Allan Josephson vs. transgender people

by Andrea James Reviewed September 22, 2026 5 min read

Allan Josephson is an American psychiatrist and anti-transgender activist. Josephson has served as an expert witness for opponents of trans healthcare for young people.

Josephson is affiliated with anti-trans organization Alliance Defending Freedom and has spoken at a Heritage Foundation event.

Background

Allan Mark Josephson earned a medical degree from the University of Alberta Faculty of Medicine in 1976, then completed a transitional-year internship at Hennepin Healthcare, a psychiatry residency at the University of Minnesota from 1977 to 1980, and a fellowship in child and adolescent psychiatry at the University of Minnesota from 1980 to 1981.

Josephson went on to serve on the faculties of two other medical schools, the Medical College of Georgia and the University of Minnesota, before moving to Kentucky.

Josephson joined the University of Louisville School of Medicine in 2003 as chief of its Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology. Josephson also held a joint appointment in the Department of Psychiatry, and served as Chief Executive Officer of the Bingham Clinic in Louisville.

Josephson was the lead author of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry’s (AACAP) practice parameter on the assessment of the family, and chaired AACAP’s Family Committee.

Anti-trans activism

In a 2017 declaration, Josephson stated: “In my career I have evaluated, treated, and consulted with approximately 35 transgender young people.”

According to Alliance Defending Freedom profile:

“As early as 2014, Dr. Josephson became concerned with how doctors were treating gender-dysphoric children: accepting the child’s claimed gender identity, prescribing sterilizing hormones, and setting the stage for life-altering surgery.

In 2016 and 2017, Dr. Josephson served as an expert witness on several legal cases on the subject, and in October 2017, he participated in a panel discussion on gender dysphoria at the Heritage Foundation.”

That panel featured anti-trans activists Ryan T. Anderson, Michelle Cretella, and Paul Hruz. Around the same time, Josephson had reportedly met all three at a strategy meeting held by Alliance Defending Freedom in Arizona.

Following colleague complaints about the Heritage Foundation panel, University of Louisville demoted Josephson to the role of a junior faculty member. In February 2019, the university announced that it would not renew Josephson’s employment contract.

In response, Josephson filed a lawsuit in the District Court of Western Kentucky alleging retaliation by the university in violation of the First Amendment. The defendants sought summary judgment on Eleventh Amendment and qualified immunity grounds, but the district court (W.D. Ky., No. 3:19-cv-00230, Judge Rebecca Grady Jennings) found genuine factual disputes and denied their motions. The officials pursued an interlocutory appeal, and on September 10, 2024, the Sixth Circuit affirmed, holding that Josephson’s panel remarks addressed a matter of public concern, were not made pursuant to his official duties, and were clearly protected speech under settled precedent, so the case was returned for trial. Rather than proceed to trial, the parties settled in April 2025, with the University of Louisville agreeing to pay Josephson nearly $1.6 million in damages and attorneys’ fees, and the case was dismissed with prejudice.

In an Alliance Defending Freedom press release, Josephson said:

“Children deserve better than life-altering procedures that mutilate their bodies and destroy their ability to lead fulfilling lives. In spite of the circumstances I suffered through with my university, I’m overwhelmed to see that my case helped lead the way for other medical practitioners to see the universal truth that altering biological sex is impossibly dangerous while acceptance of one’s sex leads to flourishing.”

References

Deborah Harbsmeier (April 21, 2025). Ex-Louisville professor wins $1.6M over transgender comment firing. Spectrum News https://spectrumnews1.com/ky/louisville/news/2025/04/21/josephson-v–ganzel

Ladd, Sarah (April 21, 2025). UofL settles suit by former professor who says he was fired for comments on gender dysphoria. Kentucky Lantern https://kentuckylantern.com/2025/04/21/uofl-settles-suit-by-former-professor-who-says-he-was-fired-for-comments-on-gender-dysphoria/

Greenberg, Susan H. (September 17, 2024). Professor Allegedly Fired for Transgender Views Wins Appeal. Inside Higher Ed https://www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2024/09/17/professor-allegedly-fired-transgender-views-wins-appeal

Anti-trans coverage

Staff report (April 21, 2025). Dr. Allan Josephson’s Story. Alliance Defending Freedom https://adflegal.org/article/dr-allan-josephson-story/

Press release (April 21, 2025). Univ. of Louisville pays almost $1.6M to settle case with professor. Alliance Defending Freedom https://adfmedia.org/case/josephson-v-ganzel/

Code, Josh (April 21, 2025). Doctor Fired for Trans Comments Gets Settlement. The Free Press https://thefp.com/p/doctor-fired-for-trans-comments-gets-settlement

Staff report (July 16, 2019). Senior US psychiatrist fired over transgender comments. The Christian Institute https://www.christian.org.uk/news/senior-psychiatrist-fired-over-transgender-comments/

Kearns, Madeleine (July 12, 2019). Allan Josephson: Gender Dissenter Gets Fired. National Review https://www.nationalreview.com/2019/07/allen-josephson-gender-dissenter-gets-fired/

Selected writing by Josephson

Josephson AM; AACAP Work Group on Quality Issues (2007). Practice Parameter for the Assessment of the Family. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 2007 Jul;46(7):922–37. https://doi.org/10.1097/chi.0b013e318054e713

Legal cases

Josephson v. Ganzel, No. 23-5293 (6th Cir. Sept. 10, 2024)

Josephson v. Ganzel, No. 3:19-cv-00230-RGJ-CHL (W.D. Ky.)

Declaration of Allan M. Josephson, M.D., in Adams v. Sch. Bd. of St. Johns Cnty., No. 3:17-cv-00739-TJC-JBT (M.D. Fla. Aug. 4, 2017)

Media

Christian Medical and Dental Associations / CMDA Matters with Mike Chupp and Allan Josephson (June 5, 2025). Wrongly Terminated for Speaking Truth: Dr. Allan Josephson on the Science of Gender Dysphoria. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3HCCyOKgPQ

WORLD News Group / The World and Everything in It with Mary Reichard, Nick Eicher, and Allan Josephson (June 3, 2025). Fallout for Speaking Out. https://wng.org/podcasts/fallout-for-speaking-out-1748882272

Alliance Defending Freedom with Allan Josephson (June 6, 2023). This Psychiatrist isn’t Caving to the Outrage Mob. And Neither Should You. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcYE7a-o0ig

Alliance Defending Freedom with Allan Josephson (September 23, 2019). Dr. Josephson talks about the increase of gender dysphoria cases in youth | ADF Insights. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wNFmGACKR8

Alliance Defending Freedom with Allan Josephson (September 19, 2019). Punished for sharing his beliefs? Meet Dr. Josephson | ADF Client Journal. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22X8vUTj_Ro

The Heritage Foundation with Ryan T. Anderson, Michelle Cretella, Paul Hruz (October 11, 2017). Gender Dysphoria in Children: Understanding the Science and Medicine