Washington State University (WSU) has suspended a course exploring alternatives to gender transition medicine for children after an investigation was opened by the accrediting body following backlash from transgender activists.
The course, titled “International Perspectives on Evidence-Based Treatment for Gender Dysphoric Youth,” was part of a continuing medical education (CME) series designed to help doctors stay informed about developments in the medical field after graduation. Its purpose was to explore alternative treatments for “gender-questioning youth” beyond hormonal interventions, using data from countries 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. WSU had accredited it after a thorough review process. However, the course’s removal came swiftly after criticism from activists.
Less than an hour after the transgender activism blog *Erin In The Morning* filed a complaint with the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) and published a critical post labeling the university’s decision as an endorsement of an “Anti-Trans Hate Group,” ACCME opened a formal inquiry.
WSU informed SEGM that, due to the inquiry, access to the course materials was suspended and learners would no longer have access to the modules. The university did not clarify if this suspension was precautionary or directly mandated by ACCME. Although ACCME’s investigation process does not explicitly require suspension of courses, SEGM stated that WSU “was asked to suspend learner access to the CME modules for the duration of the ACCME inquiry.”
An ACCME spokesperson, who uses “they/them” pronouns, declined to comment on the matter.
“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 Daily Caller News Foundation (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 DCNF that while the university’s accreditation of the course “does not represent the university’s endorsement or co-sponsorship of the group providing the course,” it affirms “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 added. “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,” noting that several countries, including the United Kingdom, have suspended the use of hormone blockers for children experiencing gender dysphoria.
Several other CME providers accredited by ACCME offer “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 by most state medical boards for physicians, with some jurisdictions, like the District of Columbia, mandating 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,” the SEGM spokesman said. “Allowing ideology or activism to override scientific evidence and professional judgment undermines both patient care and confidence in our medical institutions.”
“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,” the spokesman added.
Dr. Erica Li, a doctor and assistant professor of pediatrics at WSU, recently wrote an open letter to the university’s president urging 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 also warned that the transgender activists demanding 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.”
In January, former President Donald Trump signed an executive order banning federal funding for gender transition procedures for children. Since then, the Supreme Court has upheld states’ rights to ban such procedures. More than 25 states have restricted chemical interventions for minors, although the U.S. still lags behind several countries that have outright banned hormone blockers for children.
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https://dailycaller.com/2025/11/07/university-suspends-course-on-non-transition-treatments-for-minors-minutes-after-trans-activist-complaint/