Mick Hartley

It's becoming increasingly common – but research is not allowed. Too risky:

A psychotherapist who specialises in working with transgender people is taking Bath Spa University to the European Court of Human Rights over the university’s refusal to allow him to research gender de-transition – for fear of the university being thought ‘politically incorrect’.

Bath Spa University in the West of England initially accepted an application by Master of Arts student James Caspian, 61, to research the growing phenomenon of people who regret having undergone gender reassignment surgery. Its ethics committee later reversed this decision, telling Mr Caspian in 2017, that, “Engaging in a potentially ‘politically incorrect’ piece of research carries a risk to the university.”

At least they're being honest about their reasoning.

“In a nutshell, they approved it, then as soon as there was mention of criticism on social media, they vetoed it,” Caspian said.

Since then, Caspian has attempted to appeal the university’s decision – both internally and through the UK Court of Appeal. Legal argument over the timings of papers being lodged in the early stages of the case were lost and now lawyers are seeking a hearing at the European court.

Since the case started in early 2017, Caspian says there has been an acceleration in the numbers of people reversing and regretting their gender transitions. In November 2019 the Detransition Advocacy Network formed, offering support to ‘detransitioned, desisted and reidentified people worldwide’.

Caspian says Dr Miro Djordjevic, professor of Urology and Surgery at the School of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Serbia and founder of the Belgrade Centre for Genital Reconstructive Surgery, has 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.