Listed as wanted — Medical Association Condemns Harassment of Scientists

By Anna Kröning

This article appeared on WELT on October 2, 2025, and is reproduced here with permission. The translation from the original German has been approved by the author.

After an international conference on the treatment of trans-identifying youth, “wanted images” featuring participants are circulating online. The German Association has condemned the practice as “unacceptable,” and views academic freedom as endangered.

Digitally generated “wanted images” are being used by trans activists to incite hostility towards critical doctors and scientists. For several weeks, using the slogan “Know your enemy,” pixelated images featuring the real names of participants in a recent scientific conference have been circulating. Though the event took place three weeks ago, the images remain publicly accessible on Instagram via the account “Transfeinde stressen.” This account is linked to a loosely organized group of far-left organizations, including the “Interventionistische Linke (IL, which stands for “interventional left”),” and which is under surveillance by Germany’s domestic agency for the protection of the constitution.

Among those targeted are Tobias Banaschewski, Medical Director of the Clinic for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy in Mannheim, and Florian Zepf, Head of the Clinic for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics, and Psychotherapy in Jena. British philosophy professor Kathleen Stock, who has already received death threats, is also depicted, along with Canadian psychologist Kenneth J. Zucker and American psychiatrist Stephen Levine.

All five were speakers or participants at the “Youth Gender Distress” congress in Berlin, an international meeting of experts on treating minors experiencing gender-related distress. For security reasons, the conference was held at a confidential location due to fears of attacks from the trans activist community in Berlin.

Banaschewski told WELT that he had likely drawn activists’ ire because he and 15 other German professors had publicly criticized the national guidelines for treating children and adolescents with gender dysphoria. That a “wanted image” of him is now circulating online is, he said, outrageous.

“I’m not terribly afraid, but I do sometimes check who’s standing next to me on the train platform,” he said.

More troubling, in his view, is that the climate of intimidation is undermining scientific discourse—something clearly visible in the debate over so-called trans children. “It worries me that more and more colleagues do the opposite of what they truly believe, because they fear being vilified,” Banaschewski said. Many child and adolescent psychiatrists, he added, are afraid of “getting into trouble” if they fail to affirm the prevailing ideology, which treats every child’s stated gender identity as sacrosanct—without asking whether medical interventions might cause harm.

He added: “Some say, well, only a few children are affected, so the harm isn’t that great. But what kind of argument is that?”

Klaus Reinhardt, President of the German Medical Association, denounced the “public defamation of participants in a scientific conference,” calling it “completely unacceptable” when talking to WELT: “Such methods cross every boundary of legitimate debate and promote intimidation, and possibly even real threats.” These incidents, he noted, “are unfortunately not isolated cases,” and raise “serious concerns about academic freedom in Germany.” Reinhardt urged all individuals and institutions to clearly distance themselves from such methods.

Letter to Pediatric Associations

The fact that calls were made to commit violence against two German child psychiatrists has also alarmed the Medical Association of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. In a letter reviewed by WELT, the association urges several professional bodies to condemn the harassment and distance themselves from the activists involved who threaten their members.

The letter was addressed to the German Society for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (DGKJP), the Professional Association for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics, and Psychotherapy in Germany (BKPP), and the Federal Working Group of Chief Clinic Physicians for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy (BAG KJPP). The “wanted images,” which show crosshairs over the faces of the doctors, suggest firearm violence. The letter reads: “It is simply unacceptable that wanted posters of colleagues are being circulated in this manner—and that this is in any way tolerated or justified by professional child and adolescent psychiatry associations.”

According to the letter, the “Federal Trans Association” (Bundesverband Trans*, BVT) and the German Society for Trans and Inter Issues (DGTI) had already contributed to inflaming sentiment against “highly respected physicians” even before the event. Moreover, the BVT had been directly involved in drafting the most recent treatment guidelines for children and adolescents.

The (German) guidelines for children and adolescents are seen as controversial by professionals and emphasize puberty blockers and hormones. Psychotherapy as an instrument to explore the reasons for the discomfort of a young person is discounted as unethical. Before the guidelines were released, Banaschewski, Zepf, and other researchers had warned that there is insufficient scientific evidence that hormones or surgeries alleviate the distress experienced by children and adolescents.

That position has since gained broad international acceptance. Many countries have restricted or banned puberty blockers, citing inadequate proof of benefit and poorly studied side effects. Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, however, have taken a different course—prioritizing medical interventions.

This was also the topic discussed by child and adolescent psychiatrists, therapists, and other professionals at the conference in question — an event that was a thorn in the side of trans activists. The conference was organized by the Society for Evidence-Based Gender Medicine (SEGM). SEGM advocates for a cautious approach and for exploring other possible causes of “gender dysphoria.” The organization was founded in 2019, when the number of young people expressing dissatisfaction with their sex rose sharply. At the congress in Berlin, SEGM president Roberto D’Angelo warned against defamation, discrimination, or violence toward trans people:

“We stand firmly in support of the right of every member of the LGBTQ+ community to live with dignity, respect, and freedom from discrimination,” said the Australian openly gay psychoanalyst during the opening.

The conference addressed, among other things, the connections with various medical conditions such as autism, the effects of hormones, and the influence of social media.

Agitation Before the Conference

For the “Transfeinde stressen” account, whose operators remain anonymous, the case is clear: events like the SEGM conference (Society for Evidence-Based Gender Medicine) pose a “concrete danger to the health care of trans children and adolescents.” According to the group, such meetings undermine medical standards and foster a “climate of fear.” “All this contributes to delaying or denying necessary treatments to children and adolescents,” their statement reads.

Even before the event, the publicly funded DGTI had urged people to boycott it, referring to “trans-hostile disinformation” that would be spread there. The group also criticized the president of the German Medical Association for delivering opening remarks. The BVT likewise protested against the congress.

When contacted by WELT, the DGKJP (German Society for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry) stated: “The DGKJP fundamentally rejects discrimination, slander, and threats in any form,” adding that public incitement is “unacceptable.” The DGKJP emphasized that “scientific discourse, especially in the interest of children and adolescents, must be guided by mutual respect.” That, it noted, “also includes respecting differing views.”