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ROGD

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)).

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

The Mechanisms of TAnon: Where it Came From

This is part two of a five-part series describing the TAnon phenomenon as it spreads in the United States. Parts include “What is ‘TAnon’?,” “Where it Came From,” “How the Hell We Got Here,” “Key Players and What to Watch For,” and “Strategies Moving Forward.” Each section has been separated due to length and will be accumulated into a full document for distribution at a later point.

It goes without saying that this series will be extremely upsetting to targeted marginalized groups (particularly trans + youth, women, Jews, and people of color), as well as survivors of childhood sexual abuse, sex trafficking, police brutality, and/or fascist/white nationalist violence. This piece in particular includes material referencing the assault and murder of Brandon Teena, in which he is deadnamed as well as having his identity and the nature of the transphobic hate crime against him erased in favor of psychological pathologization. There is also reference to the appearance of identified fascists at protests outside clinics providing care to trans youth, as well as brief coverage of the fascist-led, police-enforced Wi Spa protest on July 3rd. Hate material is cited extensively. Please read with care and take breaks as needed.

Author note 9.11.2021: The 7.3.2021 listing for Wi Spa has been updated to reflect new information about charges filed by the Los Angeles Police Department.

To understand TAnon, it’s necessary to trace the history of a number of key concepts and their origins, as well as the social context that they developed within. This section does so by creating a timeline that connects the threads between transphobic theories surrounding “body dissociation”, “follow[ing] the money” (which inevitably leads to Jewish funders), and detransition and how it connects to gender affirming care for youth and women’s rights. In doing so, the progression from theory-crafting to on-the-ground anti-trans actions becomes evident on a national and international level. The evolution of these theories and actions influence legislation, media coverage, and psychological and/or medical care.

For trans and trans-supportive readers who are still learning about detransition as a concept, it’s important to remember that anti-trans detransition narratives and talking points are a small, albeit highly influential, minority that does not represent everyone who could be or has been labeled as detransitioned. Prior to the formation of the anti-trans detransitioned women’s community in 2013, the term (particularly as a counter-argument against trans people’s right to self-identify) was practically unheard of. Many trans people and people exploring their identity have a history of detransition and view it as part of their overall path to understand themselves. The references that are included are meant to illustrate where certain talking points originated from and how the social conversation surrounding detransition has changed. This was primarily accomplished through the influence of key figures within the anti-trans detransitioned women’s community and the anti-trans feminist and parent groups they subsequently networked with. Readers should also be mindful that many such narratives include personal trauma that can have real, lasting impact for the individual. We can simultaneously hold empathy for the impact of that trauma and firm boundaries on how it is used in individual and collaborative political pursuits at the expense of trans people.

In addition, the concept of “rapid-onset gender dysphoria” (ROGD) and social contagion is periodically referenced because of its profound influence in all three of the aforementioned spheres, though it is by no means comprehensive. For timelines and in-depth breakdowns of this particular concept, see the writings from Zinnia Jones, Julia Serano, and Florence Ashley in the Additional Resources section. There is also occasional reference to “institutional capture” and “trans lobby,” though these weren’t expanded on in detail due to length.

Through the course of this research, it became evident that there are three phases characterizing the proliferation of TAnon: formation, solidification, and escalation. In the formation phase, spanning from 2010 through 2015, the aforementioned concepts begin to emerge and are slowly coalesced into theory. In the solidification phase from 2016 through 2019, theories become more concrete, key publications are released, talking points become more steadily implanted into the media and political climate, and foundational organizing efforts begin. The escalation phase, from 2020 onwards, involves the rapid expansion of increasingly extreme conspiracies in social media and the press, progressive fascist creep connecting with the fusion with QAnon, and “grassroots” actions targeting legislation, trans-supportive businesses, and medical infrastructure.

Read More »The Mechanisms of TAnon: Where it Came From

Tell Amazon to Stop Selling PEC’s Anti-Trans Conversion Therapy Book

Originally posted on Reclaiming Trans

On April 7, an anti-trans organization called Partners for Ethical Care released a book called Desist, Detrans, & Detox: Getting Your Child Out of the Gender Cult by Maria Keffler, one of the organization’s co-founders. This book is currently being sold by Amazon, among other online retailers. The book accuses the trans community of being a cult indoctrinating vulnerable young people and promotes conspiracy theories about a “billion-dollar gender industry” preying on children. It claims to “[provide] a roadmap to help families navigate the treacherous terrain of gender indoctrination, and bring their children back to reality and safety.” In other words, it’s a conversion therapy manual for transphobic parents, claiming to provide them with psychological techniques for coercing their trans children into “desisting”.

Upon learning of the book’s release and listing on Amazon, I attempted to raise awareness among trans people and our allies, urging them to contact Amazon and express their disapproval of Amazon’s willingness to profit from a transphobic book that promotes not only baseless conspiracy theories but conversion therapy for trans young people. Amazon briefly unlisted the book before reinstating it, claiming it had been taken down by mistake. In between the book’s unlisting and reinstatement, PEC went to the right-wing media and rallied their supporters to contact Amazon and urge them to resume selling the book.

Read More »Tell Amazon to Stop Selling PEC’s Anti-Trans Conversion Therapy Book

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