The World Health Organization (WHO) appeared to quietly remove a Canadian activist who has advocated for "readily available" transgender care for children from a health policy panel.
Florence Ashley, a law professor at the University of Alberta, was appointed last year to the 21-person WHO committee tasked with developing international treatment guidelines for transgender and "gender diverse people."
According to the Daily Mail, Ashley does not have a medical background and has published several papers calling for trans children to be prescribed puberty blockers without conducting a mental health evaluation.
A revised list published Monday no longer listed Ashley as a panelist, stating that the "transfeminine jurist and bioethicist" would be unable to participate due to "a conflict in schedules."
A study co-written by Ashley argued that puberty blockers and hormone therapies "ought to be treated as the default option" for children with gender dysphoria.
Elements of social transition, such as calling a child by their preferred pronouns, and puberty blockers "should be made readily available to all those who wish for them," Ashley said. "Together we must recognize that exploration is best fostered not by delaying transition, but through transition."
In a recent TikTok video, Ashley questioned the processes trans individuals must undergo to ensure that trans care is right for them.
"Is there any reason to ask people to go through a lengthy and complex gender assessment in order to access gender-affirming care, or is that useless and should the time best be put in supporting decision-making?" the activist asked. "And what our article concludes is that there's really no evidence that gender assessments work … it's just a lengthier process for no real reason."
"Gender assessments are really an unnecessary form of gatekeeping that trans communities have been opposing for a while," Ashley added.
According to the Mail, Ashley did not publicly acknowledge the WHO's revised list of panelists, but posted a cryptic message on X, writing, 'Tough time to be a troll.'
As of Tuesday afternoon, Ashley's X account was locked and posts were not visible.
The move to exclude Ashely was celebrated by some on social media.
Leor Sapir, a politics researcher at the Manhattan Institute, wrote, "This is a good first step; WHO was probably eager to ditch a figure that could cause embarrassment."
"One gets the sense this was a symbolic sacrifice at best," he wrote in a follow-up post.
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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