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Genspect vs. transgender people

Genspect is an anti-transgender extremist group primarily opposed to medical consensus on healthcare for gender diverse youth. Founder Stella O’Malley is a global ringleader in anti-transgender extremism. Genspect is designated as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Genspect positions include

Background

In November 2018, psychologist Stella O’Malley presented the anti-trans Channel 4 documentary Trans Kids: It’s Time to Talk. Throughout the show, O’Malley questions the affirmative model of care for young people. O’Malley claims that in the current climate it’s “absolutely certain” that O’Malley would have transitioned as a minor. O’Malley was upset by the negative reaction to the show and soon started working closely with other anti-trans extremists.

Genspect emerged from the anti-trans Pediatric and Adolescent Gender Dysphoria Working Group (PAGDWG), a group of 18 therapists and one physician heavily involved in anti-trans activism. PAGDWG was founded in 2018 to oppose the trans-supportive Gender Dysphoria Affirmative Working Group founded a month earlier. PAGDWG members also went on to found anti-trans hate group Society for Evidence-Based Gender Medicine (SEGM), with seven overlapping advisors between Genspect and SEGM.

In 2020, O’Malley co-founded the Gender Dysphoria Support Network. That group ramped up during the COVID lockdowns, forming a coalition with the “parental rights” and “trans widow” movements of unaccepting parents and spouses. Soon, they began promoting the ex-transgender movement by supporting “detransitioners.”

Genspect was founded in June 2021. Genspect’s goal is to maintain and potentially increase the influence of psychologists in controlling access to trans healthcare, a model of care called “psychological gatekeeping.” Genspect members were upset that major medical organizations were moving away from models that frame gender diversity as a psychosexual pathology (a sexuality disease) or a psychopathology (mental illness).

Genspect promotes a “non-medicalized” approach that prioritizes psychologists who work to prevent people from making a medical transition. Audio leaked from a 2021 online event confirmed that Genspect’s approach is conversion therapy:

  • O’Malley: “I suppose where I’m coming from this more than anything is to make sure that children are, if at all possible, are stopped from medical transition. I think that’s the most important thing for me.”
  • O’Malley: “And so, why am I interested in autogynephilia? It’s primarily because I’m meeting teenage autogynephiles and I need to be able to understand what’s happening with them. […] This is a very fast, very quickly increasing number of boys. Now, are they ROGD, are they AGP, or frankly are they what I think: a mix between AGP and ROGD, and I think the AGP is porn induced.”
  • O’Malley: “Something happened between the 1990s and 2010s with with the gender movement that the keys were given away to the activists.”

Although critics have joked that Genspect stands for “genital inspectors,” O’Malley says the name derives from “inspecting gender.” Originally billed as “a voice for parents” who do not accept their child’s gender identity, Genspect soon expanded to broader criticism of trans healthcare. Genspect is particularly opposed to the World Professional Association of Transgender Health (WPATH) and their widely-used Standards of Care (SOC), a consensus document on healthcare protocols for trans and gender diverse people. SOC version 8 was in development at the time and was published in 2022.

Connected entities

Genspect is part of an anti-trans web farm that includes:

  • Genspect
  • Beyond Trans (anti-trans therapy)
  • Themis Resource Fund (anti-trans litigation)
  • The Killarney Group (anti-trans think tank)
  • Stats for Gender (anti-trans statistics)
  • Genspect Unheard (anti-trans parents)
  • Inspecting Gender (anti-trans group blog)
  • College Ratings (ranking colleges by anti-trans campus climate)

Team

Advisors

The following people have been listed as advisors. Some are no longer listed.

Contributors

In addition to pieces written by leaders and advisors, several people are listed as contributors of articles for Genspect, including

International chapters

Genspect Australia

Genspect Canada

Genspect Ireland

Genspect New Zealand

Genspect NZ Limited was incorporated on April 8, 2024.

