Howard Wilbur Jones, Jr. (December 30, 1910 ā July 31, 2015) was an American gynecologist and surgeon. He performed sex reassignment surgeries at Johns Hopkins University.
Background
Jones earned a bachelor’s degree fromĀ Amherst CollegeĀ in 1931 and a medical degree fromĀ Johns Hopkins School of MedicineĀ in 1935, then completed his surgery residency there. He led a U.S. Army Auxiliary Surgical Group duringĀ World War II, after which he completed a gynecology residency. Jones was a colleague of surgeon Milton Edgerton.
Jones made many important innovations in cancer and fertility research, first at Johns Hopkins and later at Eastern Virginia Medical School.
Genital surgeries
Jones performed “normalizing” surgeries on infants with differences of sex development on the recommendation of John Money, including vaginoplasty for David Reimer at age 22 months in 1967. Money fabricated the outcome of Reimer’s social adjustment, and Reimer eventually killed himself at age 38.
Jones also performed surgeries on adults. Confirmed patients include:
- Phyllis Avon Wilson (~1965)
- Dawn Langley Hall (1968)
Transgender hoaxer Kiira Triea/Denise Magner also claimed to have surgery from Jones at age 14, but there is no evidence that this is true.
Resources
Eastern Virginia Medical School (evms.edu)
- Jones Institute For Reproductive Medicine
- Historic URL: jonesinstitute.org
Johns Hopkins Medical Archives (medicalarchives.jhmi.edu)
- Historic URL: http://www.medicalarchives.jhmi.edu/sgml/joneshw.html
Richard Byng is a British general practitioner of medicine and anti-transgender activist.
Byng is involved with anti-trans organization Society for Evidence-Based Gender Medicine (SEGM).
Background
- 2009 GP with Special Interest in Mental Health accreditation
- 2004 PhD, University of London, Health Services Research
- 1996 Masters in Public Health (MPH), University of Birmingham
- 1992-1993 MRCGP, Oxford (Banbury) Vocational Training Scheme
- 1985-1988 M.B. B.Ch. (Cambridge), The Royal London Hospital Medical College,
- 1982-1985 B.A. (Hons) Medical Sciences Degree (2:1), Queens’ College, Cambridge University
2018 Guardian letter
Byng was a signatory on a letter in The Guardian critical of the Gender Recognition Act. The open letter included many other key anti-transgender extremists.
2019 Standing For Women anti-transgender event
In 2019 Byng spoke at an anti-trans event organized by Standing for Women titled First Do No Harm ā the ethics of transgender healthcare
Also present was James Caspian, David Davies, Julia Long, Heather Brunskell-Evans, Posie Parker, Maya Forstater, Sue Evans, and Sonia Poulton.
2022 US Health and Human Service meeting
On April 25, 2022, anti-trans organization Society for Evidence-Based Gender Medicine (SEGM) arranged a meeting with US government officials on healthcare for trans and gender diverse youth. Byng was listed as a participant.
2024 CAN-SG anti-transgender event
The Clinical Advisory Network on Sex and Gender (CAN-SG) is an anti-transgender front group that promotes restrictions on healthcare. According to program notes: “Richard will talk about how current care for 17-25 year olds could be changed to reflect evidence and professional standards of practice.”
References
Written evidence submitted by Professor Richard Byng [GRA1913] https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/18099/pdf/
Written submission from Dr Richard Byng, et al (HSC0091) -https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/103342/html/
Resources
University of Plymouth (plymouth.ac.uk)
John Higgon is a British psychologist and anti-transgender activist. Higgon is supportive of the disputed diagnosis “rapid onset gender dysphoria” and supports “gender exploratory therapy,” a form of non-affirming care for trans youth. Higgon is involved with SPLC-designated hate group Society for Evidence-Based Gender Medicine (SEGM), which led to the creation of conversion therapy lobby group Genspect.
Background
Higgon is a psychologist with Dumfries & Galloway Health & Social Care. Much of Higgon’s work is with older patients.
Anti-transgender activism
Higgon was one of several signatories who praised the Cass Review that finally closed the UK’s inefficient Tavistock youth gender clinic and opened the door for decentralized care for gender diverse youth. Higgon and friends celebrated the closure for different reasons in a response. Co-signers were:
- Angela Dixon, GP
- Dr David Bell, Retired Consultant Psychiatrist
- Dr Lucy Griffin, Consultant Psychiatrist
- Dr Seth Bhunoo, Consultant Psychiatrist
- Dr Sallie Baxendale, Consultant Neuropsychologist. Honorary Associate Professor UCL
- Dr Az Hakeem, Consultant Psychiatrist. Hon Clinical associate professor UCL
- Dr Louise Irvine, GP
- Dr John Higgon, Consultant Clinical neuropsychologist
- Dr Madeleine Ni Dhalaigh, GP
- Dr Robin Ion, Senior lecturer in mental health nursing
- Bob Withers, Analytical Psychotherapist
- Prof David Pilgrim, Chartered Clinical Psychologist
- Dr Maja Bowen [aka “Isidora Sanger”/”la scapigliata”
- Dr Tessa Katz, GP
- Dr Ellen Wright, GP
Higgon syas:
We think the current guidelines effectively prohibit psychologists from taking a questioning approach and applying ethical practice in these situations. The absence of a robust evidence base supporting psychological and medical intervention is a concern in this rapidly growing population, leaving significant gaps in our understanding of many relevant issues. The disproportionate increase in presentations of females to services, the phenomenon of so-called Rapid-Onset Gender Dysphoria, the voices of individuals who have desisted or detransitioned, and the experiences of those for whom existing treatments have been of value must all be addressed in the search for quality research informing best-evidence practice. Such research can only be conducted in an environment that is open to discussion in a respectful and professionally inquisitive manner.
