Sasha Ayad is a conservative American psychologist and a key historical figure in anti-transgender extremism. Ayad and collaborator Stella O’Malley are world leaders in the anti-trans movement attacking transgender healthcare, especially for those under age 26.
Do not under any circumstances go to Ayad for any counseling of any kind. If you are a minor forced to see Ayad, do everything in your power to end the sessions and find a supportive local therapist instead.
Overview
Ayad promotes
- disease models of gender identity
- strict conservative gatekeeping models of care
- “rapid onset gender dysphoria“
- the ex-transgender movement
- trans-exclusionary queers (the LGB separatist movement)
Ayad is involved in many key anti-trans organizations, including
- Member, Pediatric and Adolescent Gender Dysphoria Working Group
- Member, International Association of Therapists for Desisters and Detransitioners (IATDD)
- Member, Gender Exploratory Therapy Association (later renamed Therapy First)
- Member, anti-trans hate group Genspect
- Advisor, anti-trans hate group Society for Evidence-Based Gender Medicine (SEGM)
- Attendee, 2022 US Health and Human Services meeting organizaed by SEGM
- Presenter, 2023 SEGM conference
Background
Sasha Ayad was born February 1, 1982 and attended University of Houston, earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in psychology.
Anti-trans activism
Ayad is connected to a number of anti-trans organizations, most of which are just part of a web farm with reciprocal links to make Ayad’s allies and their fringe ideologies seem more numerous and influential than they are.
These fringe front groups include:
- Genspect
- Society for Evidence-Based Gender Medicine (SEGM)
- International Association of Therapists for Desisters and Detransitioners (IATDD)
- Rethink Identity Medicine Ethics (ReIME)
- Gender Exploratory Therapy Association (GETA)
- Sex Matters
- Institute for Comprehensive Gender Dysphoria Research (ICGDR)
- Pediatric and Adolescent Gender Dysphoria Working Group (PAGDWG)
- Gender Dysphoria Support Network (GDSN)
- Gender: A Wider Lens
- Beyond WPATH
- Stats for Gender
- Wider Lens Consulting
- Thoughtful Therapists
- Critical Therapy Antidote
In 2023 Ayad co-authored the anti-trans book When Kids Say They’re Trans: A Guide for Parents with Stella O’Malley and Lisa Marchiano.
Gender: A Wider Lens
Ayad and O’Malley host the podcast Gender: A Wider Lens. The guests include many global leaders in modern conservative and anti-transgender activism.
The Metaphor of Gender
In 2025, Ayad started the YouTube channel The Metaphor of Gender. The early videos are solo presentations of Ayad’s views on gender.
Resources
Trans Data Library (transdatalibrary.org)
- Sasha Ayad
- transdatalibrary.org/person/sasha-ayad
Wider Lens Consulting (widerlens.consulting)
Inspired Teen Therapy (inspiredteentherapy.com)
Substack (substack.com)
- sashaayad
- Sane Parenting in a Gender-Crazy World: Sasha’s Therapy Note
- sashaayad.substack.com
YouTube (youtube.com)
X/Twitter (x.com)
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