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Kevin Waldman vs. transgender people

Kevin Waldman is an American psychology student and anti-transgender activist. Waldman is a contributor to anti-trans group blog Quillette and has written anti-trans opinion pieces in The Daily Northwestern and The Hill.

Background

Kevin M. Waldman was born on October 23, 1986. Waldman earned a bachelor’s degree from University of Michigan. Waldman then served as Interim Director of Communications at Detroit Medical Center from 2019 to 2022, followed by research internships at University of Michigan Medical School and Harvard University from 2022 to 2024. In 2023, Waldman did an internship at Tel Aviv University.

Waldman attends Northwestern University. Waldman identifies as a liberal gay Jewish man.

Anti-trans activism

In a February 2025 opinion piece for The Daily Northwestern riddled with misinformation and anti-trans talking points, Waldman argued that being transgender is a mental disorder:

The decision to remove transgender identity from the DSM-5 was intended to reduce stigma and improve mental health outcomes, but the reality has been quite the opposite. Hospitalizations for gender-distressed youth have surged, placing immense strain on mental health services.

Additionally, many young people who undergo medical transition do not experience the promised happiness; instead, they often remain deeply depressed, anxious or even regretful. If gender transition were truly a cure-all solution, we would expect to see improved mental health outcomes — not worsening distress.

By removing transgender identity from the classification of mental illness, an affirmation-only model has taken over, discouraging any critical discussion about gender discomfort. The belief that questioning a young person’s gender identity is harmful has led to alarming consequences.

In a July 2025 Quillette blog post, Waldman and fellow Northwestern psychology grad student Forest Romm wrote:

In our Northwestern University course on multicultural counselling skills, the challenges faced by “transgender women”—by which the instructor meant biological men who self-identify as women—were examined in great detail. But women as a sex class were never mentioned. Issues that disproportionately affect that class—such as sexual violence, commercial sexual exploitation, and reproductive health and rights—were entirely overlooked.

In a July 2025 piece for The Hill, Romm and Waldman praised the Cass Review and the Supreme Court decision in Skrmetti, “not as anti-trans activists, but as psychology researchers alarmed by the extent to which ideology has overtaken evidence in mental health care.” They continue by promoting the ex-trans movement:

The field of mental health has long misread female trauma. Borderline personality disorder, for instance, is disproportionately assigned to women — especially survivors of sexual abuse. Many detransitioners describe a similar pattern. Young women like Prisha Mosley, Chloe Cole, Luka Hein, and Isabelle Ayala have publicly linked their dysphoria to trauma. Simon Amaya Price, a fellow at Do No Harm, told us he hasn’t encountered a single detransitioner whose gender distress had not been trauma-related. 

Selected anti-trans writing by Waldman

Romm, Forest; Waldman, Kevin (July 24, 2025). The Rise and Fall of ‘Gender-Affirming’ Therapeutic Care. Quillette https://quillette.com/2025/07/24/the-rise-and-fall-of-gender-affirming-therapeutic-care/

Romm, Forest; Waldman, Kevin (July 24, 2025). Opinion: Northwestern study reveals a culture abandoning NPR. The Hill https://thehill.com/opinion/education/5415019-northwestern-study-reveals-a-culture-abandoning-npr/

Romm, Forest; Waldman, Kevin (July 9, 2025). Opinion: Gender medicine after Skrmetti: A call for accountability at Northwestern. The Hill https://thehill.com/opinion/healthcare/5390101-gender-medicine-after-skrmetti-a-call-for-accountability-at-northwestern/

Waldman, Kevin (February 18, 2025). Opinion: Waldman: The transgender umbrella is failing — it’s time to face the truth. The Daily Northwestern https://dailynorthwestern.com/2025/02/18/opinion/waldman-the-transgender-umbrella-is-failing-its-time-to-face-the-truth/

Resources

LinkedIn (linkedin.com)

The Daily Northwestern (dailynorthwestern.com)

Quillette (quillette.com)

Muck Rack (muckrack.com)

Instagram (instagram.com)