References
Staff report (April 8, 2020). Specialist HD Staff Appointed to Support Families in Dumfries & Galloway. Scottish Huntington’s Association https://hdscotland.org/specialist-hd-staff-appointed-to-support-families-in-dumfries-galloway/
Higgon et al (03 August 2022). Time for honest reflection, not defence. The British Psychological Society https://www.bps.org.uk/psychologist/time-honest-reflection-not-defence
Higgon et al (03 September 2020). Freedom of expression around diversity guidelines. The British Psychological Society https://www.bps.org.uk/psychologist/freedom-expression-around-diversity-guidelines
David Bell, Lucy Griffin, Seth Bhunoo, Sallie Baxendale, Az Hakeem, Louise irvine, John Higgon, Madeleine Ni Dhalaigh, Robin Ion, Bob Withers, David Pilgrim, Maja Bowen, Tessa Katz, Ellen Wright (2022). Comment: Review of gender identity services for children and young people. BMJ 2022; 376 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.o629 (Published 10 March 2022)Cite this as: BMJ 2022;376:o629
Resources
Dumfries and Galloway Health and Social Care (dghscp.co.uk)
ResearchGate (researchgate.net)
YouTube (youtube.com)
Julian Vigo is an author and sex segregationist involved in gender critical activism.
Podcast
Vigo’s Savage Minds podcast often features activists in the gender critical movement. Guests include:
Resources
Savage Minds (savageminds.substack.com)
X/Twitter (x.com)
Lubellule / disfasia (lubellule.com)
Forbes (forbes.com)
Instagram (instagram.com)
FundRazr (fundrazr.com)
Quillette (quillette.com)
Public Discourse (thepublicdiscourse.com)
“Shape Shifter” is the stage name of July R. Carlan, an American accountant and ex-transgender activist who gets money and attention by making it harder for others to get trans healthcare.
Background
July Roxella Carlan was born on July 11, 1990. Carlan had a “consensual” sexual experience at age 11 and came out as gay to unaccepting parents at 16.
At age 22 in graduate school, Carlan learned about nonbinary identities and booked an appointment at Fenway Health in Boston on November 15, 2012. At the initial consultation, Carlan described a pattern of high-risk sexual behavior as well as incidents of anti-LGBT discrimination and assault. Carlan also expressed a desire to become pregnant.
Affter signing an informed consent form on December 27, 2012, Carlan began hormones via Fenway Health. In a follow-up appointment in March 2013, a therapist noted Carlan’s āinternalized transphobia,ā because Carlan wanted to ābe seen as more than a trans woman.ā
By mid-December 2013, Carlan reported inconsistent use of hormones in order to regain sexual function and engage in high-risk sexual behavior. In December 2014, Carlan reported:
- depression and anxiety
- seeking validation through sex
- struggles with sexual compulsivity and hopes that GRS will reduce sexual urges
- did not want to take hormones in order to enjoy sex
- could not find a job in finance and had ābegun a career in strip dancingā
In the first half of 2015, Carlan had multiple therapy sessions and received clearance for bottom surgery.
After getting elective bottom surgery as an adult, Carlan “realized I was just a castrated man.” Carlan has sometimes identified as a “homosexual transsexual,” a term promoted by anti-transgender activists.
On or about May 10, 2022, at age 31, Carlan publicly announced plans to make additional gender changes. Carlan no longer identifies as a trans woman, “but as a gender-non-conforming man.” Carlan reportedly just liked feminine clothing and makeup.
Carlan is a Certified Public Accountant in Massachusetts. Carlan is in a relationship with a “sugar daddy” who is nearly 50 years older. Howard Carlan (born December 6, 1941) goes by “Cat Man” in their videos.
Anti-transgender activism
Carlan has regret about taking some medical gender transition steps and has found an anti-trans audience who wants to amplify these rare cases of regret.
In 2022, Carlan testified against healthcare for trans youth before the Florida Board of Medicine.
In addition to numerous media appearances about regret, Carlan has also been critical of trans athletes and supports misinformation and conspiracy theories about trans healthcare.
On October 12, 2023, Carlan filed a lawsuit against Fenway Community Health Center. On March 28, 2025 Judge Myong J. Joun entered a decision that “Fenway is dismissed from this action.”
On April 2, 2025, Carlan filed an appeal.
References
Justia (April 2, 2025). Carlan v. Fenway Community Health Center, Inc., et al. Case No. 25-1315. https://dockets.justia.com/docket/circuit-courts/ca1/25-1315
Staff report (November 13, 2023). MA Lawsuit Claims Trans Medical Care is Gay Conversion Therapy. Assigned Media https://www.assignedmedia.org/breaking-news/ma-lawsuit-trans-care-gay-conversion
Mitra N. Forouhar. Shape Shifter v. Fenway Health. https://mnf-law.com/lawsuits/ pdf: https://mnf-law.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ShapeShifter-v-Fenway.pdf
Sapir,Ā Leor; Figliolia, Joseph (November 8, 2023). Medicine with a āTransgender Bias.ā City Journal https://www.city-journal.org/article/medicine-with-a-transgender-bias
Court Listener (Oct. 12, 2023). CarlanĀ v.Ā Fenway Community Health Center, Inc. 1:23-cv-12361, (D. Mass.) https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/67878127/carlan-v-fenway-community-health-center-inc/
Carlan v. Fenway Community Health Center, Inc. US District Court for the District of Massachusetts, Case 1:2023cv12361 https://rilawyersweekly.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2023/11/Carlan-v.-Fenway-Community-Health-Center.pdf
Gordon, James (August 27, 2022). ‘I was brainwashed by the trans community’: Detransitioner reveals he regrets having his penis removed and says woke doctors didn’t warn him of negative consequences because it would be ‘bad for business.’ Daily Mail https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11151433/Detransitioner-says-brainwashed-having-gender-reassignment-surgery-woke-doctors.html
“Shape Shifter” (June 22, 2022). The Boy Who Shifted Shapes: A Detransitionerās Story. Reduxx https://reduxx.info/opinion-the-boy-who-shifted-shapes/
Sum News (November 2016). New Members. mscpa.org https://digitaleditions.sheridan.com/publication/?i=355533&p=20&view=issueViewer
Media
Daniel Moon (April 6, 2024). Shape Shifter: The DE-TRANS Truth. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnOL1Lx_jW4
Soft White Underbelly (March 23, 2023). Ex (Detransitioning) Trans Woman interview-Shape Shifter. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsbtaXqfg1o
Cat Cattinson (December 6, 2022). “Being trans wasn’t my authentic self.” – Interview with Shape Shifter, detrans man. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lB_m8f60tr4
Tomi Lahren – Outkick (November 21, 2022). Trans āShape Shifterā doxxed by LGBTQ community, Michael Farren performs & Trumpās return to Twitter. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LGXnptuKYE
The Get Better Researcher (October 31, 2022). Detransitioner Shape Shifter Florida Board of Medicine Testimony. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ko_MJln6c_4
Transparency with Aaron Kimberly and Aaron Terrell (August 29, 2022). EP46 – Owning Male Femininity – with Shape Shifter. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoUE23la-uo
Blaire White (July 3, 2022). Detransitioner: “My Penis Is Gone Forever & I Regret it” | Emotional Interview. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRh80xSI8QQ
Arielle Scarcella (June 5, 2022). “I Miss My Penis” : Brave Detrans Men Speak Out. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrRLpJ1uIzw
Benjamin Boyce (June 4, 2022). When Transition Goes Wrong | with Shape Shifter. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MorvzXI2uw
Jubilee (April 2, 2023). Should Minors Transition? Detransition vs Trans | Middle Ground. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dl0LZZFos-g
Resources
CPA Directory (cpadirectory.com)
X/Twitter (x.com)
- ShifterofShapes [deleted]
YouTube (youtube.com)
GoFundMe (gofundme.com)
reddit (reddit.com)
Instagram (instagram.com)
TikTok (tiktok.com)
Camille Kiefel is an American “ex-transgender” activist. Kiefel gets money and attention by making it harder for others to get trans healthcare.
