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Stella O’Malley vs. transgender people

Stella O’Malley is a conservative Irish therapist and anti-transgender extremist. O’Malley is a global ringleader in the modern ex-transgender and gender critical movements and a major supporter of anti-transgender efforts worldwide.

O’Malley founded SPLC-designated anti-trans hate group Genspect. O’Malley frequently collaborates with American clinician Sasha Ayad to uplift other conservative and anti-transgender voices.

They promote

Do not under any circumstances go to Stella O’Malley for any counseling, trans or otherwise. If you are a minor forced to see O’Malley, do everything in your power to end the sessions and find supportive local resources instead.

Background

O’Malley was born on November 16, 1973. O’Malley grew up with three siblings in the Dublin area in a household where at least one parent was alcoholic.

O’Malley and spouse Henry Thompson, a construction contractor, live in Birr, County Offaly with their two children Róisín Thompson (born November 9, 2007) and Muiris Thompson (born August 5, 2009). O’Malley’s self-described parenting style is “impatient, moody and cranky” with “a very low threshold for ordinary whining.”

O’Malley authored Cotton Wool Kids (2015) Bully-Proof Kids (2017), and Fragile (2019).

Anti-trans activism

O’Malley was host of the 2018 propaganda piece Trans Kids: It’s Time To Talk. It features conservative and anti-trans activists, including James Caspian, Heather Brunskell-Evans, Venice Allan, Miranda Yardley, and people from the ex-trans movement

O’Malley is connected to a number of anti-trans organizations, most of which are just part of a web farm with reciprocal links to make O’Malley’s allies and their fringe ideologies seem more widespread and influential than they are.

These fringe front groups include:

In 2023 O’Malley co-authored the anti-trans book When Kids Say They’re Trans: A Guide for Parents with Sasha Ayad and Lisa Marchiano.

In 2024, when Texas politician Shawn Thierry lost the Democratic primary and joined Genspect as director of political strategy in the US. An article noting the announcement said:

Genspect has also been accused by medical experts and organizations of relying on junk science to support their stance. O’Malley, for instance, has falsely claimed that there are links between peer pressure, pornography and gender dysphoria. Genspect has also partnered with groups such as the right-wing Alliance Defending Freedom, and argues that no one under the age of 25 should be allowed to transition because their brains “haven’t yet fully matured.”

Gender: A Wider Lens

Ayad and O’Malley hosted the podcast Gender: A Wider Lens. The guests include many global leaders in modern conservative and anti-transgender activism.

In 2025, O’Malley started the podcast Beyond Gender, co-hosting with anti-trans extremist Mia Hughes and anti-trans psychologist Bret Alderman.

In 2025, O’Malley criticized how the “the gender-critical woke” have been attacking people who share O’Malley’s politics:

It is deeply sad to consider how many gender-critical people have been censured or censored by the gender-critical woke. The list is long, and I’ve probably forgotten many. But among them are: Janice Turner, Debbie Hayton, Fionne Orlander, Miranda Yardley, Kristina Harrison, Buck Angel, Claire Graham, Jack Appleby, Graham Linehan, James Esses, Sarah Phillimore, Rosie Duffield, Claire Fox, Helen Pluckrose, Benjamin Boyce, Mike Bailey, James Cantor, Ken Zucker, Ray Blanchard, Billboard Chris, Genspect, LGB Alliance, Jenny Watson, Kathleen Stock, Julie Bindel, Suzanna Moore, Hadley Freeman, Sarah Ditum, Maya Forstater, Helen Joyce, Women’s Place UK, Judith Green, Labour Women’s Declaration, Fair Play for Women, Aaron Tyrrell, Aaron Kimberly, GD Alliance, Corinna Cohn, Shannon Thrace, Eva Kurilova, Frank Furedi, Alasdair Gunn, James Lindsay, Jordan Peterson, Michael Shellenberger, Mia Hughes, Abigail Shrier, Colin Wright, Christina Buttons, Andrew Doyle, and Jane Clare Jones.

