Full Breakdown
Trans Youth and Doctors Clash with SEGM-Linked Panel at PAS Conference
4/29/2026, 3:36:44 AM
Panel Disruption
At the Boston PAS meeting, security removed protesters who tried to disrupt the session “A Scientific Dialogue on the Care of Transgender and Gender Diverse Youth.” All speakers were SEGM affiliates. The hall, within a ~7,000-person conference, erupted in applause as demonstrators were escorted out.
SEGM Background
Southern Poverty Law Center calls SEGM an anti-LGBT hate group; SEGM disputes. An Erin in the Morning probe found its CME content at Washington State University full of pseudoscience, prompting withdrawal from credit courses.
Key Participants
Key participants were Dr. A. Koyama, who displayed a QR-coded “KNOW THE PANELISTS” sign; Dr. Moti Gorin; and Teddy Walker, who led a sidewalk picket. The picket handed out ~800 flyers and an email-petition that generated >90,000 messages to PAS. The conference drew ~7,000 attendees.
Official Responses
PAS Program Chair Dr. Daniel Rauch said PAS attempted to recruit an affirming gender-care provider but none accepted; Pediatric Endocrine Society noted the session was billed as scholarly yet featured speakers whose views clash with literature. Baylor College of Medicine confirmed panel compliance. Dr. Gorin rejected claims that SEGM spreads hateful or pseudoscientific rhetoric, emphasizing diversity.
Opposition
Civil-rights groups call SEGM’s actions a catalyst for attacks on transgender people. Researchers in Journal of Adolescent Health say the HHS report cited by SEGM contains “numerous violations of scientific norms” and a “government incursion into evidence-based medical care.” Pediatric Endocrine Society and attendees expressed shock at panel’s composition.
Conflicts
SEGM disputes the SPLC’s hate-group designation. PAS leadership and Dr. Gorin declined comment on the protest and on how affirming providers were recruited. The exact number of clinicians who received CME credits for the session remains unclear.
Quotes
- “Trans liberation now!” — protester, Boston PAS conference.
- “I am proud to have been kicked out of PAS for our sign.” — Dr. A. Koyama, pediatrician.
- “We are the ones that have benefitted from the evidence-based medicine that’s come about.” — Teddy Walker, Protect Trans Futures co-founder.
- “The [HHS] report is a dangerous example of government incursion into the provision of evidence-based medical care.” — Researchers, Journal of Adolescent Health commentary.
Next Steps
Protect Trans Futures keeps petitioning PAS to cancel the panel and strip CME credit. The Pediatric Endocrine Society urges PAS to require evidence-based standards for future sessions. SEGM’s hate-group status remains contested, prompting calls for further scrutiny of its role in medical education.
