A Doctor and Professor Is Fired for Discussion of the Medical Risks of Gender Transition

NEWS COMMENTARY

Allan M. Josephson, a psychiatrist at the University of Louisville, who appeared at an event held by the anti LGBT agenda Heritage Foundation, has been fired from his job. He has filed a lawsuit.

From “Gender Dissenter Gets Fired” in the conservative National Review:

Allan M. Josephson is a distinguished psychiatrist who, since 2003, has transformed the division of child and adolescent psychiatry and psychology at the University of Louisville from a struggling department to a nationally acclaimed program. In the fall of 2017 he appeared on a panel at the Heritage Foundation and shared his professional opinion on the medicalization of gender-confused youth.

The Heritage Foundation is a very conservative, anti same-sex marriage and LGBT rights group. Was this part of his motivation? He says no:

Madeleine Kearns: This all started after you appeared on a panel at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. Were you speaking there as a conservative or as a medical professional?

Allan Josephson: Oh, I was speaking as a medical professional, clearly. And I was chosen because of the perspective that I would give. I had been directing the division of child and adolescent psychiatry at the University of Louisville for 15 years. I had been successful there and was asked to give a speech off campus and on my own time. It was not a university event, and I was speaking in my individual capacity.

Heritage events are politicized and are not going to provide a plethora of views which can be considered problematic in this doctor’s case. Gender conferences, such as Gender Odyssey and even WPATH (who set standards of care for gender dysphoria treatment) that advise mental health and medical professionals, also do not provide anything beyond affirmation of gender dysphoria viewpoints. Gender conferences that deliver objective data, exploring all relevant information are needed.

The doctor believes this issue is too politicized:

MK: You mentioned earlier about the politicization of this particular field of medicine more generally and gave the example of the American Academy of Pediatrics, which last year issued a widely criticized policy statement endorsing “gender affirmation” [psychological, medical, and surgical sex-change treatments for minors]. You said something very interesting: that for people who aren’t familiar with this process, this could seem like there’s a medical consensus, when actually, it is a very small number of people driving this change.

AJ: It’s a political process: correct. And the way committees are formed, various people who have various interests get on them. They do intense work, and sometimes very good work, but it often doesn’t meet the scrutiny of a scientific statement. An organization affirming a position is not necessarily science, but it is a group of people agreeing to say something.

He indicates health professionals are afraid to voice their opinions:

I think it could be that there’s a silent majority. I think there are a lot of people who agree with me: There’s no question. And I’ve spoken with colleagues on various campuses who have had similar situations where someone will come into their office, close the door behind them, and say something to the effect of, “You know, I really agree with you, but for various reasons I can’t speak out.”

And:

I have accomplished a lot professionally and had an established reputation. If someone like me can be demoted, harassed, and then effectively fired for expressing my views, think of what an intimidating effect this has on younger professionals, who are not yet established in their careers.

The interview covers the ramifications of the World Health Organization removing gender dysphoria from it’s list of mental disorders and a new “let the child lead” model.

MK: Do you worry about the kind of global direction of this?  I’m thinking specifically about the World Health Organization, which recently removed gender dysphoria from its list of mental disorders. Some worry that future editions of the DSM [the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders] might do the same. Is it possible that we will get to a situation where a child comes into a clinic, diagnoses themselves, and prescribes their own treatment, and clinicians are powerless to do anything but go right ahead?

AJ: We are very close to that now. 

Other instances of activist pressure, firings, and censorship can be found here.

REFERENCES:

Kearns, M. (2019, July 12). Gender Dissenter Gets Fired. National Review. Retrieve from https://www.nationalreview.com/2019/07/allen-josephson-gender-dissenter-gets-fired/

Hasson, M. (2017, February 27) Threatening Violence, Trans Activists Expel Un-PC Research At Medical Conference. The Federalist. Retrieved from https://thefederalist.com/2017/02/27/threatening-violence-trans-activists-expel-un-pc-research-medical-conference/