Genspect UK

Genspect USA

2022 Wall Street Journal response

The president of the 67,000-member American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) countered a Wall Street Journal opinion piece by anti-trans activists Julia Mason and Leor Sapir:

AAP advises pediatricians to offer developmentally appropriate care that is oriented toward understanding and appreciating the youth’s gender experience. This care is nonjudgmental, includes families and allows questions and concerns to be raised in a supportive environment. This is what it means to “affirm” a child or teen; it means destigmatizing gender variance and promoting a child’s self-worth. 

O’Malley responded to their response:

I am encouraged by the American Academy of Pediatrics’ statement in its letter that gender-affirming care “doesn’t push medical treatments or surgery; for the vast majority of children, it recommends the opposite.” Unfortunately, this is not the experience of families of gender-distressed children.

Genspect represents thousands of parents of gender-questioning children and young people around the world. We are not aware of any cases in the U.S. or Canada in which children seeking “gender-affirming care” were not given the option of puberty blockers or cross-sex hormones.

The AAP should recognizes this fundamental point: There is no consensus and no evidence base on which to confidently declare what is “medically appropriate” for gender transitioning of children.

Media Matters for America has noted how writer Katie J. M. Baker of the New York Times has laundered Genspect’s anti-trans views into their publication:

The latest piece — another entry in the genre of New York Times articles that start from the premise that trans people are perhaps too accepted in society — covers “a network of internet support groups for ‘skeptical’ parents of transgender children, some with thousands of registered members” without noting that the groups are run by Genspect, an organization that opposes bans on conversion therapy and has numerous members who support banning gender-affirming care for trans people under 25. 

April 2023 Ireland conference

O’Malley organized a conference in Ireland on April 27-29, 2023 that featured prominent anti-transgender activists, including:

Attendees included Malcolm Clark, Laura Becker, Colin Wright, Wesley Yang, Jo Bartosch, Camille Kiefel, Robin Ion, Sarah Vaci, Corinna Cohn, and Róisín Michaux.

November 2023 Denver conference

Scheduled participants included:

Attendees also included “in_detransit,” “Phil Illy,” “Shape Shifter,” Luka Hein, David Boettger, Julia Malott, Laura Becker, Christina Buttons, Jennifer Block, Pamela Garfield-Jaeger, Jennifer Lahl, Lisa Marchiano, Soren Aldaco, Jessie Mannisto, Leslie Elliott Boyce, and Elliot Kaminetzky.

2023 Australia/New Zealand online event

In November 2023, Genspect held a webinar featuring anti-trans activists in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand called “Best Practices in Gender Care.” In it, Joe Burgo and Alasdair Gunn presented the draft of Genspect’s alternative to the WPATH Standards of Care, titled The Gender Framework. Schedule participants were:

September 2024 Lisbon event

Scheduled speakers included:

September 2025 Albuquerque event

Genspect’s 2025 conference was announced in July 2025. Scheduled speakers include:

The Gender Framework

In 2023, Genspect’s Killarney Group released the first draft of The Gender Framework, a guide for anti-trans therapists seeking a “non-medicalized” approach to gender. It was created as an alternative to the WPATH Standards of Care. Credited contributors were:

In 2025, Genspect published a revision of The Gender Framework, launched at their 2025 conference.

Editors

Contributors

References

Urquhart, Evan (October 9, 2025). Hate Group Calls for Re-Labeling Transness as Mental Illness. Assigned https://www.assignedmedia.org/breaking-news/hate-group-pushes-label-transgender-mental-illness

Staff report (September 29, 2025). Genspect Joins In On Calls to Label Trans People as Extremists. Assigned https://www.assignedmedia.org/breaking-news/genspect-joins-calls-transgender-extremists

Hansford, Amelia (August 12, 2025). Wes Streeting met with ‘gender-critical’ groups to discuss ‘gender policy.’ PinkNews https://www.thepinknews.com/2025/08/12/wes-streeting-gender-policy-meeting/

Wilchins, Riki (Aug 5, 2025). Uncovering the Christian Right’s Anti-Trans Disinformation Network with the Southern Poverty Law Center. Assigned https://www.assignedmedia.org/breaking-news/uncovering-christian-right-anti-trans-disinformation-network

