In another promising sign of the return of common sense and freedom of speech on the issue of transgender ideology, a US academic has won a $1.6 settlement after being fired for saying children are not mature enough to consent to puberty blockers.

Dr Allan Josephson was an accomplished child and adolescent psychiatrist who led the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology at the University of Louisville for nearly 15 years.

But in 2017, at a conference panel on gender dysphoria, Dr Josephson expressed his own personal concerns about the chemical and surgical treatments for children with gender dysphoria. As a result, he was first demoted to a junior faculty position, and then subsequently fired.

HRLA’s friends at the Alliance Defending Freedom took up Dr Josephson’s case in 2019.After several years of legal action, the US Court of Appeal for the 6th Circuit decided last year that the case should proceed to trial and that “public university officials can be held personally accountable for censoring professors or retaliating against them”.

Subsequently, in April, the University of Louisville agreed to pay almost $1.6 million in damages and attorneys’ fees to settle the lawsuit.

ADF Senior Counsel Travis Barham said of the result:

“Public universities have no business punishing professors simply because they hold different views. Dr. Josephson’s case illustrates why—because the latest and best science confirms what he stated all along. Hopefully, other public universities will learn from this that if they violate the First Amendment, they can be held accountable, and it can be very expensive.”

Dr Josephson graciously expressed relief at the verdict, saying:

“Children deserve better than life-altering procedures that mutilate their bodies and destroy their ability to lead fulfilling lives. In spite of the circumstances I suffered through with my university, I’m overwhelmed to see that my case helped lead the way for other medical practitioners to see the universal truth that altering biological sex is impossibly dangerous while acceptance of one’s sex leads to flourishing.”

This case, coming just after the UK High Court ruling on biological sex, is further evidence of a cultural and legal turning of the tide on these issues in many parts of the world.

However, things are moving more slowly in Australia. HRLA continues to work with Dr Jillian Spencer, a child and adolescent psychiatrist who, like Dr Josephson, has suffered professional consequences for speaking out against transgender ideology and its impact on vulnerable children.

Dr Spencer’s case against the Queensland Children’s Hospital continues. But each new win around the world provides further hope that this momentum shift will find its way to Australian shores and the tide will turn in this country too.