a grifter; I am merely asking questions.

Read More »Some Additional Questions for Dr. Lisa Littman

Littman Tries to Prove ROGD by Surveying Detransitioners, Fails Spectacularly

Note: We are looking to connect with trans academics or researchers to develop a formal response to this paper. If this sounds like you, you can contact us here.

Update 10.23.2021: For the compilation of this analysis and future work, we retain a copy of the original questionnaire in full. This information has been confirmed to be legitimate by Lisa Littman. We are releasing the transcript of the questionnaire to the public in the interest of open science. Full screenshot verification can be provided directly to interested, reputable researchers and academics. Enormous thanks to Mallory Moore for dedicating the time to compile this for us.

Lisa Littman, a US-based researcher famed for popularizing “rapid onset gender dysphoria” (ROGD), recently released a new paper on detransition titled Individuals Treated for Gender Dysphoria with Medical and/or Surgical Transition Who Subsequently Detransitioned: A Survey of 100 Detransitioners.[1] Analysis of the paper, its questionnaire, and its recruitment pool reveals a number of methodological and factual errors. The errors demonstrate a clear attempt to find support for the existence of ROGD. In actuality, the data collected contradicts Littman’s conclusions and, in the process, identifies a key shift in the political climate on trans health when ideological detransition emerged as a narrative.

Read More »Littman Tries to Prove ROGD by Surveying Detransitioners, Fails Spectacularly

When Ex-Trans Worlds Collide

Content notes: discussion of conversion practices (both secular and faith-based), suicidal ideation, child kidnapping, pedophilia, and child abuse.

Disclaimer: This piece is published by advocates in the name of public interest. It should not be construed as legal advice. If you’re from the US and need legal or other supports related to conversion practices, you can find information at Born Perfect.

Ideologically motivated detransitioned activists joined forces over the summer with leaders of ex-LGBT ministries to target class action suits demanding equitable health coverage for trans people in Arizona. Filing an amicus brief on July 7th,[1] notable figures such as Keira Bell, Sinéad Watson, and Carol Freitas collaborated with Kathy Grace Duncan of Portland Fellowship, a group that has been under fire for practicing faith-based conversion therapy on gay and trans people.[2] The brief was filed alongside one from Society for Evidence Based Medicine (SEGM), whose membership is closely linked with conversion therapy groups and practitioners.[3] The collective effort signals an organized attempt to undermine access to gender affirming care in ways that leave both trans and detrans people with limited medical or psychological support, all while conversion efforts towards trans people are on the rise.

Click below to read online or via PDF.

Read More »When Ex-Trans Worlds Collide

Report: Wi Spa Protests Highlight Growing Collaboration Between Gender Critical Activists and the Far-Right

Content note: post includes depictions of police brutality, fascist activity, transmisogyny, racism, and references to pedophilia, domestic violence, sexual assault, and QAnon.

Several gender critical activists showed up to right-wing anti-trans protests at Wi Spa in Los Angeles, CA that took place on July 3rd.[1] At least one also attended a second round of protests organized by the same right-wing groups that took place on July 17th. Five have been identified and all five play active roles in the gender critical movement. Some have organized their own protests in the past.

The aim of this piece is to name which gender critical activists attended, give some background on who they are, describe what they did at the protests and how they’ve been describing the protests to other members of their movement. It will also note any connections these individuals have to the Right, including if they’ve been spreading right-wing media about the protests. Overall, gender critical activists’ actions and responses to the Wi Spa protests demonstrate their increasing alignment with the far-right.

Read More »Report: Wi Spa Protests Highlight Growing Collaboration Between Gender Critical Activists and the Far-Right