Genspect
Genspect is an international gender-critical anti-trans group founded in June 2021 by psychotherapist Stella O'Malley. Genspect opposes gender-affirming care, as well as social and medical transition for transgender people. Genspect opposes allowing transgender people under 25 years old to transition, and opposes laws that would ban conversion therapy on the basis of gender identity. Genspect also endorses the unproven concept of rapid-onset gender dysphoria, which proposes a subclass of gender dysphoria caused by peer influence and social contagion. ROGD has been rejected by major medical organisations due to its lack of evidence and likelihood to cause harm by stigmatizing gender-affirming care.
Genspect's positions contradict major medical organizations such as the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, the Endocrine Society, the American Psychiatric Association, American Psychological Association, and the American Academy of Pediatrics, the latter of which states "robust evidence demonstrates that access to gender-affirming care decreases risk of suicidal ideations, improves mental health, and improves the overall health and well-being of transgender and gender-diverse youth".
Genspect is closely affiliated with the Society for Evidence-Based Gender Medicine : Seven advisors for SEGM are on Genspect's team or advisors, including founder O'Malley. Genspect consists of parents, educators, counsellors, clinicians, and well-known detransitioners. The Southern Poverty Law Center has designated Genspect and SEGM as anti-LGBTQ hate groups since 2023.
Advocacy and positions
While Genspect positions itself as a "moderate, evidence-based coalition of concerned parents and clinicians", leaked chat logs from a community Discord server operated by Genspect revealed members openly using far-right language such as calling trans people "groomers", "pedophiles" and "a cult" and promoting conspiracy theories such as claiming that being transgender is caused by using social media, watching porn, watching anime and participating in cosplay as well as voicing support for Jennifer Bilek, an influential anti-trans activist in the U.K. who believes Jewish billionaires are funding trans-affirming surgery worldwide as part of a "transhumanist project to abandon the body entirely". Members were also caught comparing gender-affirming care to lobotomies and opioids as well as saying that the transgender movement is operated by "autogynephilic and pedophilic men" who are taking advantage of "changes in society that suit the pursuit of their fetishes".Transgender youth
In June 2021, the conservative British newspaper The Daily Telegraph featured an article marking the launch of Genspect. Stella O'Malley said parents were shocked that gender-questioning children were prescribed drugs "within weeks" of attending a clinic. The NHS disputed the claim, saying access to gender-affirming care was normally a "lengthy process". O'Malley stated "We think that the affirmative approach is too narrow and it is not taking into account co-morbidities, such as autism, or trauma". At the launch, a mother spoke to the Telegraph, claiming that her transgender daughter was "groomed" at school and online into taking hormone treatment. Her daughter had come out to her as a trans girl at 14 years old, asked for puberty blockers at 16, which she refused, and was prescribed hormones from the NHS at 19.In August 2021, they intervened in a case against the school district in the town of Rhondda Cynon Taf in South Wales for using a student's preferred pronouns in school without the parent's knowledge. Genspect has publicly supported numerous legal complaints against clinicians and has supported parents in efforts to prevent students socially transitioning at school against parent's wishes. Genspect has advised parents and schools against using transgender children's chosen names and pronouns and recommended schools ban tucking and chest binding.
Genspect has also campaigned against access to gender transition for those under age 25. On the subject of gender-affirming care for people over 25, Genspect's vice director, Alasdair Gunn claimed that their focus on youth transition is a political strategy to reach left-leaning voters in order to eventually push for restrictions on transitioning for people of all ages. Gunn clarified that, "None of us would ever recommend transition for anyone. On those over 25 we say little, because it's not in YOUR interests to mention this. We have to break through to the policymakers who are left of center, and the way to do that is to focus relentlessly on the problem of transition for under 25s."
Genspect promoted misinformation about Boston Children's Hospital, claiming they perform vaginoplasties on minors. However, no such surgeries were performed. Genspect did not apologize, instead claiming that adolescence lasts until 25 years old, so therefore the hospital was performing surgeries on "adolescents".