References

Moorhead Johanna (March 19, 2022). How to bully-proof your kids for life. The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/mar/19/how-to-bully-proof-your-kids-for-life-according-to-the-expert

Downen, Robert (August 21, 2024). Rep. Shawn Thierry joins anti-trans policy group after losing Democratic primary. The Texas Tribune https://www.texastribune.org/2024/08/21/shawn-thierry-lgbtq-gender-transitioning-care-genspect/

Harris, Siobhan (April 25, 2024). Europe and the Puberty Blocker Debate. Medscape https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/europe-and-puberty-blocker-debate-2024a1000831

McCarthy, Mary (March 19 2023). Stella O’Malley’s bible for parents raising troubled teenagers. The Times https://www.thetimes.com/culture/books/article/stella-o-malley-bible-for-parents-raising-troubled-teenagers-8fclngs55

“Reporter” (May 2023). Birr woman’s company hosts major conference highlighting dangers of transgender movement. https://www.offalyexpress.ie/news/midland-tribune/1172404/birr-woman-s-company-hosts-major-conference-highlighting-dangers-of-transgender-movement.html

Moorhead Joanna (March 20, 2023). I was a wild teenager and this is what parents should do with nightmare kids. i https://inews.co.uk/inews-lifestyle/i-was-a-wild-teenager-now-i-teach-parents-how-to-cope-with-nightmare-kids-2215856

“Harriet” (August 12, 2022). Notes from the CATA Conference: keynote address by Stella O’Malley. The Standard https://thestandard.org.nz/notes-from-the-cata-conference-keynote-address-by-stella-omalley/

Leveille, Lee (April 2, 2022). Leaked audio confirms Genspect director as anti-trans conversion therapist targeting youth. Health Liberation Now! https://healthliberationnow.com/2022/04/02/leaked-audio-confirms-genspect-director-as-anti-trans-conversion-therapist-targeting-youth/

Kinchen, Rosie (November 18, 2018). Thank God they didn’t make this tomboy trans. The Times https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/thank-god-they-didnt-make-this-tomboy-trans-thzt8xr3z

O’Callaghan, Helen (September 19, 2015). Four experts give their top tips for parenting. Irish Examiner https://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/arid-20354443.html

Selected anti-trans writing by O’Malley

O’Malley, Stella (May 29, 2025). When You’re Gender-Critical – and You’re Woke. Genspect https://genspect.org/when-youre-gender-critical-and-youre-woke/

O’Malley, Stella; Gosling, Matilda (October 10, 2022). Children and gender distress: Modish answers may not be the best. The Critic https://thecritic.co.uk/children-and-gender-distress/

O’Malley, Stella (August 23, 2022). At the American Academy of Pediatrics, ‘Affirmation’-Based Gender Dogma Is Finally Being Challenged. Quillette https://quillette.com/2022/08/23/challenge-to-affirmation-based-gender-dogma-at-american-academy-pediatrics/

O’Malley, Stella (23 March 2023). An Expert’s Top Tips For Dealing With Teenagers. Grazia https://graziadaily.co.uk/life/parenting/an-experts-top-tips-for-dealing-with-teenagers/

O’Malley, Stella; Ayad Sasha (August 23, 2022).When Kids Say They’re Trans. Quillette https://quillette.com/2023/12/12/when-kids-say-theyre-trans/

O’Malley, Stella (May 4, 2021). Gaslighting the Concerned Parents of Trans Children—A Psychotherapist’s View. Quillette https://quillette.com/2021/05/04/gaslighting-the-concerned-parents-of-trans-children-a-psychotherapists-view/

Resources

Beyond WPATH (beyondwpath.org)

Stella O’Malley (stellaomalley.com)

The OldBuilders Company (oldbuilders.com)

X/Twitter (x.com)

LinkedIn (linkedin.com)

Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)

Substack (substack.com)

Facebook (facebook.com)

Instagram (instagram.com)

YouTube (youtube.com)

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