Background
Kiefel identified as nonbinary and medically transitioned as an adult.
Kiefel is heavily invested in metaphors of disease and impairment as identity and reportedly has the following problems:
- CPTSD
- major depressive disorder
- ADHD
- generalized anxiety disorder
- suicidal ideation
Anti-trans activism
In 2022 Kiefel announced a lawsuit against the healthcare providers who tried to help. Keifel filed another case in 2024.
Kiefel is listed as principal of Detrans Help, a nonprofit founded in 2023.
Kiefel has made the rounds on conservative and fascist media promoting the ex-trans movement.
References
Reed, Erin (November 2, 2023). “Everyone Should Become Catholic”āPragerU $1 Million #DETRANS Ad Echoes Ex-Gays. Erin in the Morning https://www.erininthemorning.com/p/everyone-should-become-catholicprageru
Kiefel, Camille (July 31, 2023). I Was Nonbinary. Now I Help Detransitioners. Newsweek https://www.newsweek.com/nonbinary-surgery-breast-removal-detransitioning-1816309
Jackson, Daniel; Knoll, James L. (July 12, 2023). Trauma and Transition Trajectories: The Risk of Caenisian Reversion. Psychiatric Times https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/trauma-and-transition-trajectories-the-risk-of-caenisian-reversion
Michels, Holly (January 27, 2023). 5-hour hearing shows emotional debate over bill to block gender care for trans minors. Independent Record https://helenair.com/news/state-regional/government-politics/5-hour-hearing-shows-emotional-debate-over-bill-to-block-gender-care-for-trans-minors/article_8b65c48b-124e-5900-b4e5-982021691545.html
Carnahan, Ashley (December 21, 2022). Detransitioner shares emotional story on why she’s suing doctors who performed double mastectomy. Tucker Carlson Tonight https://www.foxnews.com/media/detransitioner-shares-emotional-story-shes-suing-doctors-performed-double-mastectomy
Schlott, Rikki (December 3, 2022). Detransitioner: āIām suing the doctors who removed my healthy breasts.ā New York Post https://nypost.com/2022/12/03/detransitioner-im-suing-the-doctors-who-removed-my-healthy-breasts/
Goldsberry, Jenny (December 3, 2022). Detransitioner who had breasts removed says she is suing doctors who approved surgery. Washington Examiner https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/restoring-america/fairness-justice/former-nonbinary-patient-sues-social-worker-therapist
Buttons, Christina (November 18, 2022). Detransitioner Announces Lawsuit Against Oregon Gender Clinics For Expediting Surgery. The Daily Wire https://www.dailywire.com/news/detransitioner-announces-lawsuit-against-oregon-gender-clinics-for-expediting-surgery
Hathaway, Candace (November 18, 2022). Detransitioner sues Oregon gender clinics for ‘abhorrent misdiagnosis’ that ‘mutilated’ her body. The Blaze https://www.theblaze.com/news/detransitioner-sues-oregon-gender-clinics
Elmore, Erin (November 8, 2022). Oregon Woman Sues Gender Transition Care Providers over Rushed Treatment that caused āIrreversibleā Damage. Turning Point USA https://www.tpusa.com/live/oregon-woman-sues-gender-transition-care-providers-over-rushed-treatment-that-caused-irreversible-damage
Reinl, James (November 7, 2022). Oregon Woman Sues Carers for green-lighting double mastectomy. Daily Mail https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11399015/Oregon-woman-sues-trans-care-team-abhorrent-misdiagnosis-left-MUTILATED.html
Media
Benjamin A. Boyce (January 24, 2023). āHealth Careā (Minus Health, Care) | a Detrans Story with Camille Kiefel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NW9s-UvOgog
Brently Kopopolous and Daniel de la FĆ© (January 20, 2023). Dangerous Rhetoric 99: Camille Kiefel Dangerous Rhetoric https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTjzPkUa-VI
Michael Ballantine (January 19, 2023). Detransitioner Camille Kiefel, Permanently Damaged By Lies. Woke Uphttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtTC_A4oswA
Kallie Fell (Mar 14, 2023). Venus Rising with Camille: I Regret My Top Surgery. The Center for Bioethics and Culture Network https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7j2171JpQQM
Kallie Fell (May 23, 2023). Venus Rising with Camille Part 2. The Center for Bioethics and Culture Network https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c75FqCjHBWA
Buck Angel (June 15, 2022). Detransitioner: “I Regret Cutting Off My Breasts” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ogs-0onakU
Erin Brewer (October 9, 2022). Detransition: The Importance of Physical Health https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Uyo-pR5iUc
Resources
Camille Kiefel (camillekiefel.com)
Frieda Klotz is an Irish-American writer and anti-transgender activist. Klotz launders anti-trans extremism about gender diverse youth into mainstream media outlets. Klotz has been cited by American anti-trans organizations supporting legislation harming our children.
