Monica Hegmann / “Suzanna Diaz” vs. transgender people

“Suzanna Diaz” is one of several aliases of Canadian anti-transgender extremist Monica Hegmann. Hegmann is a key figure in anti-trans group Parents of ROGD KIds. Hegmann and anti-trans extremist J. Michael Bailey co-authored a retracted 2023 paper on “rapid-onset gender dysphoria.”

Hegman is the most prominent Canadian anti-trans parent and a key historical figure in the oppression of trans and gender diverse youth. Hegmann is the unaccepting parent of an adult gender diverse child and a major player in the global “parental rights” movement of anti-transgender activists. Hegmann has called for a moratorium on all trans healthcare for anyone under 25 years old.

Hegmann has used a number of aliases, including:

“Frances Mallory”
“Suzanna Descalzi”
“Monica Rosalie”
“Suzanna Diaz”

Background

Monica Hegmann grew up in Ottawa and graduated from Hillcrest High School. Hegmann earned a bachelor’s degree from University of Ottawa in 1989, then a second bachelor’s degree from York University in 1991. From 1991 to 1994, Hegmann taught elementary school at York Region Roman Catholic Separate School Board (now York Catholic District School Board).

Hegmann is married to physician Erik Joseph Hegmann. The Hegmanns founded Kanata Skin Clinic in 2004, where Monica Hegmann served as president, treasurer, and member of the board of directors. Monica Hegmann’s profile on the Kanata Skin Clinic site stated: “Monica is the office manager. She has been with the Clinic since it opened in 2004. She can’t get away. She’s married to the owner.” Hegmann reportedly retired in April 2022 and was no longer listed on the site as of 2023. Kanata Skin Clinic is now part of Victoria Park MedSpa.

The Hegmanns have four adult children, one of whom started a medical transition as an adult. Hegmann attempted to control the life of their adult child, stating: “I tried to reason with the Trans Clinic. I told them my daughter has had serious mental health issues since she was 11, and only decided she was trans at 16. I told them she has been in and out of psych wards. They smiled and gave her testosterone. She’s 18.”

Background on “ROGD” and 2018 Littman paper

In 2016, Lisa Marchiano posted notices to three anti-trans blogs (4thWaveNow, Transgender Trend, and Marchiano’s own Youth TransCritical Professionals) seeking survey respondents who believed they had observed “a sudden or rapid development of gender dysphoria” in young people. This new disease model was then workshopped and developed on forums for anti-trans activists, especially unaccepting parents of gender diverse children.

In 2018, Lisa Littman published a paper about “rapid onset gender dysphoria” that was later republished with corrections following significant negative response from clinicians and from the trans community. Littman’s “ROGD” paper has been widely criticized for its methodological limitations, biased sample, inadequate conceptual framing, lack of ethical safeguards, and potential to harm transgender youth by undermining affirming care. The broader consensus in both academia and clinical practice is that the “ROGD” hypothesis lacks credible scientific basis and is not recognized as a legitimate diagnosis.

In 2019, Diaz, using the pseudonym “Frances Mallory,” published a report in anti-trans publication Post Millennial about a secret meeting of anti-trans parents:

“One of the highlights of the meeting came when Dr. Michael Bailey, a leading authority on gender dysphoria, skyped in to speak with us. He listened to our stories with interest and compassion, then assured us that our children did not fit into the traditional categories of gender dysphoria, which have been recognized and well-studied for many years. Rather, they were exhibiting a new kind of gender dysphoria that had never been seen before. Researchers had dubbed it Rapid-Onset Gender Dysphoria (ROGD), and it is so new that it has never been properly studied. Since the meeting described in this article, Dr. Lisa Littman has published the first ever study on Rapid-Onset Gender Dysphoria. Dr. Michael Bailey is working with Parents of ROGD Kids to publish another study which corroborates Dr. Littman’s findings.”

Parents of ROGD Kids

Parents of ROGD Kids (PROGDK) was founded by two parents, presumably Hegmann and “Janine MacLean,” who is listed as media consultant. According to their website:

“Parents of ROGD Kids was created by two mothers with teenage daughters who suddenly decided they were transgender without any prior history of gender dysphoria, but with long histories of mental health issues. They were skeptical of the affirmative model. It just didn’t seem to fit in their child’s case, yet everywhere they went, they were told to affirm their children. These mothers felt isolated, intimidated and terrified for their daughters.

