Supporting Individuals, Families & Therapists
Our Origins
In March 2020, psychotherapist and author Stella O’Malley founded the Gender Dysphoria Support Network (GDSN)—an online support group for parents and families navigating their children’s gender-related distress. Word spread quickly, and within months, hundreds of families had joined. By the end of the first year, GDSN had grown to thousands of members across the world. Soon, individuals questioning their medical transition, as well as therapists seeking guidance, began reaching out. They all shared a common need: honest, reliable information free from ideological pressure.
As our network expanded rapidly, we founded Genspect in 2021—an international organisation that advocates for ethical, non-medicalised approaches to gender dysphoria. Genspect’s mission is to promote healthier outcomes for individuals, families, and society as a whole.
By 2022, we identified another urgent gap: many people experiencing transition regret had nowhere to turn. That’s when we launched Beyond Trans—an online support service offering space to reflect on the impact of medical transition.
Beyond Trans grew remarkably in 2025 as we expanded our support groups, recognising the transformative power of shared experiences and community healing.
In June 2025, GDSN amalgamated with Beyond Trans to create a comprehensive support network that combines our years of experience supporting families with our specialised services for individuals navigating gender dysphoria, transition regret, and detransition. This merger allows us to offer integrated support across the full spectrum of gender-related experiences, ensuring everyone has access to the thoughtful, evidence-based support they deserve.
Our Mission Today
The more we listened, the clearer it became: people questioning their transitions—whether they call themselves desisters, detransitioners, or something else—desperately needed support. Traditional labels don’t capture the full spectrum of their experiences. To amplify these overlooked voices, we launched Detrans Awareness Day on March 12, 2022. You can watch the full event on our Resources page.
We’re here for everyone touched by gender dysphoria: individuals exploring their options, families seeking understanding, and therapists looking for balanced approaches.
One way we help amplify these stories is by supporting Detrans Awareness Day, observed every year on March 12. This global event shines a light on the experiences of detransitioned people and the realities they face. Genspect has supported and promoted the day since 2022. View all our Detrans Awareness Day videos
Compassion
Our Team
Meet the dedicated professionals behind our mission. Our team includes licensed therapist-facilitators who contribute to our educational and peer-support mission.
Stella O’Malley
Psychotherapist, bestselling author, public speaker, and founder of Genspect.
Stella O’Malley has extensive experience in psychotherapy, specialising in adolescent development, parental support, and gender-related distress.
Evelyn Ball, MS, LMFT
Lead Clinical Coordinator & Group Facilitator
Evelyn Ball is a psychotherapist specializing in complex trauma and identity exploration, offering non-medicalized approaches. At Beyond Trans, Evelyn supports the clinical team and facilitates peer groups for individuals navigating identity-related experiences. This work is separate from her private psychotherapy practice.
Dr. Bret Alderman
Group Facilitator
Dr. Bret Alderman is a psychologist and writer specializing in non-ideological exploration of gender and identity, bringing depth psychology expertise to support individuals through open dialogue and philosophical inquiry.
Dr. Julia W. Mason
Board-certified pediatrician and advocate for evidence-based care.
Dr. Julia Mason has decades of experience in pediatrics, with a focus on gender dysphoria, neurodevelopmental conditions, and adolescent mental health.
Helena Kerschner
Detransitioned advocate and speaker on gender and mental health.
Helena Kerschner shares her personal experience to explore the cultural and psychological factors influencing the rise in adolescent medical transition.
Sinéad Watson
Detransitioned advocate and speaker on gender healthcare.
Sinéad Watson shares her firsthand experience of medical transition and detransition, offering insight and support to individuals and parents navigating gender-related concerns.
Mark LaPrairie, Ed.D.
Beyond Trans Coordinator
Mark is a psychotherapist (intern), international education specialist and yoga instructor. Mark supports Beyond Trans by helping people access our therapy services and support groups. As a gay man, Mark advocates for LGB without the T.
Our Journey & Achievements
Discover our milestones and achievements from 2020 to the present.