Background
Frieda Marie Klotz was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1977 to Margaret Klotz and Frederick S. “Fred” Klotz, an American mathematician who died when Frieda was a child in an April 1988 Dublin cycle accident.
Klotz studied ancient Greek, earning a bachelor’s degree from Fred Klotz’s former employer Trinity College, Dublin, in 2000. Klotz then continued at University of Oxford, earning a master’s degree in 2001 and a doctorate in 2005. From 2005 to 2007 Klotz taught at King’s College London.
In 2007 Klotz began a long string of reviewing, editing, writing, fact-checking, and researching roles for Daily Telegraph, Euromoney, New York Times Syndicate, Irishcentral, journalism professor Susie Linfield, Salon, and New York Times Digital.
In 2011 Klotz co-edited The Philosopher’s Banquet with Katerina Oikonomopoulou. Klotz was then a contributor for The Chronicle Review, Forbes, Shimon Dotan at Roam Films, Irish Times, Prospect, The Guardian, Irish Echo, Irish Voice, the Irish Times, The Economist, MIT Sloan Management Review, Ireland’s Sunday Independent, and Diplomacy Dojo. Klotz has also written several white papers for the British government and the New York Times Company.
Klotz began attacking healthcare for transgender children while based in Brussels.
2022 Undark article
In 2022, Klotz began writing the first of many versions of the same article about gender diverse youth. These “cisgender person under siege” articles typically center a cisgender person as a hero facing assaults from “both sides.” For Klotz, the cis hero is Annelou de Vries and colleagues, and the two sides are:
- Right-wing politicians, religious conservatives, and some health care associations are calling for medical treatment of teens to be banned or avoided if at all possible
- Some activists and physicians say the protocol is too slow.
Klotz’s false equivalence between executing eliminationist policies and removing barriers to care is a hallmark of what biologist Julia Serano calls trans-suspicious reporting.
Klotz continues The Atlantic’s shameful leading role in “just asking questions.” This cognitive bias is called a framing effect. Here are Klotz’s questions:
But pediatric transgender medicine is a new field with a lot of questions yet to be answered by science. What is the long-term impact of blocking puberty on a young personās health? Can practitioners correctly determine which youngsters will still identify as trans when they are adults? Do the psychological assessments contribute to childrenās suffering by delaying access to puberty blockers and hormones? Why has the number of teens coming forward to receive transgender medical care, particularly those assigned female at birth, risen so dramatically in recent years?
Klotz then rattles off the litany of risks and complications recited by conservatives:
- “desistance”
- bone loss
- brain development
- genital atrophy (with an assumption of vaginoplasty)
- medical consent
- reproductive viability
For the “right-wing politicians, religious conservatives, and some health care associations” engaged in an assault on trans rights and autonomy we have a couple of sentences about:
- The Heritage Foundation
- Family Policy Alliance
All the usual suspects advocating “careful therapeutic assessments” and banning informed consent before age 26 are presented as the centrist position:
For the “some activists and physicians” side, we have:
- Diane Ehrensaft
- Diane Chen
- VU Gender (Mis)Treatment
- Jack Turban
- Aidan Key
- Florence Ashley
2023 Atlantic article
Klotz wrote the same article for The Atlantic the following year, but with Finland and Norway added as countries with concerns. This article tries to shore up an alleged clinical distinction between young children and “adolescent-onset gender dysphoria,” a euphemism for the fake disease “rapid-onset gender dysphoria.”
New clinicians
New journalists
- Jan Kuitenbrouwer
- Peter Vasterman
- Kaya Bouma
- Ellen de Visser
New activists and politicians
- Michiel Verkoulen
- Sam van den Berg
Response by Marieke Kuypers
A group of journalists have been hitting the same talking points as their English-speaking counterparts. As trans journalists and researchers work to stay on top of the flood of anti-transgender propaganda being being laundered into “centrist” publications, journalist Marieke Kuypers has given a first-blush overview of the Dutch political situation. Kuypers’ Twitter thread is below. More on this soon.
- A quick thread for any English speakers about something I’ve been afraid of ever since the publication of a Dutch article about the Dutch Approach that was heavily biased. It’s been used as more evidence of this “increasing” concern in an Atlantic piece
- Because I’ve been looking into anti-trans targeting of The Dutch Approach, I recognize the author. Frieda Klotz’s article on the same topic from last year was published on GLP, which is a Monsanto front – the article https://geneticliteracyproject.org/2022/06/27/transitioning-transgender-teenagers-are-not-new-this-dutch-clinic-has-been-doing-it-for-decades/ā¦ā¦- GLP: https://sourcewatch.org/index.php/Genetic_Literacy_Project
- The same article by Klotz on Undark, a website tied to GLP: https://undark.org/2022/04/06/the-evolution-of-pediatric-transgender-medicine/ā¦ā¦About the link between Undark and GLP:
- Kuitenbrouwer and Vasterman are not qualified to judge gender care. One is a media sociologist, the other a columnist. Kuitenbrouwer is rabidly transphobic, calling the “trans-movement bloodthirsty”. They were also on a Genspect sponsored podcast
- For some of Kuitenbrouwer’s massively transphobic work, check out these articles:
- Vasterman shared the Undark article by the same author as the Atlantic piece, Frieda Klotz in april last year
- Uitstekend gedocumenteerd overzichtsverhaal over de oorsprong van the Dutch approach, wereldwijd overgenomen maar nu onder vuur: āA Dutch clinic pioneered transgender medical care for kids, shaping decades of research amid criticism from all sides.ā https://undark.org/2022/04/06/the-evolution-of-pediatric-transgender-medicine/
- To make the connection even more complete, Kuitenbrouwer apparently knew about the Volkskrant article before it was published, according to this tweet in which he says there’s an article coming about the Dutch approach. Did he influence the article? https://twitter.com/kuitenbrouwer/status/1627664286280519682?s=20
- I also spoke to someone who was interviewed for the article and retracted their story once they read the article. The told me and I have evidence that the authors spoke to anti-trans activist Michael Biggs. How much influence did he have?
