Reed’s allegations, detailed in a 2023 Free Press article and a sworn affidavit to Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, claimed the center harmed vulnerable adolescents, some of whom later regretted their transitions. “During my time at the Center, I personally witnessed Center healthcare providers lie to the public and to parents of patients about the treatment, or lack of treatment, and the effects of treatment provided to children at the Center,” she declared in her affidavit. These cases included shocking examples of children suffering from depression, anxiety, ADHD, eating disorders, and even autism receiving puberty blockers rather than the patient-specific care they really needed.

Reed’s actions triggered a series of investigations, ultimately leading Washington University to shutter its pediatric gender clinic. The school and some of its allies have dismissed Reed’s claims as “unsubstantiated,” asserting compliance with standards set by organizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). However, AAP’s guidelines on youth gender medicine are based on recommendations from advocacy groups like the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), which in turn cites guidelines from—the AAP. This circular citation amounts to little more than a Potemkin village, “an apparent consensus on key areas of practice for which evidence remains lacking,” as a 2024 review in the British Medical Journal put it. The guidelines from US-based advocacy groups also flout the growing global consensus of medical professionals who doubt the safety and efficacy of gender-affirming care.

Reed has rebuffed allegations that she has “been brainwashed or paid off—or probably even both—by conservatives.” Striking a more scientific tone, she says her decision to blow the whistle on Wash U came down to one thing: “my realization that I … was wrong.” Before Wash U closed the pediatric gender clinic, it also instituted major policy changes, requiring written parental consent before prescribing gender-affirming drugs and asking for custody agreements prior to a child’s first visit. Reed says these changes were an acknowledgement that her allegations were well-founded.

After leaving Wash U, Reed founded the LGB Courage Coalition, a nonprofit challenging youth gender medicine. She’s currently testifying in state legislatures across the country in an effort to outlaw pediatric gender interventions.

On this episode of Facts and Fallacies, Reed joins Dr. Liza Dunn and Cam English to challenge the questionable science behind the ethically fraught field of youth gender medicine.

Jamie Reed is the executive director of LGB Courage Coalition. Visit the group’s website and follow here on X @JamieWhistle

Dr. Liza Dunn is a medical toxicologist and the medical affairs lead at Bayer Crop Science. Follow her on X @DrLizaMD

Cameron J. English is the director of bio-sciences at the American Council on Science and Health. Visit his website and follow him on X @camjenglish