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Urh Grošelj vs. transgender people

by Andrea James Reviewed September 6, 2026 3 min read

Urh Grošelj is a Slovenian pediatrician, medical geneticist, bioethicist, and anti-transgender activist.

In 2025, Grošelj co-chaired three symposia at the European Society for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (ESCAP) conference organized by anti-trans hate group Society for Evidence-Based Gender Medicine (SEGM).

Background

Urh Grošelj earned a master’s degree from KU Leuven in 2008, then attended University of Ljubljana, earning a medical degree and a doctorate there. Since 2008, Grošelj has been associated with Univerzitetni klinični center Ljubljana [Ljubljana University Medical Centre, or Ljubljana UMC] in the University Children’s Hospital Ljubljana (UCHL).

In 2021, Grošelj was a visiting scholar at Stanford University School of Medicine. In 2022, Grošelj was appointed Associate Professor at Ljubljana UMC and UCHL.

Grošelj’s research focuses on inherited metabolic diseases, newborn screening, and pediatric lipid disorders, particularly familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) in children. Grošelj helped lead efforts to implement universal screening for FH in newborns.

Grošelj also focuses on medical ethics and bioethics, publishing on end-of-life care, adolescent autonomy and consent, and ethical decision-making in pediatric and palliative contexts. This work brought Grošelj to the attention of anti-trans activists.

Anti-trans activism

In 2024, Grošelj co-authored a statement by European Society for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (ESCAP) that called for “an urgent need for safeguarding clinical, scientific, and ethical standards” in trans healthcare for young people.

At the ESCAP General Assembly on October 10, 2024, the ESCAP policy division announced their plans to collaborate with anti-trans hate group Society for Evidence-Based Gender Medicine (SEGM).

In the summer of 2025, SEGM helped organize five symposia at the ESCAP conference in Strasbourg, France, in collaboration with the ESCAP Policy Division. The symposia were packed with prominent anti-trans activists with ties to SEGM.

Gender dysphoria in minors: Evidence for and development of treatment approaches

  • Chairs: Sarah Hohmann and Urh Grošelj 
  • History and evolution of youth gender medicine: Evgenia Abbruzzese
  • The benefits and risks of childhood and adolescent social gender transition: what is the evidence? Alison Clayton
  • Current evidence of using puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones in minors with gender dysphoria: Florian Zepf
  • How do young people seeking gender reassignment fare over the long term? Riittakerttu Kaltiala
  • Developing high-quality, systematic, and transparent guidelines to inform clinical care: Ivan Florez

When evidence is not sufficient: The ethics of gender dysphoria management in minors

  • Chairs: Riittakerttu Kaltiala and Urh Grošelj 
  • Medical transition: ‘Do no harm’ or ‘The customer is always right’? Moti Gorin
  • A defence of non-medical interventions for gender dysphoria: Jilles Smids
  • Applying the neuroscience of teenage decision-making in the gender clinic: Sallie Baxendale
  • The role of psychotherapy in fostering patient autonomy: Paul Garcia-Ryan
  • Psychotherapy for children with gender-related distress post-Cass Review: Anna Hutchinson

Designing research in gender dysphoria in minors

References

Drobnič Radobuljac, M., Grošelj, U., Kaltiala, R., the ESCAP Policy Division, the ESCAP Board, Vermeiren, R., Crommen, S., Kotsis, K., Danese, A., Hoekstra, P.J., Fegert, J. M. (2024). ESCAP statement on the care for children and adolescents with gender dysphoria: an urgent need for safeguarding clinical, scientific, and ethical standards. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 33(6), 2011–2016. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-024-02440-8 Full text https://www.sgkjpp.ch/fileadmin/SGKJPP/user_upload/documents/Radobuljac_ESCAPStatementGenderdysphoria_2024.pdf

Resources

Slovenian Current Research Information System [SICRIS] (cris.cobiss.net)

Google Scholar (scholar.google.com)

  • Urh Groselj
  • scholar.google.com/citations?user=FnioUuQAAAAJ

ResearchGate (https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Urh-Groselj)

LinkedIn (linkedin.com)

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