- The influence of anti-trans groups does seem obvious, they even link to one in the Volkskrant article referencing SEGM as a “group of 120 doctors”. It does not have 120 members who are doctors, but about a dozen, amongst them Michael Biggs
- āSEGM is an ideological organization without apparent ties to mainstream scientific organizations. Its 14 core members are a small group of repeat players in anti-trans activities – a fact that the SEGM website does not discloseā Volkskrant ook niet
- The Volkskrant also talks to dr. Kaltiala who spread the debunked social contagion (ROGD) story and was a witness in Florida, and is linked to SEGM as well https://genderanalysis.net/entity/riittakerttu-kaltiala-heino/
- Furthermore, the detransitioner in the story matches (same process, ages of treatment, same very specific story about a back surgery and the account proudly retweeted the article) the Twitter account of someone who was invited by anti-trans group Genspect to a detrans house
- Iām rushing the analysis I was already writing about the Volkskrant article and how it was influenced by anti-trans groups and will try to publish a translated version as soon as possible and add it to this thread once itās finished.
- Want to know what dr. De Vries thinks? Here are her own words in the book about the Dutch Approach by Alex Bakker:
- This is a critical response to the article by the Dutch Transgender Network. They link to a pdf with extensive references, you can throw that in Google translate as well using the documents tab ā¦https://www-transgendernetwerk-nl.translate.goog/belangenorganisaties-trekken-aan-de-bel-over-onzorgvuldige-journalistiek/?_x_tr_sl=nl&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=nl&_x_tr_pto=wapp
- Oh look Kuitenbrouwer seems to admit he ācrossed pathsā with the Dutch journalists. (I wasnāt sacked by the way, shows how reliable this guyās info is)
- Ahw I think he doesnāt like me so he blocked me. Hereās a screenshot
- So apart from Vasterman &Kuitenbrouwer being unqualified & transphobic, Frieda Klotz fails to mention that contrary to the moral panic about the increase in āgirlsā (trans boys) in the most recent Dutch research (2022) the ratio has actually reversed to more trans women
- You can find this recent research (in Dutch) here. Another interesting finding in light of the moral panic: years long waiting lists are causing mental distress (mostly in the form of depressive or suicidal feelings) for 70% of the group that was surveyed https://zorgvuldigadvies.nl/wp-content/upl
Klotz’s anti-trans writings
Klotz, Frieda (April 6, 2022). The fractious evolution of pediatric transgender medicine. Undark https://undark.org/2022/04/06/the-evolution-of-pediatric-transgender-medicine/
Klotz, Frieda (June 27, 2022). Transitioning transgender teenagers are not new. This Dutch clinic has been helping them for decades. Genetic Literacy Project https://geneticliteracyproject.org/2022/06/27/transitioning-transgender-teenagers-are-not-new-this-dutch-clinic-has-been-doing-it-for-decades/
Klotz, Frieda (March 24, 2023). Book review: Behind the demise of the Tavistock Gender Clinic. Undark https://undark.org/2023/03/24/book-review-time-to-think/
Klotz, Frieda (April 28, 2023). A teen gender-care debate is spreading across Europe. The Atlantic https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2023/04/gender-affirming-care-debate-europe-dutch-protocol/673890/
References
Transgender Netwerk Nederland (March 10, 2023). Belangenorganisaties Trekken Aan De Bel Over Onzorgvuldige Journalistiek [Interest groups are sounding the alarm about careless journalism] https://www.transgendernetwerk.nl/belangenorganisaties-trekken-aan-de-bel-over-onzorgvuldige-journalistiek/
Irish Mathematical Society Bulletin 21 (December 1988), p. 6.
Resources
Frieda Klotz (friedaklotz.com)
X/Twitter (x.com)
Genetic Literacy Project (geneticliteracyproject.org)
WordPress (wordpress.com)
LinkedIn (linkedin.com)
Muck Rack (muckrack.com)
Laura VanZee Taylor is an American anti-transgender activist who directed the 2023 anti-trans project No Way Back as “L. E. Dawes.” After Taylor’s child came out as trans, Taylor created a propaganda piece about the ex-transgender movement. Taylor and producer Penka Kouneva are responsible for including convicted sex offender David Arthur Kendall as one of the ex-trans activists they featured.
Background
Laura Elinor Van Zee was born August 26, 1970, grew up in Medford, Oregon, then earned a bachelorās degree from Lewis & Clark College in 1992 and a masterās degree from University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1994.
VanZee Taylor’s husband Jason Daniel Taylor (born 1970) is an executive at Facebook/Meta. They met in college, married in 1992, and have two children: Occidental College student Elinor “Ellie” Taylor and a teen who came out as trans, which sparked VanZee Taylor’s anti-trans activism.
VanZee Taylor was a creative director for Hallmark Cards in Missouri before becoming a stay-at-home parent. In 2010, after a “a mini-midlife crisis” at age 40, VanZee Taylor began making videos.
Previous media
- I Am Maris (ROCO Films 2017) profiles Maris Degener, a yoga instructor who experienced significant body image issues as a teen
- Walk Through This (2018) profiles Sara Schulting Kranz, whose spouse came out as bisexual 17 years into their marriage
- “If Siri Was a Mom” (2016) showcases Whitney Cicero / The New Stepford
- “Somewhere” (2014) features VanZee Taylor’s family
VanZee-Taylor styles both fake and real names in numerous ways:
- L. E. Dawes
- L.E. Dawes
- L E Dawes
- LE Dawes
- Laura VanZee
- Laura Van Zee
- Laura V. Taylor
- Laura VanZee-Taylor
- Laura VanZee Taylor
- Laura Van Zee Taylor
Anti-transgender activism
VanZee Taylor became involved in anti-transgender activism because their younger child identified as gender diverse. VanZee Taylor then connected with other unsupportive parents from the anti-trans “parental rights” movement:
COVID-19 had been hard on my youngest. Previously an extroverted, active and affectionate boy, over the lockdown he became quiet, easily agitated and withdrawn. He spent most of his time online. Then he told us he was transgender.
He said he wanted puberty blockers and then he would go on estrogen. He matter-of-factly stated that he didnāt plan on getting ābottom surgery,ā but would probably want electrolysis, voice training and facial feminizing surgery such as a tracheal shave. He knew our insurance would cover it all.
