The vindication of a psychiatrist

Eight years ago, a renowned psychiatrist publicly shared his concerns about the practice of medically and surgically “transitioning” children to appear as the opposite sex. He had no idea uttering such a commonsense viewpoint would end up costing him his job.

In 2017, Dr. Allan Josephson of the University of Louisville had joined a Heritage Foundation panel entitled “Gender Dysphoria in Children: Understanding the Science and the Medicine.”

His remarks were well-informed and thoughtful: “[G]ender dysphoria is a socio-cultural, psychological phenomenon that cannot be fully addressed with drugs and surgery,” he explained. “Thus, doctors and others should explore what causes this confusion and help the child learn how to meet this developmental challenge.”

Dr. Josephson was one of the first psychiatrists to publicly question the way medical professionals addressed gender dysphoria in children. Today, a rising global consensus warns against the dangers of pushing minors to identify as the opposite sex through interventions like puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and sterilizing surgeries.

However, once his comments reached the university, his refusal to embrace radical efforts to change children’s sex was deemed unacceptable. Campus activists from the LGBT Center quickly called upon the dean to intervene, igniting a campaign of pressure. Some colleagues demanded that Dr. Josephson stop expressing his opinions while remaining on staff, while others insisted he issue an apology or add a disclaimer—a demand unheard of in academic circles. Amid this onslaught, university officials stripped him of his leadership role.

At the time the controversy erupted, Dr. Josephson had already dedicated almost 15 years to the University of Louisville Medical School. As head of the university’s Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology, he transformed a faltering department into a reputable center of excellence. And across his nearly four-decade career in academia, he had earned honors like the esteemed Oskar Pfister Award for his notable contributions to psychiatry and religion.

Determined to silence him permanently, administrators then set about orchestrating his dismissal. In internal communications, they acknowledged the need for “strong documentation” to justify not renewing his contract. One supervisor kept an “Allan tracking document” to record any perceived misstep. Another actively sought out complaints from alumni, instructing them on what to report. Ultimately, in the spring of 2019, the university chose not to renew his contract, effectively ending his tenure.

All these actions were aimed at punishing a distinguished scholar simply for articulating his well-informed views on his own time—despite a long history of exemplary service and glowing performance evaluations.

Thankfully, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit recognized the critical importance of protecting a professor’s First Amendment rights. Last year, the court ruled that Dr. Josephson’s case should proceed to trial, affirming that public university officials can be held personally liable for suppressing or punishing academic speech like that of Dr. Josephson’s.

Following a protracted six-year legal struggle, Dr. Josephson now stands vindicated, with the university recently settling his claim for nearly $1.6 million.

That settlement speaks volumes not only of the worthiness of his cause, but of the moral and intellectual resolve it took for him to withstand an entire university community swept up in gender ideology.

Dr. Josephson’s story mirrors our nation’s broader struggle with this ideology. In recent years, Americans have grappled with fundamental questions: What does it truly mean to be a man or a woman? And how should we care for children who experience confusion about their sex?

Our nation has been answering that question—27 states have enacted laws to shield children from irreversible medical interventions, with 70% of Americans supporting such measures, and nearly 80% opposing men in women’s sports. Slowly but unmistakably, both courts and international medical bodies have come around to recognize that the evidence has long supported Dr. Josephson’s stance.

Dr. Josephson’s dismissal was an attempt to suppress truth. It was meant as a warning to others—yet it also marked a turning point. The cultural shift we are now witnessing, marked by a renewed appreciation for biological reality and commitment to free speech, owes much to people like Dr. Josephson, who challenged an ascendant ideology at great personal cost. At a moment when the pressure to conform to a lie was at its peak, Dr. Josephson stood firm for his patients and for biological reality.

Such heroes are rare and invaluable. Their courage, commitment to the truth, and deep care for their fellow human beings remind us that, with courage and resolve, we too can alter the course of history.