The Gender Dysphoria Support Network (GDSN) launches
In March 2020, as the world shut down, a small group of desperate parents came together online — and the Gender Dysphoria Support Network (GDSN) was born. With no support from schools, doctors, or therapists, these parents created their own community: a place of sanity, solidarity, and survival for families confronting the sudden onset of gender distress in their children. What began as a few Zoom calls quickly grew into an international support network
"Gender: A Wider Lens" Podcast Launches
In late 2020, psychotherapists Stella O’Malley and Sasha Ayad launched Gender: A Wider Lens — a groundbreaking podcast that offered critical, compassionate conversations about gender through a psychotherapeutic lens. At a time when most professionals stayed silent, the podcast broke new ground by platforming dissent, exploring complex clinical realities, and giving voice to parents, clinicians, detransitioners, and thinkers who challenged the prevailing narrative. It quickly became a lifeline for thousands worldwide and laid the intellectual foundation for the work that followed.
Genspect Launches — A Voice for Parents
In 2021, Genspect was launched as a new international organisation advocating for parents, professionals, and detransitioners. The name Genspect comes from the phrase “Inspecting Gender”, reflecting its mission to critically examine gender identity ideology and the systems surrounding it. With its tagline “A Voice for Parents”, Genspect brought together those who were previously silenced — offering an evidence-based, compassionate alternative to the dominant affirmation-only approach.
PITT Launches — Anonymous Stories from the Frontlines
PITT (Parents with Inconvenient Truths about Trans) launched as a Substack publication, offering a safe space for parents to share their experiences with gender distress in their families — anonymously and without censorship. These powerful personal stories exposed the emotional toll, institutional pressure, and isolation faced by families, while revealing the patterns emerging across thousands of cases. PITT quickly became an essential archive of the hidden reality behind the trans narrative.
First #ROGDAwarenessDay Webinar
In August, 2021, Genspect hosted the first ever #ROGDAwarenessDay webinar — marking Rapid-Onset Gender Dysphoria Awareness Day with a powerful global event. The webinar featured clinicians, researchers, parents, and detransitioners sharing insights and personal stories that challenged the dominant narrative. It was a groundbreaking moment in raising international awareness about the sudden onset of gender distress in adolescents and the need for caution, research, and open discussion.
Genspect Unheard Launches — Parents Speak Out
Genspect Unheard launched as a powerful initiative to amplify parents’ stories in their own voices. Moving beyond anonymous posts, this platform gave families affected by gender distress a chance to speak openly — often for the first time — about their experiences, grief, and determination to protect their children. With written, audio, and video accounts, Unheard offered raw, human testimony that cut through the noise and gave the public a window into the hidden reality behind gender ideology.
Stats for Gender Launches — Research You Can Trust
Stats for Gender launched as a project powered by Genspect, designed to bring clarity and credibility to gender-related data. In an emerging and often confusing field, the platform provides carefully sourced statistics — primarily from peer-reviewed studies, government reports, and expert submissions. With a focus on transparency and accuracy, Stats for Gender helps users navigate complex topics with confidence, while debunking unreliable claims and highlighting gaps in the evidence.
First #DetransAwarenessDay Webinar — Voices No Longer Ignored
In March 2022, Genspect hosted its first #DetransAwarenessDay webinar, creating an international platform for detransitioners to share their stories in their own words. At a time when these voices were often silenced or dismissed, the event marked a major step toward recognition, compassion, and accountability. Clinicians, researchers, and families joined the conversation — helping to bring detransition into public awareness and advocate for more ethical, long-term approaches to gender distress.
College Symposium — Managing Gender on Campus
In May 2022, Genspect hosted a landmark symposium: “Managing Gender-related Issues on Campus.” Bringing together educators, academics, legal experts, and students, the event tackled the growing challenges universities face in balancing inclusion, free speech, safeguarding, and truth. The symposium marked one of the first public efforts to address how gender ideology was reshaping higher education — and how institutions could respond with courage, clarity, and compassion.
