IGF CultureWatch

On May 6, the U.S. Supreme Court held that the Trump administration may proceed with a plan to bar transgender people from serving in the military. The one-page order — delivered over the dissent of the three liberal justices — lifted a ruling by a district court in western Washington state (Seattle/Tacoma) that had paused the administration’s ban.

The stay of the lower-court’s action allows the transgender exclusion to take effect while legal challenges continue, but suggests the highest court would ultimately uphold the executive branch’s right to set recruitment standards.

While big LGBTQ+ lobbies predictably denounced what they described as the Supreme Court’s sanctioning of anti-trans discrimination, not barring individuals dependent on cross-sex hormones seems a preferential exception to standard practice, rather than targeted discrimination. I discussed these issues in my Substack column, “How Trump’s Transgender Military Ban Might Be Defensible,” linked below.

Added: My latest Substack column:

Added (use archived link to view full Washington Post editorial):

From the Washington Post’s comments on its editorial:

Doug Tynan, May 11, 2025: “As a child psychologist who reviewed much of this research literature at the request of a consultant to insurance companies, I must agree with this editorial, the Cass Report and the outlines of this HHS report. The existing research is limited, short term, and does not apply to many of the patients involved, including the large number of children with autism syndrome (about 10% of some gender clinics). It also ignores older studies that show most effeminate boys simply grow up to be gay men, questioning the need for transition for many patients. All of us in the health professions need to step back, take the time to review these reports and then do what is best for the people we serve.”

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More on the report below:

Here’s a link to the full study pdf: Treatment for Pediatric Gender Dysphoria Review of Evidence and Best Practices.

The report notes that lesbian girls and gay boys have often been misdiagnosed as gender dysphoric and subjected to “gender transition” drugs and surgeries, often because their parents, their doctors, or they themselves believe changing their bodies is preferable to being homosexual. Excerpts from the report below:

“[Christian Hamburger, a Copenhagen endocrinologist] Perhaps Hamburger felt a special compassion for homosexuals because his sister was a lesbian. Despite Denmark’s comparatively liberal national policies, Hamburger surely knew from his sister’s experience how discrimination against gays and lesbians could be profoundly troubling for a homosexual. He could offer no medical intervention to help his sister, but he believed there might be some steps he could take to help George Jorgensen, and he was willing to try.”

“Given clinician reports of his self-reported sexual behavior and desires, it is almost certain that George was gay.”

“See also Chapter 3 for the influential case of George/Christine Jorgensen and the subsequent wave of predominantly lesbian and gay people who sought medical transition.”

“Also apparently ignored was the related possibility that transition may appeal to young gay men and lesbians suffering from social disapproval of their homosexuality.”

“The previously observed tendency for early-onset GD [gender dysphoria] patients to be gay continued with the Dutch cohort. Of the initial group of 70, only one reported heterosexuality; the other 69 reported either homosexuality (62), bisexuality (six), or “don’t know yet” (one).”

“That is, the original Dutch Protocol patient cohort was comprised almost entirely of gay, lesbian, and bisexual patients—one of whom died as a result of surgical complications from vaginoplasty following pubertal blockade and cross-sex hormones.”

“Given the medical profession’s history of pathologizing and medicalizing same-sex attraction, serious justice-related concerns are raised by the overrepresentation of gay, lesbian, and bisexual adolescents among patients receiving unproven interventions that adversely impact fertility and sexual function.”

“There is evidence that the specter of being labeled a “conversion therapist”— a damaging accusation given the profession’s history with the mistreatment of gay people—has created a climate of anxiety among mental health professionals. Therapists worry that failing to affirm or recommend medical interventions for youth who meet the World Professional Association for Transgender Health’s (WPATH) eligibility criteria could jeopardize their careers and reputations.

“The gay people pushed to change their gender.”