They met online in a group of like-minded mothers. Eventually, the group arranged a secret meeting somewhere in the US. It had to be secret to avoid angry trans-rights activists. It was such a relief to find others in the same situation, and so empowering to know they were not alone, that they decided to create Parents of ROGD Kids, so that no other parent would ever have to feel so isolated and alone.

Their website launched on Dec. 1st, 2017. Since that time, their organization has grown to over 2,300 parents. The majority of parents come from the US (74%), and they have affiliate groups in Canada, the UK, Australia/NZ, Scandinavia and Germany.”

In February 2018, Hegmann appeared in a YouTube video with anti-trans activist Oren Amitay to read a statement:

“My name is Suzanna and I’m the parent of a teenage daughter who has suddenly become convinced that she is a boy. I am sounding the alarm. We are in the midst of a major psychic epidemic. Our most vulnerable children and young adults, most of whom have pre-existing psychosocial issues, are acquiring the false belief that they are transgender.

The medical and psychological communities, our educational institutions, and the media are all perpetuating and reinforcing this acquired false belief. As a result, our children are undergoing major unnecessary medical interventions that will cause permanent physical damage and psychological trauma, all at the hands of the very professionals they turn to for help.

I am calling on the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario to impose an immediate moratorium on all the prescribing of hormone blockers and cross sex hormones, as well as a moratorium on all sex reassignment, also called sex-affirming surgeries on children and young adults under the age of 25 pending a review of the safety and efficacy of these treatments and a review of the practices of the so-called gender clinics involved.

Now, you may well be asking, who am I to make such a bold demand of the College? I am the mother of four teenagers and young adults, three of whom are happy, healthy, and successfully making their way in their lives. Unfortunately, one of my daughters had severe emotional and social issues starting at the onset of adolescence, and just recently decided that she was transgender. I have a bachelor of science degree and a bachelor of education, and my husband, who is also helping me, has a background in medical research.

And I am not alone. I am part of a core group of parents whose children, mainly teenagers and young adults, have also what researchers [have] now called rapid-onset gender dysphoria, or ROGD. We have joined together to create the website parentsofrogdkids.com, and through the website we have received over 300 emails from other parents of kids with ROGD. So you could say I am speaking for over 300 parents whose children have acquired rapid-onset gender dysphoria.

In addition, I am conducting a survey of the parents who reach out to our website. To date, I have almost 150 responses, and the picture that’s emerging is frightening. The results of my survey are stark. I would be happy to share my results with the College. I encourage the College to conduct an audit of their own. Please audit the medical records of all youth receiving hormone blockers, cross-sex hormones or sex reassignment surgeries in the province of Ontario and see for yourself.

There is no convincing evidence that socially and medically transitioning children is beneficial. And in fact, my survey results would indicate the exact opposite is true. Socially and medically transitioning rapid-onset gender dysphoric kids is severely deleterious to their physical and mental health. The motives for transitioning our children are based in political ideology rather than in sound evidence-based medicine.

There is a culture war going on in our society today that Dr. Peterson would call the postmodern neo-Marxists attempting to force their views on us and silence other opinions using threats and intimidation on anyone, including and especially professionals who dare to speak out. The culture war has spilled out of universities and into our psychologists and medical practices, and our ROGD kids are the first casualties.

I have one last message to Joe Rogan, Dave Rubin, Ben Shapiro, Dr. Peterson, and all the other independent freethinking YouTubers out there. The mainstream media largely ignores us. If they do write about us, it is only to paint us as transphobic bigots who just can’t accept the reality that their children are transgender. There are a few exceptions like Barbara Kay and Alex Pierson, and so we have to turn to the intellectual dark web for help.

Ultimately, I am just a very, very worried mother desperately trying to protect my daughter from harm at the hands of politically motivated transgender ideologues and self-promoting, greedy, unethical henchmen in the medical profession. This is the only way I can think of to do it. Will you please help?”