Hansford, Amelia (June 10 2024). Two anti-trans organisations listed as ‘hate groups’ by civil rights charity. PinkNews https://www.thepinknews.com/2024/06/10/anti-trans-organisations-hate-groups-southern-poverty-law-center/

Lazine, Mira (June 6, 2024). Anti-trans organizations Genspect & SEGM are now listed as hate groups by the SPLC. LGBTQ Nation https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2024/06/anti-trans-organizations-genspect-segm-are-now-listed-as-hate-groups-by-the-splc/

Reed, Erin (June 5, 2024). SPLC Designates Genspect, SEGM As Anti-LGBTQ Hate Groups. Erin In The Morning https://www.erininthemorning.com/p/splc-designates-genspect-segm-as

Piper, Ernie (July 25, 2023). ‘Focus relentlessly on under 25’: Leaked chats reveal influential gender-critical group’s plan to use children to push for bans on transitioning. Daily Dot https://www.dailydot.com/debug/genspect/

Santoro, Helen (May 2, 2023). How Therapists Are Trying to Convince Children That They’re Not Actually Trans. Slate https://slate.com/technology/2023/05/gender-exploratory-therapy-trans-kids-what-is-it.html

Turner, Jackie (March 10, 2023). Anti-trans disinformation is rife in Australia — and it’s being spread by a small group of organisations. Crikey https://www.crikey.com.au/2023/03/10/anti-trans-disinformation-australia-transphobia/

Drennen, Ari (February 8, 2023). The New York Times helped fuel an anti-trans panic in 2022. Will 2023 be any better? Media Matters for America https://www.mediamatters.org/new-york-times/new-york-times-helped-fuel-anti-trans-panic-2022-will-2023-be-any-better

Ferreira, Lou (March 25, 2022). NHS pulls trans health conference after speakers’ anti-trans links exposed. openDemocracy https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/5050/nhs-pulls-trans-conference-after-speakers-links-exposed/

Coverage in anti-trans press

Shriver, Lionel (October 2025). Transgenderism proves people will believe anything. The Spectator https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/transgenderism-proves-people-will-believe-anything/

Baker, Katie J. M. (January 23, 2023). When Students Change Gender Identity, and Parents Don’t Know. New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/22/us/gender-identity-students-parents.html

Szilagyi, Moira (August 21, 2022). Academy of Pediatrics Responds on Trans Treatment for Kids. Wall Street Journal https://www.wsj.com/amp/articles/trans-gender-pediatric-aap-kids-children-care-surgery-affirm-treatment-11660942086

Bazelon, Emily (June 15, 2022). The Battle Over Gender Therapy. New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/15/magazine/gender-therapy.html

Dixon, Hayley (June 26, 2021). CBBC’s trans messaging is damaging children, says mother. The Telegraph https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/06/26/cbbcs-trans-messaging-damaging-children-says-mother/

Selected anti-trans writing by Genspect

Genspect USA (January 21, 2025). Introducing Genspect USA’s New Director. Genspect https://genspect.org/introducing-genspect-usas-new-director/

Genspect (2023). The Bigger Picture 2023 Conference Schedule. https://genspect.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Conference-Schedule-Denver.pdf https://genspect.org/the-bigger-picture-continues-denver-colorado/

Book

O’Malley, Stella; Bartle, Carol; Clark, Carrie; Miller, Amanda (2026). The Gender Framework: A Comprehensive Evidence-Based Guide for Professionals and Families. Pitchstone Publishing, ISBN 978-1634312844

Resources

Trans Data Library (transdatalibrary.org)

  • Genspect
  • transdatalibrary.org/organization/genspect

Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)

Genspect (genspect.org)

Stats for Gender (statsforgender.org)

Beyond Trans (beyondtrans.org)

Substack (substack.com)

LinkedIn (linkedin.com)

X/Twitter (x.com)

YouTube (youtube.com)

Facebook (facebook.com)

Instagram (instagram.com)

TikTok (tiktok.com)