My husband and I were shocked at his pronouncement. Not because we are transphobic, but because our son had never exhibited any discomfort with his body or identity. […]
I joined a local support group with more than 100 members for parents of kids with rapid-onset gender dysphoria. Hearing their stories, with so many similarities to ours, I couldnāt help but think that something other than kids finding their authentic selves was going on here. […]
And that is why I made this film. Even if my community disapproves. Even if I have to use a pseudonym to protect my son.
In the course of attacking 300,000 American children, VanZee Taylor outed their own child in the Dallas Morning News in 2023, even though their child was not out at school.
VanZee Taylor claims “I have to use a pseudonym to protect my son,” apparently feeling the best way to protect this teen was to divulge deeply personal family information in a major newspaper to promote anti-transgender propaganda.
In June 2023, this site revealed the identities of VanZee Taylor and producer Penka Kouneva and helped get theatrical screenings at AMC canceled.
As of 2024, their trans child Ruby Taylor is out, transitioned, and in college. Kouneva’s child has also transitioned. Despite this, Kouneva and Taylor continue to post anti-trans propaganda online, primarily on the 2022affirmation account.
References
Dawes, L. E. (February 17, 2023). OPINION Filmmaker: I believed in gender affirming care. Then I saw what happened to my son. Dallas Morning News https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/commentary/2023/02/18/i-made-a-film-about-transgender-kids-that-doesnt-align-with-my-politics/
KOBI-TV (April 18, 2018). Five on 5 – Laura VanZee Taylor – Film Maker. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzgUen2rQq0
Osborne, Matt (February 19, 2023). Affirmation Generation: The Lies Of Transgender Medicine. The Distance https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/affirmation-generation-the-lies-of
PITT (February 21, 2023). AFFIRMATION GENERATION, an original documentary. Parents with Inconvenient Truths about Trans (PITT). https://pitt.substack.com/p/affirmation-generation-an-original
Resources
Peanut Monkey Films (peanutmonkeyfilms.com)
Laura VanZee (lauravanzee.com)
No Way Back (nowaybackfilm.com)
Affirmation Generation (affirmationgenerationmovie.com) [archive]
Vimeo (vimeo.com)
IMDb (imdb.com)
Facebook (facebook.com)
YouTube (youtube.com)
Twitter (twitter.com)
Instagram (instagram.com)
TikTok (tiktok.com)
LinkedIn (linkedin.com)
ROCO Films (rocofilms.com)
Walk Through This (walkthroughthis.com) [archive starts in 2018]
Open Corporates (opencorporates.com)
Joseph Ladapo is a Nigerian-American physician who was a key figure in banning trans youth healthcare in Florida.
Background
Joseph Abiodun Ladapo was born on December 16, 1978 in Nigeria. At age 5, Ladapo and family moved to the Uniter States.
Ladapo earned a bachelor’s degree from Wake Forest University in 2000, then attended Harvard, earning a medical degree and a doctorate. After working in New York City, Ladapo was appointed a tenured professor at UCLA.
During the COVID pandemic, Ladapo became known among convervatives for views on vaccines and other protocols. In 2021, Ladapo was appointed Surgeon General of Florida by Governor Ron DeSantis.
Anti-transgender activism
Ladapo has carried out anti-trans policies promoted by DeSantis, most notably SB 254, a law prohibiting gender-affirming medical treatment for minors and restricting access to care for trans adults.
Transgender Floridians brought Doe v. Ladapo to challenge this law.
Via Zinnia Jones:
We now know that the state was covertly assisted in this effort by the leadership of the anti-trans group Genspect, Child & Parental Rights Campaign lawyer Vernadette Broyles, and Riittakerttu Kaltiala of Finlandās Tampere University youth gender clinic; Hilary Cass of NHS Englandās Cass Review also privately expressed an interest in theĀ sham reportĀ against gender-affirming care commissioned by Floridaās AHCA. Several individuals worked behind the scenes with Patrick Hunter, a leading member of the anti-transĀ Society for Evidence-based Gender MedicineĀ (SEGM). After being appointed by Governor Ron DeSantis to the Board of Medicine, Hunter arranged for extensive anti-trans testimony from SEGM associates to be submitted to the Boards of Medicine and Osteopathy.Ā
Jones (2023)
Ladapo has also appeared on a number of anti-trans platforms, including Tim Pool, Megyn Kelly, Glenn Beck, Epoch Times, Newsmax, Dennis Prager, Charlie Kirk, and Debra Soh.
References
Doe v. Ladapo (4:23-cv-00114) District Court, N.D. Florida https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/67082532/doe-v-ladapo/
Jones, Zinnia (November 29, 2023). New trial exhibits in Doe v. Ladapo: DOH worked with Genspect leaders Stella OāMalley and Joe Burgo in July 2022; Hilary Cass met SEGMās Patrick Hunter to discuss Floridaās anti-trans report; Jamie Reedās attorney Vernadette Broyles chose the lineup of detransitioners speaking at the Board of Medicine. Gender Analysis https://genderanalysis.net/2023/11/new-trial-exhibits-in-doe-v-ladapo-doh-worked-with-genspect-leaders-stella-omalley-and-joe-burgo-in-july-2022-hilary-cass-met-segms-patrick-hunter-to-discuss-floridas-ant/
Migdon, Brooke (April 20, 2022). Florida health dept. says gender-affirming care should not be provided to minors. The Hill https://thehill.com/changing-america/respect/equality/3274150-florida-health-dept-says-gender-affirming-care-should-not-be-provided-to-minors/
Riley, John (December 27, 2023). DeSantis Spread Misinformation to Limit Trans Health Care, Judge Says. MetroWeekly https://www.metroweekly.com/2023/12/desantis-spread-misinformation-to-limit-trans-health-care-judge-says/
Izaguirre, Anthony (June 3, 2022). Transgender youth treatment under fire in Florida again. AP https://apnews.com/article/health-florida-cultures-medicaid-government-and-politics-68065d8560f7cb68ea4fd8e57e848295
Caputo, Marc (June 2, 2022). DeSantis moves to ban transition care for transgender youths, Medicaid recipients. NBC News https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/desantis-moves-ban-transition-care-transgender-youth-medicaid-recipien-rcna31736
Alfonseca, Kiara (March 23, 2023). Florida parents file lawsuit against state transgender youth care ban. ABC News https://abcnews.go.com/US/florida-parents-file-lawsuit-state-transgender-youth-care/story?id=98086864
Kendra Blewitt is an American writer, amateur tennis player, and “autogynephilia” activist.