In a longer video with Amitay, Hegmann recommends an article on anti-trans site 4thWaveNow by J. Michael Bailey and Ray Blanchard titled “Gender Dysphoria is not one thing.” They claim there are now three type of “gender dysphoria”:

childhood-onset gender dysphoria (aka homosexual gender dysphoria)
autogynephilic gender dysphoria (males only)
rapid-onset gender dysphoria (mostly females)

Hegman and Amitay also trot out the belief that “ROGD” is due to “social contagion,” likening it to anorexia.

Alleged 2019 reddit posts by child

In March 2018, reddit user D3V1LS_L3TTUC3 published a post titled “My mother’s parent-victimizing ROGD website! (also posted on other trans subreddits),” adding:

“As the title says, this website was created by my mother who has been obsessively denying my transliness for the three years I’ve been out. She’s done a lot of crazy shit, this is by no means the craziest, but it is the most easily shareable.

Every article on the “Our Stories” page is fake. My mother wrote every single one of those (it’s kind of cute actually, she found a way to express her lifelong passion for creative writing) and they’re supposed to be from the perspectives of other parents of trans teenagers. She used EXTREMELY personal details from my own life combined with her own fictitious (and sometimes downright weird, honestly) details to bring us these wonderful pieces of totally not fake literature. Rest assured that I’m the only real person I know of who has to deal with the toxic bullshit that is this website.

Feel free to send her an email, I believe there is an option to “Contact Us” or something along those lines on the site. Also feel free to comment your thoughts/experiences/advice on how to get this garbage off the internet or at least get her website/general group of humans recognized for their shittiness.”

2019 anti-trans resource guide for parents

In 2019, PRODGK teamed up with anti-trans groups American College of Pediatricians, Minnesota Family Council, Family Policy Alliance, The Heritage Foundation, WoLF, and The Kelsey Coalition to publish an anti-trans “gender resource guide.”

Retracted 2023 “ROGD” paper

In July 2018 Hegmann met in person with J. Michael Bailey at an anti-transgender conference in Toronto, and Bailey offered to help get Hegmann’s survey results published in anti-trans “academic” publication Archives of Sexual Behavior. Via a press release on the PROGDK site:

The survey was created by Suzanna Diaz (a pseudonym) as a means of vetting parents for support groups and filtering out troublemakers. As she was creating it, she thought she might as well collect some useful data about ROGD kids at the same time. Suzanna presented her preliminary results at a conference for gender-critical professionals in Toronto in July of 2018. Dr. Bailey attended the conference and offered to compile the results for publication.

The retraction note states:

The Publisher and the Editor-in-Chief have retracted this article due to noncompliance with our editorial policies around consent. The participants of the survey have not provided written informed consent to participate in scholarly research or to have their responses published in a peer reviewed article. Additionally, they have not provided consent to publish to have their data included in this article. Table 1 and the Supplementary material have therefore been removed to protect the participants’ privacy.

Via the Missouri Independent:

To investigate his hypothesis of whether “rapid onset gender dysphoria” caused a rise in referrals to gender clinics, Bailey surveyed parents and guardians who interacted with the website ParentsofROGDKids.com, a website for parents who believe their child has rapid onset gender dysphoria. He said the study’s co-author Suzanna Diaz isn’t a researcher, so she didn’t create the survey with typical informed-consent procedures. He didn’t explain that Diaz is a pseudonym. He knew Diaz was associated with ParentsofROGDKids.com but didn’t know her real name and if she ran the website.”

References

Butaney, Kaavya (March 25, 2025). NU Prof. Michael Bailey faces backlash over retracted gender dysphoria study. Northwestern Chronicle https://dailynorthwestern.com/2025/03/25/features/nu-prof-michael-bailey-faces-backlash-over-retracted-gender-dysphoria-study/

Hanshaw, Anneliese (October 2, 2024). Credibility of state’s expert witnesses questioned in Missouri transgender health care trial. Missouri Independent https://missouriindependent.com/2024/10/02/credibility-of-states-expert-witnesses-questioned-in-missouri-transgender-health-care-trial/

