Washington State University (WSU) has suspended a course exploring alternatives to gender transition medicine for children after the accrediting body opened an investigation following outrage from transgender activists.
The “International Perspectives on Evidence-Based Treatment for Gender Dysphoric Youth” course is part of a continuing medical education (CME) series meant for doctors to stay attuned to the ever-changing medical field post-graduation. The course’s purpose was to explore alternative treatments for “gender-questioning youth” outside of hormonal interventions, using data from nations that have banned chemical therapies due to safety concerns.
The Society for Evidence-Based Gender Medicine (SEGM) spent more than a year developing the course, which WSU accredited after a detailed review process, but its removal at the insistence of angry activists was more than swift.
Less than an hour after the transgender activism blog Erin In The Morning complained to the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) and published a scathing post attacking attacking the university for its decision to accredit a course created by an “Anti-Trans Hate Group,” ACCME opened a formal inquiry in response.
WSU notified SEGM that due to the inquiry, course materials had been suspended and learners would no longer have access to the modules, but the school did not specify whether the action was precautionary or specifically requested by the accreditation council. Although ACCME’s inquiry process does not explicitly require course suspension during an investigation, SEGM’s statement did note that WSU was “asked to suspend learner access to the CME modules for the duration of the ACCME inquiry.”
A spokesman from ACCME, who goes by “they/them” pronouns, declined to comment.
“It is deeply concerning that a set of educational courses developed from peer-reviewed, evidence-based presentations has been suspended following activist pressure,” a SEGM spokesman told the DCNF. “These CME modules were created to help clinicians understand Europe’s evolving approach to youth gender medicine and the growing emphasis on safeguarding and long-term outcomes.”
Pam Scott, WSU’s vice president of system communications and strategy, told the DCNF that while the course’s accreditation by the university “does not represent the university’s endorsement or co-sponsorship of the group providing the course,” it certifies “that the courses met ACCME’s requirements for scientific balance and educational integrity.”
“We are working with the ACCME to confirm that all accredited materials comply with ACCME standards,” Scott told the DCNF. “While this process is ongoing, course materials are suspended. We remain committed to providing high-quality, evidence-based Continuing Medical Education courses.”
The course was designed with the understanding that “Recent research has prompted significant shifts in international consensus on safe and effective care for gender-dysphoric youth,” with many nations such as the United Kingdom outright suspending the use of hormone blockers for gender confused children.
Several CME providers accredited by ACCME host “gender-affirming” courses, such as Harvard’s Advancing Excellence in Transgender Health: A Core Course for the Whole Care Team and the University of Utah’s Mountain West Transforming Care Conference. ACCME also accredits the group QueerCME.
CME credits are required for physicians by most state medical boards. The District of Columbia even requires LGBTQ cultural competency CME credits.
“We are disheartened and frankly perplexed by the decision to suspend these courses following activist demands, after they had already undergone nearly a year of rigorous accreditation review. Allowing ideology or activism to override scientific evidence and professional judgment undermines both patient care and confidence in our medical institutions,” the SEGM spokesman said. “We remain hopeful that ACCME’s review will be fair, transparent, and grounded in its own established standards. American clinicians deserve access to accurate, balanced information on the evidence guiding international approaches to youth gender dysphoria.”
Doctor and assistant professor of pediatrics at WSU Erica Li recently wrote an open letter to the university’s president calling on him to “stand firm” and defend the course.
“There is a serious clinical knowledge gap in the United States regarding how best to care for children and adolescents claiming gender-related distress,” Li said. “To treat these patients responsibly, that gap must be filled. SEGM, as an organization dedicated to scientific rigor and the principles of evidence-based medicine, has been a leader in trying to do exactly that.”
Li warned that the transgender activists calling for the course’s removal “will not be satisfied with the temporary suspension of a few CME modules.”
“They will push until WSU is pressured into a public confession: an admission of ‘negligence’ and ‘harm,’ and an official denunciation of SEGM as a ‘hate group’ to serve as penance,” Li wrote. “The truth is that there was no negligence, no harm, and no hate.”
President Donald Trump in January signed an executive order banning the federal funding of child sex changes, and since then, the Supreme Court has given states the ability to ban such procedures. More than 25 states have issued restrictions on chemical interventions for children, however, the U.S. still remains behind many nations that have outright banned hormone blockers for minors.
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