Background
Kendra Susan Blewitt was born in August 1945. Blewitt lives in San Francisco and lists as occupation independent writing and editing professional. Blewitt got a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from UICC in 1974.
I corresponded with Kendra in 2003. Kendra talks about time living “as Kendra” as well as her time living “as Ken.”
I am thankful to Kendra for sharing this letter about why psychologist and “autogynephilia” activist J. Michael Bailey is not offensive– Blewitt agrees with Bailey’s model that “transsexuals” may have a form of deviancy. As Kendra notes, “If you turn out deviant, say, homosexual or paraphilic, that is a fact of your existence that you must learn to live with.”
Kendra’s letter (2003)
Dear Andrea,
I am writing with regards your words about Dr. Bailey’s book, The Man Who Would Be Queen.
Let me state a couple of things about myself at the onset: (1) I am post-op. I was approved for SRS in April, 2002 by a well-known and very experienced gender therapist, Dr. Barbara Anderson; and I had the surgery done by Dr. Preecha last August. (2) I am autogynephilic. I never claimed to be a woman trapped in a man’s body to Dr. Anderson. I told her I wanted SRS because I had a condition of the sex drive, namely autogynephilia.
Because I was completely inexperienced at dressing and did not know anyone in the TG community when I showed up in San Francisco to start my year of RLE under Dr. Anderson, she had me go to TG support groups in order to meet the people of the group. For a year I went to two support groups every week > one in SF and one in Berkeley.
The people in the SF group were “indigent” types — mostly girls on SSI for mental problems, and prostitutes. The people at the Berkeley group mostly had jobs. In the course of attending these two support groups for a year I came to know pretty much the whole spectrum of types of the TG group — everything from the “gender-fucked” bearded man who liked to go out in public in a short skirt and nylon stockings (he was a very nice man, by the way), to very passable TS women who mostly lived in stealth, to queens who worked the street.
I am sure I don’t know the group as well as you, Andrea, since I’ve only been Kendra for a couple of years. But I do have some experience in this regard.
Since I’ve been in SF I have also acquired some experience with the gay group. I have an apartment at Geary and Leavenworth. My neighborhood used to be very gay until the AIDS epidemic hit, and there still are a lot of gay men in this neighborhood.
There used to be several gay bars and also a queen bar named the Black Rose in my neighborhood. Now there is only one gay bar — the Hob Nob Lounge. It has been in existence for 27 years, I have been told. It is right across the street from my apartment. I go there all the time — I am a regular there.
The men at the Hob Nob are mostly older men who have lived in SF for many years. As older men are prone to do, especially when they’ve been drinking, the men in this bar reminisce about their lives a lot. I have learned a good deal about gay men from the many hours I’ve spent in this bar.
Now then, I have not encountered anything in Dr. Bailey’s book that contradicts the experiences I’ve had with either the TG group or the gay group.
Regarding the autogynephilia theory, I fail to understand your hostility toward it. You obviously feel that it invalidates TS women or sullies their reputation. I do not understand why you feel this way.
I have said that I became sex changed because I was afflicted with the autogynephilia condition. Let me explain how I have justified this action.
I think there is much more to a sex drive than the erotic desires and pleasures it gives rise to. I think it is a powerful force that is active within you at all times, not just when you are aroused. It is like a river that flows in your consciousness. And at every moment, and in every activity, you are either swimming, as it were, along with the current of this river within you, or you are swimming against the current of this river. Either the current of the river is propelling you forward or you are expending energy opposing it, that is.
Now there is nothing you can do to change the kind of sex drive that you have. The sex drive assumes its form during the teen years, or earlier, and once it has assumed its form there is no changing it. If you turn out deviant, say, homosexual or paraphilic that is a fact of your existence that you must learn to live with.
Thus, if you are autogynephilic that is how the river that flows within you is. And you are confronted with an existential decision. You must either live your life swimming against the current of the river that your autogynephilia is, i.e., you must oppress it. Or else you must go with it — you must swim with the current behind you.
To conclude, I did not choose to undergo sexual reassignment surgery because I sought sexual gratification — I did this because I sought a better life.
Finally, it would seem that my choice has worked out well for me. My Mom and sister have twice come out to SF (from the Chicago area) to see me, and they are of the opinion that I am much happier as Kendra than I was as Ken.
I believe that my therapist, Dr. Anderson, considers my transition to be a success story.
It is true that I am happy as Kendra. I do not think I was unhappy as Ken, but I like my life as Kendra very much and I am sure I shall never regret my decision.
Sincerely,
Kendra Susan Blewitt
P.S. I am sending a copy of this letter to Dr. Bailey.
Additional materials (8 May 2003)
Dear Andrea,
I would like to add something to my Kendra-Letter. I have sent two e-mails to Dr. Bailey that I would like to add, along with some general comments.
Very often I hesitate to call myself a transsexual to other transsexuals because I know they will deny that I am a transsexual. I am not one to barge into places where I feel unwelcome, and very often I do feel unwelcome in transsexual circles. Very often I am made to feel like an intruder by transsexuals when I refer to myself as a transsexual.
The general public treats me with much more respect than the transsexual group does. I don’t get called a man in a dress very often when I am interacting with ordinary people. I get called a man in a dress routinely when I am interacting with transsexuals. That is what I am to many, if not to most of them — a man in a dress.
Up the line we autogynephilic transsexuals are going to have to form a group of our own. The present situation is intolerable for us. We are made to feel like freaks or perverts by what should be our own people more than by anyone else. We need a group that we can belong to as equal, full-fledged members. We need to belong to a group where we can feel proud to be what we are. Belonging to a group where we are “false transsexuals” is beneath our dignity and is even unhealthy for us. We need a group of our own.