Leonhardt, A., Fuchs, M., Gander, M., & Sevecke, K. (2024). Gender dysphoria in adolescence: examining the rapid-onset hypothesis. Neuropsychiatrie, 39(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40211-024-00500-8

Hansford, Amelia (August 25 2023). ‘Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria’ and ‘social contagion’ trans theories dismissed by experts. PinkNews https://www.thepinknews.com/2023/08/25/rapid-onset-gender-dysphoria-debunked/

Broderick, O. Rose (August 24, 2023). Evidence Undermines ‘Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria’ Claims. Scientific American https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/evidence-undermines-rapid-onset-gender-dysphoria-claims/

Russell, John (August 25, 2023). Experts blast so-called “rapid onset gender dysphoria” as junk science. LGBTQ Nation https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2023/08/experts-blast-so-called-rapid-onset-gender-dysphoria-as-junk-science/

Thieme, Katja (June 21, 2023). The Road to Retraction: J. Michael Bailey and ROGD. Medium https://katjat.medium.com/the-road-to-retraction-j-michael-bailey-and-rogd-9b0e89b8ba7b

Serano, Julia (May 31, 2023). Understanding the Anti-Trans Parent Movement And Recognizing the “Concerned Parent” Trope. Medium https://juliaserano.medium.com/understanding-the-anti-trans-parent-movement-90d126de1fc9

Fiore, Kristina (May 24, 2023). Sexual Behavior Journal Under Fire Over Gender Dysphoria Paper. MedPage Today https://www.medpagetoday.com/special-reports/exclusives/104685

Signatories (May 5, 2023). Open Letter re: Archives of Sexual Behavior. https://asbopenletter.com/ [archive]

Bauer GR, Lawson ML, Metzger DL (2022). Do Clinical Data from Transgender Adolescents Support the Phenomenon of “Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria”? The Journal of Pediatrics, 243, 224-227.e2. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpeds.2021.11.020

Ashley, Florence (December 4, 2018). There Is No Evidence That Rapid-Onset Gender Dysphoria Exists. PsychCentral https://psychcentral.com/lib/there-is-no-evidence-that-rapid-onset-gender-dysphoria-exists

Wadman, Meredith (August 30, 2018). New paper ignites storm over whether teens experience ‘rapid onset’ of transgender identity. Science https://www.science.org/content/article/new-paper-ignites-storm-over-whether-teens-experience-rapid-onset-transgender-identity

Serano, Julia (August 22, 2018). Everything You Need to Know About Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria. Medium https://juliaserano.medium.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-rapid-onset-gender-dysphoria-1940b8afdeba

Coverage in anti-trans media

Bailey, Michael (September 29, 2024). The Rapid Ideological Retraction of a Scientific Article on Rapid Onset-Gender Dysphoria. Sensible Medicine https://www.sensible-med.com/p/the-rapid-ideological-retraction

Ferguson, Christopher J. (September 24, 2024). Opinion: Retractions Have Become Politicized: Ideological grandstanding and corporate malfeasance threaten science. Chronicle of higher Education https://www.chronicle.com/author/christopher-j-ferguson

Joelving, Frederick (September 3, 2024). Exclusive: Editor resigns after he says publisher blocked criticism of decision to retract paper on gender dysphoria. Retraction Watch https://retractionwatch.com/2024/09/03/exclusive-editor-resigns-as-publisher-blocks-criticism-of-decision-to-pull-paper-on-gender-dysphoria/

Ludden, David (January 10, 2024). The controversy over rapid-onset gender dysphoria: Bad science or bad faith? Cultirico https://culturico.com/2024/01/10/the-controversy-over-rapid-onset-gender-dysphoria-bad-science-or-bad-faith/

Davis, Lisa Selin (September 27, 2023). A New Cohort of Transgender Kids: We need to work out how to properly care for them. That means changing the debate. Persuasion https://www.persuasion.community/p/a-new-cohort-of-transgender-kids

Sapir, Leor; Wright, Colin (July 15, 2023). Medical Journal’s False Consensus on ‘Gender-Affirming Care.’ Reality’s Last Stand https://www.realityslaststand.com/p/medical-journals-false-consensus

