Frequently Asked Questions

SEGM, or the Society for Evidence-Based Gender Medicine, is a registered charity in the United States with 501(c)(3) non-profit status. SEGM is an association of professionals united by the mission to improve the quality of research and its applications in the field of gender medicine. Our specific focus is on care received by children, adolescents, and young adults. We have no political or religious affiliations. Since our founding, our work has focused on bringing scientific rigor to the field and facilitating debate among professionals who hold diverse perspectives about how best to support this patient group but are all equally committed to the long-term health and wellbeing of affected youth.

Our core mission is the evaluation and dissemination of evidence in the field of gender medicine. Individuals collaborating under the auspices of SEGM have published original research, reviews of evidence, as well as critiques of previously published studies in peer-reviewed journals. In addition, SEGM provides grants to individual researchers and research organizations, and we pay open access fees for publications in scientific peer-reviewed journals to ensure widespread access to quality data and clinical practice guidance.

We also maintain a website with a compendium of literature. It is not an exhaustive list of every study published in the field of gender medicine. Rather, its purpose is to highlight unsettled debates in the field. In our Spotlight section, we discuss important developments that inform the ongoing debate regarding the safety and efficacy of interventions for gender dysphoria in young people.

SEGM is not a policy-making body and does not prescribe specific policy solutions. 

SEGM is not a membership organization. Since our inception, SEGM has been contacted by hundreds of clinicians and researchers concerned about the shaky scientific foundations on which the field of gender medicine has been built, and the risk of harm to vulnerable youth. Our aim is to connect professionals who believe that gender medicine should operate according to the same principles of evidence-based decision-making and ethical framework as is required of all other areas of medicine, and if necessary, to help them collaborate more effectively.

The majority of individuals who collaborate with SEGM are licensed clinicians, in good standing with their respective medical societies, and respected in their communities. Some have direct experience with the practice of gender medicine, having worked in the field for years before becoming concerned over the recent trends. Others are currently working with individuals who desist or detransition. Most, however, are clinicians who provide healthcare to young people more generally, including GPs, internists, family doctors, pediatricians, endocrinologists, psychiatrists, obstetricians and gynecologists, and other physical and mental health professionals. We also collaborate with experts in evidence evaluation and researchers in social sciences, statistics, psychometrics, and related fields. Everyone who collaborates within SEGM shares a commitment to ensuring that gender medicine follows the principles of evidence-based decision-making.

SEGM believes that LGBTQ people should be treated with dignity and afforded the same human rights and protections as all other individuals. Many of the professionals collaborating within SEGM are lesbian, gay or bisexual, and a number have loved ones who identify as transgender.

The field of pediatric gender medicine is currently engulfed in an intense international scientific debate. Although most are debating in good faith, some have met SEGM’s position of concern over the unknown risk/benefit profile of youth gender transitions with accusations of “transphobia.” If such a standard is to be applied, then entire countries that have expressed the same concern as SEGM, including the UK, Norway, Finland, Denmark, and Sweden—the first country to recognize transgender people’s legal status—would be similarly labeled “transphobic.” Resorting to ad hominem attacks is often a reflection of weakness in one’s own argument, and we believe such tactics detract from the quality of scientific debate.

Recently, we have seen a shift toward more civil debates, and we have been grateful to see our position of concern fairly represented by the New York Times, The Economist, The Associated Press, Newsweek, Wall Street Journal, Medscape, NPR, Kaiser Health News, the BMJ, and a growing number of other news sources.

SEGM is not a policy-making body and does not prescribe specific policy solutions. SEGM has not endorsed any policies, including those that pose various restrictions on hormonal or surgical transitions of minors. SEGM opposes all politicization of transgender care. At the same time, SEGM recognizes that medicine has the potential to both help and harm, and that the regulation of medicine is a core and necessary function in order to safeguard patients from undue harm. Each country has a unique medical system, varying mechanisms for financing healthcare, and different value framework.  Each society is responsible for determining the most appropriate approaches to regulating medicine within the frameworks of its healthcare systems, legal structures, and values. Our role is to advocate that young people experiencing gender dysphoria receive the same standard of care that all youth deserve: evidence-based, ethical care that safeguards their long-term health and wellbeing. 

SEGM strongly supports the ethical principle of respect for autonomy, which establishes the right of competent patients to accept or refuse medical interventions or to participate in research trials. Respect for autonomy does not negate clinicians’ professional obligations to protect and promote their patients’ health (non-maleficence and beneficence). Critical to autonomous decision-making is provision of accurate information. SEGM is concerned that autonomy in youth gender medicine has been compromised by misinformation regarding the nature of the diagnosis, the natural history/prognosis, as well as the risks/benefits of treatment approaches. SEGM has focused on enhancing patient autonomy through our rigorous analyses of scientific literature and by commissioning systematic reviews that provide high quality and accurate information about what is known about the benefits/risks of interventions.

SEGM categorically rejects SPLC’s allegations of “hate,” “pseudoscience,” and “manufacturing of doubt.” SEGM affirms the right of all individuals to live free from harassment and discrimination. We promote the principles of evidence-based medicine and the ethical principles of autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice in healthcare. To learn more, please read SEGM’s full response to the SPLC.

SEGM relies on the generosity of individuals and charitable foundations wishing to improve the knowledge base and quality of gender medicine for children, adolescents, and young adults. Many professionals volunteer their time, energy, and expertise or deeply discount the services they provide to SEGM.

All information shared on the SEGM site undergoes a rigorous peer-review process. SEGM was the first English-language website to translate and disseminate the Finnish, Swedish, and French position statements and treatment guidelines updates regarding pediatric gender medicine. The authenticity of these documents can be easily verified. SEGM also reprints, with permission, relevant articles from authoritative publications such as The Economist and The Times. As a research-focused organization, SEGM is committed to transparency and debate. If there are any errors in the information we share on our website, contact us directly and we will correct the record.