Genspect Relaunches — A Healthy Approach to Sex and Gender
In June 2022, Genspect relaunched with a new tagline: “A Healthy Approach to Sex and Gender.” This shift reflected the organisation’s growing international presence and its commitment to seeking healthy, balanced, and workable resolutions to the complex issues surrounding gender. The updated identity marked a move beyond crisis response — positioning Genspect as a thought leader offering long-term, compassionate alternatives to ideological extremes.
Beyond Trans Launches — Support Beyond Transition
In June 2022, Genspect launched Beyond Trans, a dedicated initiative to support detransitioners and individuals impacted by medical transition. Created in response to the growing number of people seeking help after regretting or reversing transition, Beyond Trans offers weekly peer support groups, resources, and a community grounded in empathy, honesty, and healing. It became a vital space for those often overlooked in the mainstream conversation on gender.
ROGD Awareness Day — August 16, 2022
On August 16, 2022, Genspect marked the second annual Rapid-Onset Gender Dysphoria (ROGD) Awareness Day by amplifying powerful footage from the previous year’s webinar. Centred around Dr Lisa Littman’s groundbreaking 2018 paper, the day was used to raise awareness, share experiences, and keep the spotlight on a phenomenon still largely ignored by mainstream institutions. The campaign helped expand global understanding of ROGD and deepened public engagement with the issue.
College Symposium — Supporting the Gender Questioning Student
This event brought together educators, clinicians, and legal experts to explore how schools and universities can offer support to students experiencing gender-related distress — without rushing to affirm or medicalise. The symposium emphasised safeguarding, open dialogue, and developmentally appropriate care, helping educators navigate one of the most sensitive and polarising issues on campus.
Counter-Campaign Against WPATH Launches
In response to growing concerns about the influence and lack of accountability within the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), Genspect launched a counter-campaign to challenge its dominance in shaping gender medicine worldwide. The campaign highlighted WPATH’s ideological bias, lack of long-term evidence, and failure to protect vulnerable youth. By amplifying critical voices from clinicians, researchers, and detransitioners, the initiative called for science-based, ethical alternatives to WPATH’s controversial guidelines.
#DetransAwarenessDay 2023 — Voices from Around the World
On March 12, 2023, Genspect hosted its second annual #DetransAwarenessDay webinar, platforming detransitioners from across the globe. Participants shared their deeply personal experiences with gender distress, transition, and regret — offering insight, clarity, and connection. Building on the success of the 2022 event, this webinar reinforced the urgent need to listen to those harmed by medical transition and highlighted the growing international community speaking out.
The Bigger Picture Conference — Killarney, Ireland
From 27 to 29 April 2023, Genspect held its first major conference, “The Bigger Picture,” in Killarney, Co. Kerry, Ireland, coinciding with the EPATH/WPATH conference nearby. The event brought together scientists, clinicians, educators, lawyers, psychotherapists, feminists, and detransitioners to challenge the narrow medicalised model of gender care and to open space for richer, more human conversations. With keynote addresses, panel debates, and livestreamed sessions of Gender: A Wider Lens, the conference positioned itself as a counterpoint to affirmation‑only orthodoxy — demanding scrutiny, nuance, and a health-centred approach
The Killarney Group Launches — Rethinking Sex and Gender
Following the success of The Bigger Picture conference, The Killarney Group was launched as Genspect’s innovative international think tank, bringing together experts in law, education, medicine, ethics, and psychotherapy. With a shared commitment to safeguarding and reality-based policy, the group began work on the Gender Framework — a comprehensive model designed to guide institutions and governments toward responsible, humane, and evidence-based approaches to sex and gender.
Parents with Inconvenient Truths about Trans Is Published
In 2023, Pitchstone Publishing released Parents with Inconvenient Truths about Trans — a powerful collection of stories written by anonymous parents from the PITT Substack community. The book gives voice to mothers and fathers navigating the shock, grief, and resistance that often follow a child’s sudden gender distress. Unflinching and deeply personal, the essays reveal a side of the gender debate too often ignored — offering insight, solidarity, and a lifeline to other families in crisis.
