A leading gender dysphoria expert hailed for her work on sexual orientation says she was censored after writing a report which found girls feel ‘pressured’ to come out as trans.
J Michael Bailey, 66, has been praised for his work on sexual orientation
One of the world’s leading experts on gender dysphoria claims an academic journal retracted an article he wrote for her due to pressure from trans activists.
J Michael Bailey, 66, a professor of psychology at Northwestern University in the US state of Illinois, has published more than 100 academic articles in his 40-year career and has previously been praised for his ‘groundbreaking’ work on sexual orientation.
On March 29, her article ‘Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria’ was published in the academic journal Archives of Sexual Behavior. Professor Suzanne Diaz co-authored this article with a mother whose daughter is transgender. He refused to give his real name for fear of reprisals.
In the report, Professor Bailey concluded that young girls reported feeling ‘pressured’ to receive medical transition treatments, including puberty blockers, after being diagnosed with rapid onset gender dysphoria (ROGD). ROGD is where children, mostly girls, with no history of gender dysphoria suddenly announce that they want to transition to the opposite sex.
Professor Bailey has long argued that ROGD is caused by peer pressure and says doctors encourage drastic medical interventions, including mastectomies, which girls later regret.
J Michael Bailey, 66, a professor of psychology at Northwestern University in the US state of Illinois, has published more than 100 academic articles in his 40-year career and has previously been praised for his ‘groundbreaking’ work on sexual orientation.
He wrote: ‘The credit for raising awareness about ROGD goes largely to parents whose daughters claim to be sons.
‘Desperate for sound medical advice, they find themselves confronting a medical establishment that has come to prioritize surgical and hormonal interventions over the traditional psychotherapy that seeks to resolve distressing feelings.’
He said the report had received ‘negative attention from trans activists’ since the day it was published.
Writing on The Free Press website last week, he said: ‘These activists began lobbying both the publisher (Springer Nature Group) and organizations associated with the journal to retract the article and punish the editor.’
On May 5, more than 100 gender activists published an online ‘open letter’ citing ‘ethical concerns’ over Professor Bailey’s research.
He said: ‘This was an excuse for their original complaint: a dislike of certain ideas. Controversy is essential to good science, but these activists don’t want it.
‘On May 23, we received an email from Springer informing us that they were retracting our article.’ The professor consulted lawyers but the article was removed last month.
Last night Free Speech Union founder Toby Young told the MoS: ‘Activists don’t dare challenge the ROGD idea according to the standard rules of academic debate because they know they will lose.’
A ‘common sense’ group of Tory MPs last night welcomed plans to require schoolchildren who want to change gender to first go through a ‘reflection period’
Plans to require schoolchildren who want to change gender to first go through a ‘reflection period’ were last night welcomed by a ‘common sense’ group of Tory MPs.
They support plans for schools to inform parents if their child wants to identify as a different gender. The proposals – part of draft government guidance for schools in England – will be signed off by Rishi Sunak within days.
It comes amid reports that separate Cabinet Office advice would give civil servants the right to question or criticize transgender identity without being discriminated against in the workplace.
Of the schools’ proposals, Tory MP Brendan Clarke-Smith, who is a member of the party’s influential Common Sense group, said: ‘Helping our teachers and protecting our children is very welcome.’
The group’s chair, Sir John Hayes, added: ‘Ultimately common sense prevailed.’ Official sources said the guidelines are yet to be finalised.
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