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pediatric transition

SEGM Exposed Reloaded: The Shadow Money Behind a Leading Anti-Trans Think Tank

By: Lee Leveille and Quinnehtukqut McLamore

The Society for Evidence-Based Gender Medicine (SEGM), a fringe organization known for intentionally misrepresenting the state of evidence for gender-affirmative care and for collaborating with anti-trans and anti-queer hate groups, has been a key source for anti-trans legislation and policies worldwide. Their members and affiliates are not only cited by conservative governments, but have been paid large sums by these same governments as “experts.” Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida went so far as to appoint a member of SEGM—Patrick Hunter—to the Florida Board of Medicine, where he has worked to ban care for trans youth in the state. Such striking influence in an organization so young has made activists, researchers, and lawyers alike interested in SEGM’s infrastructure and finances—particularly because despite the organization being required to submit tax documentation as a 501(c)(3) non-profit, SEGM’s are opaque. Past reporting by researchers at Trans Safety Network (TSN) has noted that large chunks of SEGM’s early financing came from three large, anonymous donations on a GoFundMe, and that collaborations with known anti-queer hate organizations like American College of Pediatricians (ACPeds) and conversion therapy networks like International Federation for Therapeutic and Counselling Choice (IFTCC) helped launch the group’s influence.

Now, Health Liberation Now has been able to identify another source of funding for SEGM—as well as the overall assets and income reported to the IRS by SEGM in December 2020 and December 2021. During the first year of SEGM’s official tenure as a non-profit (occurring some time between July 1, 2020-June 30th, 2021), the EDWARD CHARLES FOUNDATION (website here) made a “charitable gift” to SEGM in the amount of $100,000, as per public tax records available on ProPublica (Form 990, Schedule I) obtained searching for any reference to SEGM’s tax identification number (84-4520593). This donation potentially represented more than half SEGM’s reported income for 2020 as per the Master File maintained by the IRS, which was previously unknown. This report aims to contextualize this large influx of cash with respect to SEGM’s background, activities as an organization, and policy influence. We not only detail what is known regarding SEGM’s history and activities, but provide a detailed timeline of all known fundraising efforts and key figures.

Read More »SEGM Exposed Reloaded: The Shadow Money Behind a Leading Anti-Trans Think Tank

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

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

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

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

Early Correspondence Between A Detrans Radical Feminist and the Founder of FourthWaveNow

Originally published on Reclaiming Trans

Denise C, the founder of FourthWaveNow, corresponded with detransitioned radical feminists before she started her Tumblr and WordPress blogs. This correspondence took place between December 26th-27th 2014. Denise started her blogs in March of 2015.

Below are emails between Denise and Devorah Zahav, the detrans woman who blogs as Redress Alert. Zahav is a very important figure in the radical feminist detrans women’s community. In addition to writing a popular and influential blog, she engaged in much detrans organizing and activism, including helping to create the first online spaces for detrans and re-identified women and organizing the first in-person gatherings. She played a very influential role in creating the detrans radical feminist community and spreading a transphobic feminist interpretation of detransitioning and detrans womanhood.Read More »Early Correspondence Between A Detrans Radical Feminist and the Founder of FourthWaveNow