ROGD Awareness Day 2023 — A Social Media Surge
On August 16, 2023, Genspect marked ROGD Awareness Day with a major social media campaign, reaching thousands across platforms. Posts featured powerful quotes, personal stories, and key research on Rapid-Onset Gender Dysphoria — highlighting patterns of sudden identity shifts in teens, often linked to social and online influences. With supporters and detransitioners joining in worldwide, the day became a flashpoint for raising visibility and demanding recognition of ROGD as a real and urgent phenomenon.
When Kids Say They Are Trans Is Published
In 2023, Swift Press (UK) published When Kids Say They Are Trans — a groundbreaking book by psychotherapists Sasha Ayad, Lisa Marchiano, and Stella O’Malley. Drawing on clinical experience and thoughtful case studies, the authors offer a compassionate, evidence-based guide for parents navigating the sudden declaration of a trans identity in their child. The book challenges the affirmation-only model and advocates for psychological exploration over medicalisation, marking a major milestone in the international conversation on gender and youth.
The Bigger Picture Conference — Denver, USA
In November 2023, Genspect hosted its second The Bigger Picture conference in Denver, USA, coinciding with the USPATH meeting. The event brought together clinicians, researchers, whistleblowers, detransitioners, and thought leaders from across disciplines to challenge the medicalisation of gender distress and promote ethical, evidence-based alternatives. The conference also marked the official launch of the Gender Framework, offering a practical guide for institutions seeking a balanced approach to sex and gender.
Draft Gender Framework Launches — A New Model for Care
In November 2023, Genspect unveiled the draft version of The Gender Framework at The Bigger Picture conference in Denver. Developed by the Killarney Group, the framework offers a non-medicalised, developmentally informed approach to gender-related distress — prioritising psychological support, safeguarding, and open-ended exploration over immediate affirmation or medical intervention. It marked a major step toward equipping institutions with practical, ethical guidance grounded in evidence and compassion.
Themis Launches — Legal Support for Detransitioners
Themis launched as a groundbreaking initiative to provide financial assistance for detransitioners pursuing legal action against medical providers. Named after the Greek goddess of justice, Themis empowers individuals who were harmed by gender medicalisation to seek accountability through the courts. By supporting lawsuits and raising awareness, Themis helps challenge systemic failures and demand higher standards of care and informed consent in gender medicine.
AusNZ Webinar — Best Practice in Gender Care
The Australia–New Zealand (AusNZ) webinar, “Best Practice in Gender Care,” brought together clinicians, researchers, and advocates from the region to discuss ethical, evidence-based approaches to supporting gender-distressed individuals. The event highlighted the need for psychological exploration, informed consent, and safeguarding, offering a regional perspective on how best to move beyond affirmation-only models toward holistic, patient-centred care.
The WPATH Files Are Published — A Global Medical Scandal Exposed
In early 2024, Environmental Progress published The WPATH Files — a trove of leaked internal messages, documents, and video recordings from the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH). The files reveal that clinicians shaping global gender medicine routinely violate medical ethics and bypass informed consent, offering irreversible treatments to minors and vulnerable adults despite knowing the risks. Featuring analysis by journalist Mia Hughes, the report exposed how “gender-affirming care” is often improvised, pseudoscientific, and harmful — prompting comparisons to some of the most serious medical scandals in modern history.
#DetransAwarenessDay 2024 — Stories, Art, and Global Reach
On March 12, 2024, Genspect led a massive social media campaign for #DetransAwarenessDay, featuring interviews, personal stories, artwork, videos, and powerful written reflections from detransitioners around the world. The campaign expanded the reach and impact of previous years — humanising the experience of detransition and challenging the silence that often surrounds it. With participation from artists, clinicians, and advocates, the day underscored the growing visibility and solidarity of the detrans community.
Genspect Australia & New Zealand Launch
In 2024, Genspect expanded its global reach with the official launch of Genspect Australia and Genspect New Zealand. These regional branches brought Genspect’s mission — promoting a healthy, evidence-based approach to sex and gender — to the Australasian context, supporting families, professionals, and detransitioners facing growing pressure from ideologically driven policies. The launch marked a major step in building an international network committed to safeguarding and open dialogue.
