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Sarah Donovan vs. transgender people

by Andrea James Reviewed November 8, 2025 2 min read

Sarah Donovan is an Aotearoa New Zealand sociologist and anti-transgender activist. Donovan has been critical of trans healthcare protocols for minors. Donovan co-authored a 2024 paper about puberty blockers with Simon Tegg, a director of anti-trans hate group Genspect New Zealand.

Background

According to a submitted biography:

Sarah Donovan is a sociologist with a focus on the social determinants of health. She has also worked as a midwife. Her doctoral research (2010, Victoria University of Wellington) focused on prenatal screening for Down Syndrome in New Zealand, and investigated women’s experience of prenatal screening decisions, and the relationship of this experience to principles of individual choice and informed consent. Current research focuses on menstrual pain, and cost of menstrual products as a barrier to school attendance. She currently teaches in the postgraduate Diploma of Public Health at the University of Otago, New Zealand.

Anti-trans activism

In 2022, Donovan took issue with how the New Zealand Ministry of Health discussed puberty blockade for trans and gender iverse minors, particularly describing them as “fully reversible”:

Increasing numbers of New Zealand families are now facing these kinds of decisions about how to support the wellbeing of their gender questioning children and teens – and they are going to want to do this confidently and from a fully informed position.

At present, it’s not clear that we are best supporting such families to make these kinds of decisions, which of course are intended to be life-changing in a positive way. Here in New Zealand, the Ministry of Health’s webpage on transgender children and young people currently states about Puberty Blockers:

Blockers are a safe and fully reversible medicine that may be used from early puberty through to later adolescence to help ease distress and allow time to fully explore gender health options.

References

Daalder, Marc (March 23, 2023 ). Trans health advice scrubbed following complaints. Stuff https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/300838494/trans-health-advice-scrubbed-following-complaints

Coverage in anti-trans media

Staff report (September 26, 2024). Puberty blocker use much higher in NZ than other countries. Stuff https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/350431555/puberty-blocker-use-much-higher-nz-other-countries

Coyne, Jerry (November 10, 2022). New Zealand midwives’ organization deep-sixes words like “mother” and “woman” Why Evolution Is True https://whyevolutionistrue.com/2022/11/10/new-zealand-midwives-organization-deep-sixes-words-like-mother-and-woman/

Selected anti-trans writing by Donovan

Paul, C., Tegg, S., & Donovan, S. (2024). Use of puberty-blocking hormones for gender dysphoria in New Zealand: descriptive analysis and international comparisons. New Zealand Medical Journal, 137(1603), 79–88. https://doi.org/10.26635/6965.6587

Donovan, Sarah (November 6, 2022). NZ Midwifery Council Drops The Words ‘Mother’ And ‘Woman.’ Scoop https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE2211/S00011/nz-midwifery-council-drops-the-words-mother-and-woman.htm

Donovan, Sarah (August 17, 2022). Parents of gender-questioning children in NZ being let down. Newsroom https://newsroom.co.nz/2022/08/17/gender-questioning-kids-being-let-down/

Resources

Victoria University of Wellington School of Social and Cultural Studies (wgtn.ac.nz/sacs)

Expert Conferences: Epidemiology (epidemiology.expertconferences.org)

ResearchGate (researchgate.net)

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