Stop the attack on transgender rights at VU Amsterdam
The Issue
The Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam prides itself on its values of inclusivity and accessibility, presenting itself as a diverse space open to people of all communities. Recent events have led us to believe that it is time for the VU to reaffirm its promise to provide an inclusive space open to LGBTQ+ people.
On Thursday, June 27, the VU will host a private, closed-invitation conference with incredibly controversial anti-transgender activists and pseudoscientists as speakers, with the conference’s topic being the restriction of gender-affirming care to transgender youth.
Among the speakers are many involved in anti-LGBTQ+ groups such as Genspect and SEGM, which are broadly considered hate groups [1]. A few notable names include:
Hilary Cass, whose medical studies have directly led to the criminalisation of transgender-related treatments in the UK. The recommendations in the Cass Review directly contradict scientific consensus and have been rejected by many major medical organisations, such as the WPATH [2], the Amsterdam University Medical Centre [3], the American Academy of Pediatrics [4], the Canadian Pediatric Society [5], and the RANZCP [6];
Riittakerttu Kaltiala, affiliated with the mentioned hate groups SEGM and Genspect, with a history of reporting parents of trans children to child protective services;
Mikael Landén, also affiliated with SEGM and Genspect, whose research has pushed sensationalist narratives by ignoring known evidence, and has contributed to Sweden’s reluctance to prescribe puberty blockers.
This conference is organized under the shield of the VU’s faculty of law, after having been rejected by both the ZonMw and the Dutch Ministry of Health. Attempts have been made to communicate this to the VU via open letters [7][8], as well as via direct communication. However, after an inconclusive response, we feel compelled to bring more awareness to this event.
We call upon the VU to stay true to its stated values of inclusivity by refusing to host this direct attack on the rights of transgender people, and denying the conference the veneer of legitimacy. Furthermore, we call upon the VU’s Faculty of Law to issue a public statement denying support for this conference.
We trust that the VU will act according to its commitments to inclusivity and remain a safe space to its numerous LGBTQ+ students.
The Issue
The Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam prides itself on its values of inclusivity and accessibility, presenting itself as a diverse space open to people of all communities. Recent events have led us to believe that it is time for the VU to reaffirm its promise to provide an inclusive space open to LGBTQ+ people.
On Thursday, June 27, the VU will host a private, closed-invitation conference with incredibly controversial anti-transgender activists and pseudoscientists as speakers, with the conference’s topic being the restriction of gender-affirming care to transgender youth.
Among the speakers are many involved in anti-LGBTQ+ groups such as Genspect and SEGM, which are broadly considered hate groups [1]. A few notable names include:
Hilary Cass, whose medical studies have directly led to the criminalisation of transgender-related treatments in the UK. The recommendations in the Cass Review directly contradict scientific consensus and have been rejected by many major medical organisations, such as the WPATH [2], the Amsterdam University Medical Centre [3], the American Academy of Pediatrics [4], the Canadian Pediatric Society [5], and the RANZCP [6];
Riittakerttu Kaltiala, affiliated with the mentioned hate groups SEGM and Genspect, with a history of reporting parents of trans children to child protective services;
Mikael Landén, also affiliated with SEGM and Genspect, whose research has pushed sensationalist narratives by ignoring known evidence, and has contributed to Sweden’s reluctance to prescribe puberty blockers.
This conference is organized under the shield of the VU’s faculty of law, after having been rejected by both the ZonMw and the Dutch Ministry of Health. Attempts have been made to communicate this to the VU via open letters [7][8], as well as via direct communication. However, after an inconclusive response, we feel compelled to bring more awareness to this event.
We call upon the VU to stay true to its stated values of inclusivity by refusing to host this direct attack on the rights of transgender people, and denying the conference the veneer of legitimacy. Furthermore, we call upon the VU’s Faculty of Law to issue a public statement denying support for this conference.
We trust that the VU will act according to its commitments to inclusivity and remain a safe space to its numerous LGBTQ+ students.
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Petition created on June 25, 2024