Florian Zepf is a psychiatrist and anti-transgender activist. Zepf is associated with anti-trans hate group Society for Evidence-Based Gender Medicine.
Background
Florian Daniel Zepf studied at the Goethe University Frankfurt and worked in the department of child and adolescent psychiatry, psychosomatics and psychotherapy from 2006 to 2009. From 2009 to 2014, Zepf researched translational neuroscience in psychiatry and neurology at University Hospital Aachen.
Zepf has done extensive research into the effects of tryptophan and has served in executive roles at the International Society for Tryptophan Research. Zepf is also a Freudian, publishing several papers examining Freud’s concepts through the lens of current research.
Zepf was appointed chair of the child and adolescent psychiatry department at University of Western Australia in 2014. In 2018 Zepf was appointed to the same role at Friedrich Schiller University Jena.
Anti-trans activism
Following the 2024 release of UK’s Cass Review, German LGBTQ+ magazine Schwulissimo reported:
In addition, the usefulness of puberty blockers is also being questioned in general, for example, most recently by Prof. Dr. Florian Zepf, Director of the Clinic for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics, and Psychotherapy at Jena University Hospital at the end of February of this year: “The current study and evidence do not show with sufficient reliability that gender dysphoria and the mental health of affected minors can be safely and significantly improved over time through puberty blocking and hormone administration.”
Via anti-trans blog Gender Clinic News by Bernard Lane:
Florian Zepf is Chair Professor and Clinical Director of the Clinic of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy at Jena University Hospital, Germany. He was a member of the S2k guideline group from mid-2020 until November 2022, and left because of his professional and ethical concerns about the emerging document. Professor Zepf was first author of the group-of-15 critique and of an updated systematic review of the evidence for using puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones in minors with gender incongruence and gender dysphoria.
According to SEGM, “From mid 2020 to late 2022, he was a member of the guideline group for the new German-language S2k Guidelines on Gender Dysphoria in minors, and left this group upon his own wish because of his clinical concerns.”
References
ms (March 15, 2024). Kehrtwende in EnglandNeue Richtlinien sollen ab sofort Minderjährige besser vor Fehlentscheidungen schützen [U-turn in England: New guidelines are intended to better protect minors from wrong decisions]. Schwulissimo https://schwulissimo.de/neuigkeiten/kehrtwende-england-keine-pubertaetsblocker-fuer-jugendliche
Eckert AJ (October 17, 2021). Conclusions Not So NICE: A Critical Analysis of the NICE Evidence review of puberty blockers for children and adolescents with gender dysphoria. Science-Based Medicine https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/a-critical-look-at-the-nice-review/
Staff (May 15, 2015). New Chair to focus on child and adolescent mental health. University of Western Australia https://www.news.uwa.edu.au/archive/201505157585/appointments/new-chair-focus-child-and-adolescent-mental-health/ [not archived]
Coverage in anti-trans media
SEGM (May 20, 2024). The German Guidelines for Diagnosis and Treatment of Gender Incongruence and Gender Dysphoria of Childhood and Adolescence: The German guidelines’ marked divergence from the Cass recommendations is explained by their failure to systematically appraise the evidence. https://segm.org/German-draft-guidelines-gender-dysphoria-children-adolescents-2024 German: https://segm.org/sites/default/files/SEGM%20Spotlight%20AWMF%20S2k%20Guidelines.%20German%20translation.pdf
von der Gönna, Uta (February 27, 2024). Transidentity in minors: Few studies, little evidence. University Hospital Jena https://www.uniklinikum-jena.de/en/University+Hospital/News/Press+releases/Transidentity+in+minors_+Few+studies_+little+evidence-pos-0-p-33694.html
- republished on Medical Express as Trans identity in minors: Review evaluates current evidence on use of puberty blockers and cross-sex-hormones. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-02-trans-identity-minors-current-evidence.html
Selected publications by Zepf
Zepf, Florian (March 13, 2025). They were warned: Young people may be harmed as a result of Germany’s new treatment guideline. Gender Clinic News https://www.genderclinicnews.com/p/they-were-warned