In February 2023, Genspect, the Catholic Secondary School Parents Association, the Association of Patrons and Trustees of Catholic Schools, and the Irish Education Alliance opposed a new Social Personal and Health Education curriculum which is being finalized by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment. The curricula would be taught over three years for 12-15 year olds and address gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation. Genspect said the course promoted a "narrow-minded gender affirmative approach and assumes that everyone – students, parents and school staff – believes in the gender identity belief system". The Transgender Equality Network of Ireland, BeLonG2 Youth Services, the youth group Foróige, and the Children's Rights Alliance welcomed the changes but stated that the course should be updated to include discussion of appropriate pronouns and the term "biological sex" replaced with "sex assigned at birth".
Some members of Genspect have expressed support for the anti-trans group Gays Against Groomers, and blame teachers for "grooming" children into identifying as transgender. Members have also claimed that being transgender can only be caused by a social contagion via the discredited idea of "rapid onset gender dysphoria", repressed homosexuality or the results of autism, ADHD, or a fetish.
Bans on gender-affirming care
In July 2021, Genspect intervened in a court case in Arizona in defense of the state's ban on Medicaid coverage for transgender healthcare.Genspect was reported as campaigning against California's Senate Bill 107 in August 2022, which would make the state a refuge for transgender children and families fleeing persecution in other states.
On 21 August, a policy by the Florida board of medicine ended Medicaid coverage for transgender healthcare at any age, despite gender-affirming care being recommended by the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Psychiatric Association, and other major medical organizations. Dr. Patrick Hunter on the board retweeted Genspect's letter to the American Academy of Pediatrics. The board was described by the Florida Phoenix as "stacked with anti-trans doctors, some of whom are affiliated with anti-trans fringe movements such as Genspect and the Society for Evidence-Based Gender Medicine."
Genspect, along with other gender critical organizations in Europe including Cry For Recognition, Kirjo, Ypomini, Transteens Sorge Berechtigt, Genitori generi, GenderIdentity Challenge Norway and GenderIdentity Challenge Sweden signed a petition created by the AMANDA Association which called for the European Union to ban all medical transition for minors as a response to what they called "rapid-onset gender dysphoria", which is not recognized as a valid mental health diagnosis by any major professional association.
In 2023, leaked chat logs from a community Discord server operated by Genspect, revealed founder Stella O'Malley saying that she believes porn causes children to identify as trans, and that her ultimate goal is to completely end all gender transitions for minors with no exceptions.
Conversion therapy
Genspect testified against New Zealand's Conversion Practices Prohibition Legislation Act 2022, arguing it should not include banning conversion therapy practices on the basis of gender identity. Founder Stella O'Malley advocates for "exploratory therapy" in support of gender dysphoria and has written and testified about how some conversion therapy bills also risk limiting access to exploratory therapy. In 2023, leaked chat logs from a community Discord server operated by Genspect, revealed members discussing how people can stop their kids from identifying as trans and how to find them a conversion therapist. Members also spoke openly about their contempt for those who decide to transition and the medical professionals who support their decision.On 9 August 2021, O'Malley co-authored an opinion letter titled "Bill to ban conversion therapy poses problems for therapists" alongside psychologist Jacky Grainer and GP Madeleine Ní Dhailigh for The Irish Times in reference to the Prohibition of Conversion Therapies Bill 2018. In the letter, she criticized the inclusion of "suppression of gender identity" in the bill's definition of conversion therapy. The Union of Students in Ireland subsequently announced that it was boycotting The Irish Times until it apologised for the article. The Trans Writers Union, with 1,400 signatories, and Trinity News also announced a boycott of the paper due to what they characterized as advocating conversion therapy and a pattern of transphobic behavior.
Science-Based Medicine stated "exploratory therapy" is "palatable language" for conversion therapy, noting a legal strategy proposed by Richard Green in 2017 which advocated circumventing bans on "gender-conversion psychotherapies" by labeling them "gender identity exploration or development". The WPATH Standards of Care 8 encourage healthy exploration of gender and notes attempts to force gender-diverse youth to "explore their gender" when not requested by the patient "can be experienced as pathologizing, intrusive and/or cisnormative".
After the Cass Review was published, O'Malley expressed concern that a bill banning conversion therapy proposed by the UK Labour Party risked criminalising the "very therapy that Cass is saying should be prioritised".