I know that unity is in our general interest as transsexuals. We are being discriminated against in the workplace. This is a big problem. There are other problems that we all have in common as transsexuals.
But what do we autogynephilic transsexuals have in common with anyone? What we need more than anything else right now is a sense of identity. We need that more than we need fair play in the workplace.
First Letter to Dr. Bailey:
Dear Dr. Bailey,
I think the cause of all the hostility directed toward you and your book by so many transsexuals is that they cannot bear the truth. They have not built their houses of the sense of self on the bedrock of knowledge but on the sandy soil of mere belief, and now the earth is shaking and their houses are falling down — their sense of self is breaking apart and they are experiencing the pain of deep insecurity.
I do not think Dr. Benjamin was acting completely as a scientist when he drew a sharp distinction between a cross-dresser (“transvestic fetishist”) and a transsexual. I think the man was a friend to transsexuals. I think he sympathized with them and wanted to give them some legitimacy in the medical field as well as in the general public’s opinion. And he was smart enough to realize that this could not be done if sex in the sense of erotic desires was a part of the meaning of transsexualism. So, to get what he wanted, he drew a line between those who cross-dressed for sexual reasons and those who cross-dressed for “gender” reasons.
I believe that Benjamin’s distinction between the “transvestic fetishist” and the “true transsexual” was more polemical than scientific. It was a smart thing to do to get what he wanted, i.e., to give transsexuals some social legitimacy.
This distinction was a necessary thing, given public opinion regarding sexual matters that existed at the time — i.e., thirty, forty or fifty years ago. But it was not the product of a search for truth. It was Rhetoric as opposed to Philosophy, as Plato would put it.
It was good. It worked. Transsexuals were treated less like criminals. A giant stride forward was taken in this respect. However, whenever mere rhetoric gets institutionalized and given the title of “established fact”there are certainly going to be problems up the line.
Sooner or later this theory that was “rhetoric that worked” is going to be examined by scientists, by men whose interest is the truth.
And this will cause problems. The “myth of gender” that Benjamin gave birth to and which has been institutionalized for a long time now, and given the title of “established fact,” has become deeply integrated in the sense of self that exists in many, if not almost all transsexuals. As this myth is being exposed as myth or discredited as scientific theory the poor transsexual women of the present day are getting their egos melted down, and they are experiencing the pain of deep insecurity.
I do not see that anyone is to blame for the pain that many transsexual women are presently going through. Benjamin meant well and he was very successful in a practical way. He bettered the lots of transsexuals, to be sure. But there was a price that would have to be paid in the future that came along with his good work.
There is Science and there is the Political. Rhetoric, the art of engendering belief, is what works in the Political. The scientist hates rhetoric and will destroy it. No one is to blame for the pain we observe in transsexuals today. There is Science and there is the Political. What is happening is just a natural event of the world we live in.
Sincerely,
Kendra Blewitt
Second Letter to Dr. Bailey:
Dear Dr. Bailey,
I read your response to the article that appeared in the Stanford paper. I also clicked on “from the beginning” and read the whole thing you wrote.
It was very good.
Lynn Conway’s actions constitute censorship. How can someone who calls herself an intellectual, a scientist, etc., justify this?
These transsexuals are complaining that if your opinions become accepted by society they will be adversely affected personally. People won’t see them as women anymore but as men who have a sexual condition.
That is the truth of what they are, in my opinion. They are men living as women who are doing this, in the final analysis, because they have a sexual condition.
They want to believe that they were born with a female gender identity. This way there is a sense in which they are true women – and they are dependent upon this belief.
I don’t think there is any such thing as an innate sense of self.
Maybe I’m wrong. Sometimes it does seem that I was a girl all along. I think this is because I have been living as a woman for two years now, and my sense of self has been affected by this experience. But maybe I was born with a female gender identity.
I am willing to be reasonable and discuss the matter. Are they? No, there is something they are dependent upon. There is something that they need to believe. They cannot afford to be reasonable.
They will try to have it made “politically incorrect” to espouse the autogynephilia theory.
One thing they have conveniently forgotten is the effect that the institutionalization of the gender identity theory has had on autogynephilics like me. We are not true transsexuals but mere transvestic fetishists, according to this theory. Isn’t that nice? We live as women too. We don’t like being made to feel like a man in a dress any more then these “true ones” do.
The “true ones” have been doing this to us for a long time — denying that we are real transsexuals and making us feel like a man in a dress. I guess they don’t remember.
Sincerely
Kendra Blewitt
Kendra’s note to me (sent 18 May 2003)
Hi Andrea,
The photo you asked for is included as an attachment.
At first I was going to send you a “nice girl” photo. It was a photo of me with my Mom. It was taken when she and my sister came from the Chicago area to visit me in San Francisco last November.
I decided instead to send you a sexy photo. This one was taken last September, a month after I’d had SRS.
Why a sexy one? Andrea, why did you call Anne Lawrence a “brick”? Would you have said such a hurtful thing if she were not promoting the autogynephilia theory? Do you think that those of us who identify as autogynephilic are doing so out of resentment because we are physically too man-like to pass and live in stealth? I chose the photo I did because I wanted to show you that I have a good body. (It is a terrible photo of my face. I was drunk at the time. Very drunk.)
Andrea, I have a body that has sex appeal to men. Andrea, I have not gotten breast implants, as you can see. Why is that? It is because I am confident of my sex appeal. I know I can turn men on even though I’m flat. Andrea, are you that confident? Do you think your body is good enough that you could afford to be flat? Well, I am that sure of myself. I haven’t bothered with breast implants for that reason.
It is the same with my voice as it is with my flat chest. If I had to I would do something about it. But I don’t have to. My sex appeal is good enough that I can get away with talking like a man.
Now then, the most passable TS woman I know is a plain jane who is fat. She is great at passing as a woman, yet her appeal to men is nil.
There is no correspondence between passability and the ability to have men want you as a lover. Passability does not imply attractiveness, and attractiveness does not imply passability.
By what authority has it been determined that the true woman of our kind is the one who can pass? Is this written in the Book of Moses, or what?
I say the criterion of who is a true woman of our type is how good you are at getting an attractive, masculine man to want you to be his lover.
I am good at that. Therefore, I am a true woman.
Sincerely,
Kendra