Bailey, Michael (July 10. 2023). My Research on Gender Dysphoria Was Censored. But I Won’t Be. The Free Press https://www.thefp.com/p/trans-activists-killed-my-scientific-paper

Davis, Lisa Selin (June 30, 2023). What Could Possibly Account for These Teen Girls with Gender Dysphoria? BROADview https://www.broadview.news/p/what-could-possibly-account-for-these

Davis, Lisa Selin (June 30, 2023). They Keep Getting Younger and Younger: A new article confirmed what many of us already knew: “The mean age of gender dysphoria diagnosis is decreasing.” But why? Reality’s Last Stand https://www.realityslaststand.com/p/they-keep-getting-younger-and-younger

Rice, Matthew (June 15, 2023). Research Group Pulls Study on ‘Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria’ in Children as a ‘Social Contagion,’ as Authors Blame Transgender Activists for Forcing Retraction. New York Sun https://www.nysun.com/article/research-group-pulls-study-on-rapid-onset-gender-dysphoria-in-children-as-a-social-contagion-as-authors-blame-transgender-activists-for-forcing-retraction

Wright, Colin (June 12, 2023). Anatomy of a Scientific Scandal. City Journal https://www.city-journal.org/article/anatomy-of-a-scientific-scandal

Staff report (June 10, 2023). Springer to Retract a Key Paper in Response to Activist Demands. Society for Evidence-Based Gender Medicine https://segm.org/retraction-of-key-publication-in-response-to-activist-pressures

Bailey, J. Michael (May 25, 2023). [email to Springer New York executives Teresa Krauss, Katherine Lang, and Rachel Jacobs appealing “Diaz”/Bailey retraction]. https://segm.org/sites/default/files/2023-06/Springer%20Nature%20Appeal_25%20May_MJB.pdf

Kincaid, Eliie (May 24, 2023). After backlash, publisher to retract article that surveyed parents of children with gender dysphoria, says co-author. Retraction Watch https://retractionwatch.com/2023/05/24/after-backlash-publisher-to-retract-article-that-surveyed-parents-of-children-with-gender-dysphoria-says-co-author/

Billot, James (May 24, 2023). Publisher to retract paper on ‘Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria.’ UnHerd https://unherd.com/newsroom/publisher-to-retract-paper-on-rapid-onset-gender-dysphoria/

Bailey, J. Michael (May 16, 2023). Why is my gender research being cancelled? Activists are taking over prestigious journals. UnHerd https://unherd.com/2023/05/why-is-my-gender-research-being-cancelled/

Signatories (May 5, 2023). Open Letter in Support of Dr. Kenneth Zucker and the Need to Promote Robust Scientific Debate. FAIR in Medicine https://www.fairforall.org/open-letters/archives-of-sexual-behavior/

Ludden, David (May 4, 2023). What Is Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria? Psychology Today https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/talking-apes/202304/what-is-rapid-onset-gender-dysphoria

Foley, Ryan (April 4, 2023). Gender dysphoria most common among teenage girls with ‘exceptionally high intelligence’: report. Christian Post https://www.christianpost.com/news/gender-dysphoria-most-common-among-girls-with-high-intelligence.html

Staff report (March 30, 2023). Study of 1,655 Cases Supports the “Rapid-Onset Gender Dysphoria” Hypothesis. Society for Evidence-Based Gender Medicine https://segm.org/study-of-1655-cases-lends-support-to-ROGD

Staff report (March 30, 2023). ROGD: New Study based on Parent Reports. Our Duty https://ourduty.group/2023/03/30/rogd-new-study-based-on-parent-reports/

Kay, Jonathan (March 19, 2019). An Interview With Lisa Littman, Who Coined the Term ‘Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria.’ Quillette https://quillette.com/2019/03/19/an-interview-with-lisa-littman-who-coined-the-term-rapid-onset-gender-dysphoria/

“Mallory, Frances” [Monica Hegmann] (April 11, 2019). Parents with gender dysphoric kids are fighting back. Post Millennial https://thepostmillennial.com/parents-with-gender-dysphoric-kids-are-fighting-back

