A psychotherapist who counsels transgenders sought to conduct a study on people who make the surgical transition but want to reverse it; however, a university killed the project because it was “politically incorrect.”
The conflict developed at Bath Spa University in Bath, England, when James Caspian wanted to write a thesis on people who “detransition.”
It would have been part of his master’s degree in counseling and psychotherapy at the school, which was known as Bath College of Higher Education until 2005.
Caspian described the decision as astonishing and a betrayal of academic research values, according to a report by Britain’s Christian Institute.
Caspian is a trustee of The Beaumont Trust, a group pursuing a “society where all gender diversity is valued and celebrated,” the report said.
“For his latest research he wanted to study people who were now living in their birth sex after previously identifying as transsexuals. The work was prompted by a surgeon telling him of ‘reverse gender reassignment’ operations he had recently performed,” the institute said.
However, Bath Spa’s ethics subcommittee said: “Engaging in a potentially ‘politically incorrect’ piece of research carries a risk to the university. Attacks on social media may not be confined to the researcher but may involve the university.”
The National Post has reported that such “reversal” surgeries are becoming more common.
The Post cited Miroslav Djordjevic, described as “the world-leading genital reconstructive surgeon,” who had been approached by multiple candidates.
Those wishing the reversal, Djordjevic says, have spoken to him about crippling levels of depression following their transition and in some cases even contemplated suicide.
The Post noted that, according to Caspian, the university initially approved his proposal to research “detransitioning.”
“He then amassed some preliminary findings that suggested a growing number of young people – particularly young women – were transitioning their gender and then regretting it. But after submitting the more detailed proposal to Bath Spa, he discovered he had been referred to the university ethics committee, which rejected it over fears of criticism that might be directed towards the university. Not least on social media from the powerful transgender lobby.”
The institute said Caspian’s concern that “if universities reject pieces of work based on such fears, it would mean they ‘cannot withstand disagreement, argument, dissension.'”
WND reported last week that the Trump administration is planning to spend hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars on transgenderism research, even though the president has opposed such expenditures.
In August, Trump rescinded an Obama-era policy allowing the military to recruit transgender people. The president also banned the Department of Defense from using its resources to provide medical regimens for transgenders currently serving in the military, citing the “medical costs” as the primary driver of his decision.
In February, the Trump administration ended Obama’s order that public schools open their bathrooms and locker rooms to people according to gender “identity.”
The administration concluded that the transgender bathroom issue should be determined by states.
Yet, the Trump administration is allocating hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars to research how “non-conforming” transgender people cope with the stress of being “minorities,” according to a U.S. government grant announcement.
The federal government is providing $200,000 to the National Institutes of Health to examine children and adults who are transitioning from one gender to the other.
“This group encompasses individuals whose gender identity differs from the sex on their original birth certificate or whose gender expression varies significantly from what is traditionally associated with or typical for that sex,” the government announcement states. “Investigations of the social determinants of health in these populations are needed, including understanding the impact of stigma, the high impact of HIV, minority stress, education, employment, violence, homelessness, and incarceration.
“More information is needed on relationships with partners and family, as well as on sexual and reproductive health,” the government document states. “Successful aging, including the impact of life events, experiences, and interventions such as hormone therapy and surgery are other important topics to investigate. It will also be important to learn more about brain development, resilience, and end-of-life issues.”
Judicial Watch investigator Irene Garcia asserts that the Trump administration is spending just as wastefully as his Democrat predecessor.