Genspect USA Launches — Expanding the Movement Stateside
In 2024, Genspect formally launched Genspect USA, establishing a national branch to support American families, clinicians, and detransitioners facing the challenges of gender ideology in healthcare, education, and policy. With its focus on safeguarding, informed consent, and open debate, Genspect USA became a vital hub for advocacy and reform efforts in one of the most impacted regions of the world.
Genspect Earns CME Accreditation in the USA
In April 2024, Genspect achieved Continuing Medical Education (CME) accreditation in the United States, marking a major milestone in professional outreach. This accreditation allows medical professionals to earn CME credits by attending Genspect’s webinars, conferences, and educational events — ensuring that reality-based, ethical approaches to gender-related care can now influence formal medical training and professional development across the country.
Genspect Canada Launches — A Voice for Canadian Families
In May 2024, Genspect continued its international expansion with the launch of Genspect Canada. Responding to growing concern over gender ideology in schools, healthcare, and law, this national branch offers support to Canadian families, clinicians, and detransitioners. Genspect Canada works to promote evidence-based, non-medicalised approaches to gender distress while advocating for policies that prioritise safeguarding and informed consent across the country.
What’s Going On? Short Film Series Launches
In 2024, Genspect launched What’s Going On? — a compelling short film series exploring the real-life impact of gender ideology on families, children, professionals, and society. Each episode presents a concise, powerful story from those directly affected by gender-related distress or institutional capture. With high production values and emotional honesty, the series aims to raise awareness, spark conversation, and give voice to those too often ignored in mainstream narratives.
ROGD Awareness Day Conference — Chicago, USA
In August 2024, Genspect hosted the first-ever ROGD Awareness Day Conference in Chicago, USA, bringing together clinicians, researchers, parents, and detransitioners to examine the phenomenon of Rapid-Onset Gender Dysphoria. The event featured expert panels, personal stories, and emerging research, highlighting the urgent need to recognise and address social and psychological factors contributing to sudden gender distress in adolescents. The conference marked a major milestone in elevating ROGD to the global stage.
Genspect Parent Toolkit Launches — Empowering Families
Genspect launched the Parent Toolkit to equip families with clear, practical guidance for navigating gender-related challenges. Designed for parents facing pressure to affirm or medicalise, the toolkit provides evidence-based resources, communication strategies, and legal insights. It empowers parents to advocate effectively for their child’s well-being in a world where rapid social and medical changes often leave families without support.
The Bigger Picture Conference — Lisbon, Portugal
In September 2024, Genspect hosted The Bigger Picture Conference in Lisbon, Portugal, bringing together international experts, clinicians, educators, and detransitioners for three days of bold, reality-based discussion on sex, gender, and safeguarding. Held as a counterpoint to the WPATH/EPATH narrative, the Lisbon conference showcased evidence, lived experience, and critical thinking — reinforcing Genspect’s mission to promote a healthy, human-centred approach to gender distress.
Genspect UK Launches — Supporting British Families and Professionals
In 2024, Genspect launched Genspect UK to support families, clinicians, educators, and detransitioners across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. With growing concern over the medicalisation of gender-distressed youth and the erosion of parental rights, Genspect UK provides evidence-based resources, peer support, and policy advocacy. The launch marked a major step toward protecting children and promoting open, science-led dialogue in the UK’s rapidly shifting gender landscape.
Genspect American College Survey (Pilot) Launches
Genspect launched the American College Survey (Pilot Project) in 2024 to gather firsthand reports from students and families about how gender ideology is impacting college campuses across the United States. Focused on freedom of speech, safeguarding, and parental involvement, the pilot aimed to identify patterns of ideological capture and institutional pressure, providing the groundwork for a wider data-driven initiative to support reform and transparency in higher education.
