Laura Targownik is a physician and podcaster. Targownik co-hosts conservative trans podcast TransNormal Podcast with trans veteran Jo Ellis and Agree to Disagree about Gender with “gender critical” activist Yvette Nary.
Background
Laura Targownik was born in November 1972 and grew up in Winnipeg. Targownik graduated from the University of Manitoba Medical School in 1997 and completed residency training in Internal Medicine in 2000. Targownik was a successful contestant on quiz show Jeopardy! prior to transition. Targownik began a medical transition at age 27 in 2000. Targownik then completed a 3-year fellowship in Digestive Diseases at University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). While there, Targownik earned a master’s degree from UCLA School of Public Health.
Targownik is a frequently cited expert in gastroenterology and has published many research papers on clinical findings.
Since 2019, Targownik has been a full-time faculty member at the University of Toronto, serving as Division Director for Gastroenterology & Hepatology. Targownik is based at Mount Sinai Hospital, providing clinical care and doing research. Prior to joining the faculty at the University of Toronto, Targownik was the Chief of the Section of Gastroenterology at University of Manitoba, an Associate of the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, and the Associate Director of the IBD Research and Clinical Centre.​
Trans community involvement
Targownik joined Twitter in 2012 and continued to be a heavy user of the platform following its purchase by Elon Musk. In March 2025, Targownik asked the X chatbot Grok “which public figure, past or present, do I sound like?” Grok responded that Targownik’s posts were similar to those of Trump loyalist Laura Loomer and fellow conservative trans commenter Blaire White. Targownik is close friends with conservative activist Brianna Wu.
In April 2025, Targownik launched the TransNormal Podcast with conservative trans veteran Jo Ellis.
In September 2025, Targownik interviewed McMaster University researcher Gordon Guyatt in the wake of the SEGM-McMaster research funding scandal. Guyatt described attending a SEGM conference that led to the realization that SEGM is not an impartial research organization. In 2025, Guyatt cut ties with SEGM after Guyatt’s SEGM-funded research was misused as a pretext to ban trans healthcare for minors and to eliminate state-funded healthcare coverage for trans adults.
In December 2025, Targownik and “gender critical” activist Yvette Nary launched the podcast Agree to Disagree about Gender.
References
Staff report (June 28, 2023). Pride month member spotlight: Laura Targownik, MD. American Gastroenterological Association https://gastro.org/news/pride-month-member-spotlight-laura-targownik-md/
Staff report (November 18, 2022). Battle for Freedom: Laura Targownik on Transgender Day of Remembrance. Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto https://temertymedicine.utoronto.ca/news/battle-freedom-laura-targownik-transgender-day-remembrance
Selected publications by Targownik
Targownik, Laura (April 17, 2025). My birth sex is part of my medical history; it should be as private as the rest of my medical history. Healthy Debate https://healthydebate.ca/2025/04/topic/birth-sex-medical-history/
Targownik, Laura (January 31, 2025). I have long lived a quiet life. But I am also trans – and now I need to make myself heard. The Globe and Mail https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-i-have-long-lived-a-quiet-life-but-i-am-also-trans-and-now-i-need-to/
Media
TransNormal with Laura Targownik and Gordon Guyatt (September 17, 2025). Episode 12 – An Interview with Dr. Gord Guyatt. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=720QT7EKUJE
Resources
Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)
YouTube (youtube.com)
X/Twitter (x.com)
LinkedIn (linkedin.com)
Google Scholar (scholar.google.com)
- Laura Targownik
- scholar.google.com/citations?user=be_eR6oAAAAJ