reported a tenfold increase over five years of patients asking him to do ‘reverse’ surgery.
"Meanwhile, academics who talk about detransition, and consider researching it, are vilified and persecuted as ‘transphobes’, and risk their careers and livelihoods. This is not only wrong, but unethical. I still believe that the courts are the best place to have established the right to research what has become a controversial topic, and to make a precedent to protect free speech and democratic principles. That is why this case is so important." James Caspian, Free Speech Matters
The case was reported by the Times in February last year:
Mr Caspian, 59, is a psychotherapist who has spent his career working with transgender people and became alarmed by reports from clinicians that the number of reverse gender reassignment procedures was on the rise. He initially had his research proposal into the phenomenon accepted by the university.
When he sought to widened the scope of the research into the people, particularly young women, who regretted gender reassignment but stopping short of reversing it, Bath Spa said his proposal would have to be resubmitted and sent to the ethics committee. The committee rejected it, citing the risk to the university’s reputation of permitting “politically incorrect” research.
“Engaging in a potentially politically incorrect piece of research carries a risk to the university. Attacks on social media may not be confined to the researcher, but may involve the university,” it said. “The posting of unpleasant material on blogs or social media may be detrimental to the reputation of the university.”
Back then Caspian was aiming to take the case to the High Court. Now it's escalated:
My lawyers have applied to European Court of Human Rights, since the Court of Appeal refused, on technical grounds, to grant a hearing for my case against Bath Spa University for preventing my research into gender detransition.
He's appealing for funds.
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