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Michael Artigues vs. transgender people

by Andrea James Reviewed April 23, 2026 3 min read

Michael Artigues is an American pediatrician and anti-transgender activist. Artigues is president of anti-trans hate group American College of Pediatricians (ACPeds).

Background

Michael M. “Mike” Artigues was born in February 18, 1966 in Vicksburg. Mississippi. Artigues earned a bachelor’s degree from Tulane University in 1988 and a medical degree from University of Mississippi in 1992, then completed a pediatric residency there in 1995. Since 1995, Artigues has practiced at Macomb Children’s Clinic in McComb, Mississippi.

Artigues and spouse Patricia D. “Trisha” Artigues (born 1967), a therapist, married in 1990 and have six adult children.

Artigues has served on the board of the local anti-abortion Crisis Pregnancy Center of Southwest MS.

Anti-trans activism

Artigues was appointed to the board of American College of Pediatricians in 2014 and was named president in 2022, succeeding Quentin Van Meter.

In a February 2023 op-ed in the local newspaper, Artigues wrote:

Children with gender dysphoria – a deep-seated discomfort with one’s biological sex – are a particularly vulnerable group. These patients suffer disproportionately from anxiety, depression, and other mental health disorders that commonly affect today’s youth. No matter the well-meaning intentions of many physicians who care for these patients, some of the treatment measures currently being employed such as puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and “affirmation” surgeries, actually lead to serious harm including liver inflammation, bone demineralization, increase in cardiovascular disease, arrest of normal pubescent brain development, permanent sterilization, and profound and irreversible sexual dysfunction. 

Perhaps of greatest importance is the fact that the “standard of care” currently recommended by some organizations in the treatment of these children is based on only a few studies of very poor scientific quality, promoted by activists and their opinions, and is in spite of a growing body of data and quality research that flatly conflicts with the gender treatment of minors. 

In September 2023, ACPeds announced the “Biological Integrity Initiative,” a website dedicated to “the harms of transgender interventions on minors.”

In February 2024, ACPeds released an anti-trans position paper titled “Mental Health in Adolescents with Incongruence of Gender Identity and Biological Sex.” In the press release, Artigues stated: “The studies reviewed in this paper demonstrate what many who practice medicine intuitively understand that young patients experiencing gender dysphoria deserve help in accepting and loving themselves as they are, not interventions that destroy their healthy bodies and put them on track of medicalization for life.”

In June 2024, Artigues commented on revelations that staff for pediatrician and Biden Administration official Rachel Levine had recommended that WPATH remove age guidelines from Version 8 of the WPATH Standards of Care, saying “We are appalled that the AAP and top U.S. health officials put political interests ahead of science and evidence-based health care when it comes to children suffering from gender dysphoria, and that WPATH colluded with both. Their actions show that these organizations and the Biden administration are not truly interested in the health and well-being of children and will stop at nothing to push their political agenda.”

References

Cravens, R.G. (June 5, 2023). Documents Reveal ADF Requested Anti-Trans Research From American College of Pediatricians. Southern Poverty Law Center https://www.splcenter.org/resources/hatewatch/documents-reveal-adf-requested-anti-trans-research-american-college-pediatricians/

Anti-trans coverage

Arnold, Tyler (June 26, 2024). Biden Administration Pressured Health Care Association to Back Sex Changes for Minors. National Catholic Register https://www.ncregister.com/cna/cna-24178-biden-administration-pressure

Johnston, Jeff (February 13, 2024). American College of Pediatricians: No Benefits From ‘Gender-Affirming’ Interventions. Daily Citizen https://dailycitizen.focusonthefamily.com/american-college-of-pediatricians-no-benefits-from-gender-affirming-interventions/

Press release (February 7, 2024). Pediatricians Release Position Statement Reviewing Over 60 Studies on Mental Health in Adolescents with Gender Dysphoria. American College of Pediatricians https://acpeds.org/pediatricians-release-position-statement-reviewing-over-60-studies-on-mental-health-in-adolescents-with-gender-dysphoria/

Selected writing by Artigues

Artigues, Michael (February 16, 2023). Do No Harm: Protecting Vulnerable Children with Gender Dysphoria. Magnolia Tribune https://magnoliatribune.com/2023/02/16/do-no-harm-protecting-vulnerable-children-with-gender-dysphoria/

Artigues, Michael; Cretella, Michelle (March 2021). Sex Is a Biological Trait of Medical Significance. https://acpeds.org/sex-is-a-biological-trait-of-medical-significance/ PDF https://acpeds.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Sex-Is-A-Biological-Trait-Of-Medical-Significance-March-2021.pdf

Resources

Trans Data Library (transdatalibrary.org)

Southern Poverty Law Center (splcenter.org)

Pro-Lies (pro-lies.org)

American College of Pediatricians (acpeds.org)

Biological Integrity Initiative (biologicalintegrity.org)

Macomb Children’s Clinic (mccombclinic.com)

LinkedIn (linkedin.com)

Magnolia Tribune (magnoliatribune.com)

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