Genspect School Resources & Guidance Launches
In November 2024, Genspect launched its School Resources & Guidance to support teachers, school leaders, and parents navigating gender-related issues in educational settings. Grounded in safeguarding, child development, and evidence-based practice, these resources offer practical tools and balanced guidance to help schools uphold their duty of care — without defaulting to ideology or pressured affirmation. The launch marked a vital step in protecting students while supporting staff to act confidently and responsibly.
Genspect UK Launches Campaign Against NHS Puberty Blocker Trial
In December 2024, Genspect UK launched a public campaign opposing the NHS’s proposed puberty blocker trial for children. Citing serious concerns about safeguarding, informed consent, and long-term harm, the campaign called attention to the ethical and scientific flaws in the trial’s design. Genspect UK urged the NHS to halt the initiative, emphasising the need for psychological support over medical intervention and aligning with findings from the Cass Review on the risks of experimental treatment in vulnerable youth.
Trans Activism in Colleges Site Launches
In January 2025, Genspect launched the Trans Activism in Colleges website — a dedicated platform tracking the spread of gender ideology across American higher education. Featuring case studies, student reports, policy analysis, and a searchable database, the site exposes how trans activism is reshaping campus life — from silencing dissent to eroding academic freedom and parental rights. The resource empowers students, parents, and faculty to understand what’s happening and push for transparency, safeguarding, and open debate.
Gender Dysphoria Support Tool Launches
Genspect launched the Gender Dysphoria Support Tool, a user-friendly resource designed to help parents, caregivers, and professionals navigate gender-related distress with care and clarity. The tool offers tailored guidance based on individual circumstances, encouraging open dialogue, psychological support, and safeguarding — rather than rushed affirmation or medicalisation. It empowers families to respond with confidence, compassion, and evidence-based strategies.
Beyond Trans Expands Peer Support with New Offerings
In 2025, Beyond Trans expanded its peer support programme with a broader range of weekly groups to meet the growing and diverse needs of its community. New offerings included the female-only Women’s Circle and two open weekly meetings welcoming: – those impacted by trans ideology – those impacted by medical transition – those distressed or ambivalent about transition – and trans-identified individuals who are pre-transition. These groups provide compassionate, non-judgmental spaces for reflection, healing, and connection.
Beyond Gender Podcast Launches
In 2025, Genspect launched the Beyond Gender podcast, hosted by Stella O’Malley, Mia Hughes, and Bret Alderson. Building on the legacy of Gender: A Wider Lens, this new series explores gender through a broader cultural lens — tackling ideology, identity, mental health, and the politics shaping our lives. With in-depth interviews, lived experience, and expert insight, Beyond Gender brings courageous, compassionate conversations to the forefront of the global debate.
Detransitioner Animated Film Series Launches
Genspect launched the Detransitioner Short Animated Film Series — a powerful collection of visual stories based on the real experiences of those who detransitioned. Through striking animation and authentic narration, each short film brings to life the emotional journey of gender distress, transition, regret, and recovery. The series offers a deeply human perspective often erased from mainstream media, fostering empathy, awareness, and public understanding.
Detrans Awareness Day Reaches Capitol Hill
For the first time, Detrans Awareness Day was marked with events on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. Detransitioners shared their stories directly with lawmakers, advocates, and media — highlighting the harms of medicalised gender care and the urgent need for safeguarding, informed consent, and accountability. The event represented a historic moment of visibility and advocacy, bringing the voices of those once silenced into the heart of U.S. policymaking.
The Bigger Picture Conference 2025 — Live Not by Lies
Genspect hosted The Bigger Picture Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico, under the theme “Live Not by Lies: Conversations for a Culture in Crisis.” This landmark event brought together clinicians, academics, detransitioners, journalists, and activists from around the world to address the cultural, medical, and ideological forces driving gender distress. With powerful talks, courageous testimonies, and cross-disciplinary dialogue, the conference reaffirmed the need for truth, compassion, and evidence in shaping the future.
Join Us in Making a Difference
Your support helps us maintain free support groups, grow our therapist directory, and provide vital resources for individuals and families navigating gender-related challenges. Together, we can build a stronger and more supportive community.