Cass Review author says leading medical org only supports trans health care under "political duress"

Cass Review author says leading medical org only supports trans health care under “political duress”
In a recent interview, Dr. Hilary Cass also ignored the many critiques of so-called rapid onset gender dysphoria.
By Mira Lazine Monday, May 13, 2024

In an interview with Azeen Ghorayshi of the New York Times published earlier today, Dr. Hilary Cass – lead author on the highly controversial Cass Review examining gender-affirming care for trans youth – took a “both sides” approach as to whether social acceptance or the widely discredited theory of ‘social contagion’ causes people to come out as trans.

“Social acceptance just doesn’t happen that way, so dramatically,” Cass told the Times. “So that doesn’t make sense as the full answer. But equally, those who say this is just social contagion are also not taking account of how complex and nuanced this is.”

She went on to say that “it only becomes a challenge if we’re medicalizing [gender], giving an irreversible treatment, for what might be just a normal range of gender expression.”

The social contagion concept refers to the debunked concept of rapid-onset gender dysphoria (ROGD), a hypothesis originally promoted by Lisa Littman, who has since had her initial study on the topic retracted.

There is no evidence for ROGD, and the only advocates for it are notable anti-trans activists.

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Cass also dismissed the position of expert organizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), claiming that it is a “fairly left-leaning” organization and is politically motivated in what it chooses to support. The AAP is the leading medical organization for pediatricians in America, comprising over 67,000 doctors. It has previously advocated for mask mandates and vaccines and has argued for the safety of abortions.

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