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Eric Kaufmann vs. transgender people

Eric Kaufmann is a Canadian conservative academic and anti-transgender activist based in the United Kingdom. Kaufmann believes being trans is a “social contagion” and has passed its peak.

Kaufmann has prepared reports on sex and gender minorities for anti-trans publications Quillette, UnHerd, and City Journal, as well as for anti-trans extremist Richard Hanania via Center for the Study of Partisanship and Ideology.

Background

Eric Peter Kaufmann was born May 11, 1970. Kaufmann’s parent Steve is a polyglot and diplomat. Kaufmann’s younger sibling Mark Kaufmann is a former hockey player and software developer.

Kaufmann attended Hillside Secondary, then earned a bachelor’s degree from University of Western Ontario in 1991. Kaufmann then attended The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), earning a master’s degree in 1994 and a doctorate in 1999.

Kaufman has studied transitions in politics, religion, and demography in Western cultures, particularly as it pertains to white populations and culture.

After teaching at University of Southampton from 1999 to 2003, Kaufmann served as Professor of Politics at Birkbeck, University of London from 2003 to 2023

Kaufmann left for the same appointment at University of Buckingham:

“After 20 years, I am leaving a full University of London professorship for the University of Buckingham. In January, I launch a new low-cost online course open to the public on Woke: the Origins, Dynamics and Implications of an Elite Ideology.

Why leave? My university’s uncertain financial position played a role, but I was also repelled by cancel culture and attracted by the chance to help build Buckingham as the only ‘free speech university’ in Britain.

Whereas the US has some 150 non-leftist research centres, nothing of this kind exists in Britain. In January I will therefore establish the Centre for Heterodox Social Science at Buckingham to pursue countercultural social science and humanities research.

Progressive conformity and cancel culture are distorting the teaching and research mission of universities. Between the extremely controversial and the progressive-controlled monoculture of academia is a vast and growing zone of unspoken truth.”

Kaufman (2023)

Anti-transgender activism

Kaufmann believes that being trans is a trend or social contagion that will eventually “peak.”

“Limiting the social spread of transgenderism (linked to worse life outcomes) is compatible with wanting truly transgender people to flourish. Those who insist the two are incompatible are committing an error known as the fallacy of composition.”

Kaufmann frequently appears in anti-trans platforms, including Debra Soh, Heterodox Academy, Coleman Hughes, Gad Saad, Matt Goodwin, Alex Kaschuta, Lotuseaters, and GBNews.

Centre for Heterodox Social Science

Kaufmann is director of the Centre for Heterodox Social Science at Buckingham University. Members include

  • David Cowan
  • Rakib Ehsan
  • James Esses
  • Matt Goodwin
  • J.D. Haltigan
  • Gorby Jandu
  • Satoshi Kanazawa
  • Rosie Kay
  • James Kierstead
  • Luke Martin
  • Lawrence Patihis
  • Neema Parvini
  • Daniel Pitt
  • David Rozado
  • Jan van de Beek
  • Chloe Ward
  • Stephen Webb

References

Reed, Erin (October 15, 2025). Fact Check: No, There Is Not A New Survey Showing Trans Identity Is Decreasing. Erin In The Morning https://www.erininthemorning.com/p/fact-check-no-there-is-not-a-new

Coverage in anti-trans press

Staff report (May 31, 2022). Have we passed peak trans? UnHerd https://unherd.com/thepost/have-we-passed-peak-trans/

Selected anti-trans writing by Kaufmann

Kaufmann, Eric (October 14, 2025). Why are fewer young people identifying as trans? UnHerd https://unherd.com/newsroom/why-are-fewer-young-people-identifying-as-trans/

Kaufmann, Eric (August 29, 2023). Canada’s conservatives fight back against progressive school policies. UnHerd https://unherd.com/newsroom/parents-fight-back-against-canadas-progressive-policies/

Kaufmann, Eric (June 5, 2023). Don’t Take This Personally: How the fallacy of composition produces policy failure. City Journal https://www.city-journal.org/article/the-wests-culture-of-therapeutic-individualism

Kaufmann, Eric (June 14, 2022). Progressivism, Sexuality, and Mental Illness. Quillette https://quillette.com/2022/06/14/progressivism-sexuality-and-mental-illness/

Kaufmann, Eric (May 29, 2022). Born This Way? The Rise of LGBT as a Social and Political Identity. Center for the Study of Partisanship and Ideology https://www.cspicenter.com/p/born-this-way-the-rise-of-lgbt-as-a-social-and-political-identity

Kaufmann, Eric (November 1, 2021). Kathleen Stock won’t be the last. UnHerd https://unherd.com/2021/11/kathleen-stock-wont-be-the-last/

Media

UnHerd with Freddie Sayers and Eric Kaufmann (October 15, 2025). Deep dive: Is this the end of trans? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arZSl7CxCW4

TalkTV with Kevin O’Sullivan and Eric Kaufmann (June 24, 2024). Labour ‘Will Green Light Going Woke’ Over Trans Issues In Classroom | Eric Kaufmann. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1H77Sx5B1A

Jordan B Peterson with Eric Kaufmann (June 6, 2024). Women, Politics, Personality, and Self Esteem | Eric Kaufmann | EP 453. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyOSjWiVBFA

Peter Boghossian with Helen Joyce, Andy Ngo, and Eric Kaufmann (February 29, 2024). Helen Joyce, Andy Ngo, & Eric Kaufmann Talk Equality, Gender, & More | Spectrum Street Epistemology. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJgaCZ8kfSg

Peter Boghossian with Helen Joyce and Eric Kaufmann (February 6, 2024). Gender Identity, Womanhood, & More! w/ Helen Joyce and Eric Kaufmann | Spectrum Street Epistemology. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXQ1_KsqGjk

Lotuseaters Dot Com with Connor Tomlinson and Eric Kaufmann (December 15, 2023). Are Demographics Destiny? | Interview with Eric Kaufmann. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YWbKHXFhGU

National Conservatism (May 16, 2023). Eric Kaufmann | In Defense of Particularistic Nationalism | NatCon UK. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVzUfl1RQU0

The Telegraph with Steven Edginton and Eric Kaufmann (December 16, 2022). Britain’s future is woke Canada if the Left wins culture war | Eric Kaufmann interview. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4V3Ni8_8Z70

Aporia Podcast with Danielle Dillenschneider, Tim Dernlan, and Eric Kaufmann (November 7, 2022). Why are so many people identifying as LGBT? | Eric Kaufmann. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYPeR-JYsaw

CSPI with Richard Hanania and Eric Kaufmann (October 24, 2022). Identity and Elite Polarization | Eric Kaufmann & Richard Hanania. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUoE3PjeA4E

CSPI with Richard Hanania and Eric Kaufmann (June 16, 2022). Did the Great Awokening Cause the LGBT Rise? | Eric Kaufmann. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYYj5eL-Gl0

GBNews with Andrew Doyle, Eric Kaufmann, and Inaya Folarin Iman (June 12, 2022). Andrew Doyle is joined by Eric Kaufmann and Inaya Folarin Iman to discuss the rise in LGBT. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIY-NuwxEs0

CSPI with Richard Hanania and Eric Kaufmann (Jun 6, 2022). How LGBT Are the Kids? | Eric Kaufmann & Richard Hanania. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8faEWAlkRDo

Resources

Eric Kaufmann (sneps.net)

Centre for Heterodox Social Science (heterodoxcentre.com)

Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)

X/Twitter (x.com)

Facebook (facebook.com)

LinkedIn (linkedin.com)

The Spectator World (thespectator.com)

UnHerd (unherd.com)