Littman L (2018). Parent reports of adolescents and young adults perceived to show signs of a rapid onset of gender dysphoria. PLOS ONE, 13(8), e0202330. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0202330

Littman L (2019). Correction: Parent reports of adolescents and young adults perceived to show signs of a rapid onset of gender dysphoria. PLOS ONE, 14(3), e0214157. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0214157

“MacLean, Janine” (September 19, 2018). Parents of ROGD Kids Organization Supports Dr. Littman’s Findings and Calls for Action. Parents of ROGD Kids https://www.parentsofrogdkids.com/press-releases/2018/9/19/parents-of-rogd-kids-organization-supports-dr-littmans-findings-and-calls-for-action

Van Maren, Jonathon (December 12, 2017). Mother who didn’t want her teen daughter to get a double-mastectomy labeled “unsafe.” The Bridgehead https://thebridgehead.ca/2017/12/12/mother-who-didnt-want-her-teen-daughter-to-get-a-double-mastectomy-labeled-unsafe/

Marchiano, Lisa (October 27, 2016). Guidance for Parents of Teens with Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria. The Jung Soul https://thejungsoul.com/guidance-for-parents-of-teens-with-rapid-onset-gender-dysphoria/ [archive]

French, David (August 18, 2016). The Tragic Transgender Contagion. National Review https://www.nationalreview.com/2016/08/transgender-teens-parents-rapid-onset-gender-dysphoria-doctors/

Littman, Lisa (July 2, 2016). Rapid-onset gender dysphoria: New study recruiting parents. 4thWaveNow https://4thwavenow.com/2016/07/02/rapid-onset-gender-dysphoria-new-study-recruiting-parents/

Selected publications by “Diaz” and Bailey

“Diaz S,” Bailey JM (2023). RETRACTED ARTICLE: Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria: Parent Reports on 1655 Possible Cases. Archives of Sexual Behavior 52, 1031–1043 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-023-02576-9

Publisher and Editor-in-Chief (2023). Retraction Note: Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria: Parent Reports on 1655 Possible Cases. Archives of Sexual Behavior 52, 3577 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-023-02635-1
Republished as “Diaz S,” Bailey JM (2024). Rapid-Onset Gender Dysphoria: Parent Reports on 1,655 Possible Cases. Journal of Open Inquiry in the Behavioral Sciences, 3(1). https://doi.org/10.58408/issn.2992-9253.2023.01.01.00000012

Walters L, Koós M, Marcantonio TL (2024). Improving Sex Research: Reviewing the Publication of Diaz and Bailey (2023). Archives of Sexual Behavior 53, 3719–3723 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-024-02921-6

Bailey JM (2024). To Improve Sex Research, Don’t Suppress Ideas You Dislike: Reply to Walters et al. (2024). Archives of Sexual Behavior 53, 3725–3728 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-024-03035-9

“MacDonald, Linda” (December 1, 2017). Call the Police! Mom questions transgender treatment model, gets banned from support group. 4thWaveNow https://4thwavenow.com/2017/12/01/call-the-police-mom-questions-transgender-treatment-model-gets-banned-from-support-group/

[reply by “Suzanna Descalzi”]
“NONE of these medical procedures has been subjected to long-term testing and research, and that there is NO evidence that transition will lead to a better long-run outcome for their beloved children.” Thank you for highlighting this, worriedmom, I have reviewed literature put out by the so-called “gender clinics” at respected hospitals in Canada. I was staggered by the amount of misleading information, coercion and outright lies I found, for example:
- “being transgender or gender non-conforming is not a choice”
- “if youth begin to question their gender identity in their teen years, it is more likely that they will maintain a transgender identity”
- “Telephone surveys in the US in 2010 indicate that 1 in 200 people were transgender” (really??)
- “Hormone blockers are safe and have been well tested.”
- “How they do in life depends on whether they are supported by family and friends, or whether they are rejected for who they are.”
- “Transgender people are much more likely to have future problems if they must stay “closeted” because of shame and fear of rejection”
- “Transphobia can keep many people in the closet, and keep them from expressing their true selves. Sometimes this can lead to depression, substance abuse and even suicide.”
(from the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) website http://www.cheo.on.ca/en/genderidentity)