Zepf FD, Bachmann C, Banaschewski T, Buchmann J, Flechtner H, Fleischhacker C, Golub Y, Haessler F, Hohmann S, Huss M, Kratz O, Brunner R, Siniatchkin M, Roessner V (May 21, 2024). Gemeinsame Kommentierung des aktuellen Entwurfs der neuen S2k-Leitlinie “Geschlechtsinkongruenz und Geschlechtsdysphorie im Kindes- und Jugendalter” [Joint commentary on the current draft of the new S2k guideline “Gender incongruence and gender dysphoria in childhood and adolescence”]. Zentrum für Kinder- und Jugendpsychiatrie; https://www.zi-mannheim.de/fileadmin/user_upload/downloads/forschung/KJP_downloads/Gemeinsame_Kommentierung_Leitlinienentwurf_S2k-240521.pdf
Zepf, F. D., König, L., Kaiser, A., Ligges, C., Ligges, M., Roessner, V., Banaschewski, T., & Holtmann, M. (2024). Beyond NICE: Aktualisierte systematische Übersicht zur Evidenzlage der Pubertätsblockade und Hormongabe bei Minderjährigen mit Geschlechtsdysphorie. Zeitschrift für Kinder- und Jugendpsychiatrie und Psychotherapie, 52(3), 167–187. https://doi.org/10.1024/1422-4917/a000972 pdf: https://econtent.hogrefe.com/doi/suppl/10.1024/1422-4917/a000972/suppl_file/1422-4917_a000972_esm1.pdf
Jecke, L., & Zepf, F. D. (2023). Delivering transgender-specific knowledge and skills into health and allied health studies and training: a systematic review. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 33(5), 1327–1354. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-023-02195-8
Mahfouda, S., Panos, C., Whitehouse, A. J. O., Thomas, C. S., Maybery, M., Strauss, P., Zepf, F. D., O’Donovan, A., van Hall, H.-W., Saunders, L. A., Moore, J. K., & Lin, A. (2019). Mental Health Correlates of Autism Spectrum Disorder in Gender Diverse Young People: Evidence from a Specialised Child and Adolescent Gender Clinic in Australia. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 8(10), 1503. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm8101503
Mahfouda, S., Moore, J. K., Siafarikas, A., Hewitt, T., Ganti, U., Lin, A., & Zepf, F. D. (2019). Gender-affirming hormones and surgery in transgender children and adolescents. The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, 7(6), 484–498. https://doi.org/10.1016/s2213-8587(18)30305-x
Mahfouda, S., Moore, J. K., Siafarikas, A., Zepf, F. D., & Lin, A. (2017). Puberty suppression in transgender children and adolescents. The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, 5(10), 816–826. https://doi.org/10.1016/s2213-8587(17)30099-2
Zepf, S., Zepf, F. D., Ullrich, B., & Seel, D. (2014). Ă–dipus und der Ă–dipuskomplex. Psychosozial-Verlag. https://doi.org/10.30820/9783837969177
Zepf, S., & Zepf, F. D. (2011). “You are Requested to Close an Eye”: Freud’s Seduction Theory and Theory of the Oedipus Complex Revisited. The Psychoanalytic Review, 98(3), 287–323. https://doi.org/10.1521/prev.2011.98.3.287
- Zepf, S., & Zepf, F. D. (2012). »Man bittet, ein Auge zuzudrĂĽcken«—Von Freuds VerfĂĽhrungstheorie zur Theorie des Ă–dipuskomplexes und zurĂĽck [»You are requested to close an eye«—From Freud’s seduction theory to the theory of the Oedipus complex and back]. Zeitschrift fĂĽr Psychoanalytische Theorie und Praxis / Journal for Psychoanalytical Theory and Practice, 28(2), 152–180. https://doi.org/10.15534/ZPTP/2012/2/3
Zepf, S., & Zepf, F. D. (2008). Trauma and traumatic neurosis: Freud’s concepts revisited. The International Journal of Psychoanalysis, 89(2), 331–353. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-8315.2008.00038.x
Zepf, S., & Zepf, F. D. (2008). The concept of functional pleasure: Should it be abandoned? International Forum of Psychoanalysis, 17(3), 148–157. https://doi.org/10.1080/08037060802031660
Zepf, S., & Zepf, F. D. (2008). Autism in infancy: The psychodynamics from a Freudian viewpoint (P. Slotkin, Trans.). Canadian Journal of Psychoanalysis / Revue Canadienne de Psychanalyse, 16(2), 194–223. https://www.proquest.com/openview/1898a1dbcd61fc63d128736492a42d18/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=44050
Zepf, S., Zepf, F.D. Libido und psychische Energie. Forum Psychoanal 23, 315–329 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00451-007-0331-z
Zepf, S., Hartmann, S., & Zepf, F. D. (2007). Constructivism in Psychoanalysis. Canadian Journal of Psychoanalysis. 15(1), 3–21.
Resources
LinkedIn (linkedin.com)
International Society for Tryptophan Research (istry.org)
- Executive Committee
- istry.org/about/executive-committee
Center for Intervention and Research on adaptive and maladaptive brain Circuits underlying mental health (https://c-i-r-c.de/)
- Prof. Dr. med. Florian Zepf
- c-i-r-c.de/testimonial/prof-dr-zepf