Takeaways

• Washington State University (WSU) suspended a continuing medical education (CME) course on gender medicine after activist complaints prompted an inquiry by the accrediting body.
• The move follows rising national debates over academic freedom, DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) policies, and evidence-based approaches in youth gender medicine.
• SEGM, which created the course, says the suspension reflects external pressure and raises questions about whether ideology is influencing medical education.

Washington State University (WSU) has suspended a continuing medical education (CME) course on gender medicine for youth after LGBTQ activists raised complaints that led the program’s accrediting body to open an inquiry.

The course, developed by the Society for Evidence-Based Gender Medicine (SEGM), was designed to help healthcare professionals understand the benefits, risks, and ethical questions surrounding medical interventions for gender-dysphoric youth. Topics included “transgender identities and the brain,” “misconceptions in youth gender medicine,” and international debates on hormone treatment practices.

SEGM said WSU approved the series in June after a nine-month review confirming compliance with national standards for scientific balance and educational integrity. However, controversy erupted after transgender activist Erin Reed highlighted the course on Oct. 29, leading 31 LGBTQ organizations to demand that WSU revoke SEGM’s accreditation.

In 2023, the Southern Poverty Law Center listed SEGM as an “anti-LBGTQ hate group,” a characterization SEGM rejects as politically driven. Soon after the activist backlash, the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) opened an inquiry, and WSU suspended CME credit pending review.

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“We were perplexed by how quickly the ACCME acted to open an inquiry into the course — and by how rapidly it was suspended. The timing was striking: it occurred almost immediately after an activist published a blog post criticizing the course. That simply isn’t enough time to have meaningfully reviewed several hours of educational content for factual accuracy or compliance.”

A WSU spokesperson, Pam Scott, confirmed that the university is cooperating with ACCME to ensure compliance with its standards: “While this process is ongoing, course materials are suspended. We remain committed to high-quality, evidence-based Continuing Medical Education.”

The issue has divided the faculty. Some have called for more oversight of external educational partnerships with potential ethical implications. Others, including Dr. Erica Li, an assistant professor of pediatrics who introduced SEGM to the university, defended academic freedom. Li argued the course provides a balanced, evidence-based view in a politically charged field and cautioned against bowing to activist or DEI-driven pressures that could narrow scientific discussion.

The suspension comes as medical institutions nationwide reassess how DEI policies intersect with controversial research areas like gender medicine. The White House recently recognized the ACCME for scaling back DEI mandates, even as activists push for broader inclusion standards in healthcare education.

Meanwhile, SEGM insists its course is aimed at closing an evidence gap by presenting international research. European nations such as Sweden, Finland, and the U.K. have shifted toward more cautious, therapy-first approaches to treating gender-dysphoric youth, approaches SEGM says are rarely represented in American CME programs.

“Across the U.S., CME courses overwhelmingly present one perspective,” SEGM stated. “SEGM’s course was designed to close that gap by giving physicians access to the full range of international evidence so they can make informed, ethical decisions for patients. Yet, while many CME programs contain unverified claims that go unchallenged, our carefully vetted course was singled out for scrutiny. That imbalance raises serious questions about whether ideology is shaping what doctors are allowed to learn — which erodes trust in the system and harms the already vulnerable population we all aim to serve.”

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The videos remain available to the public, but healthcare professionals cannot earn CME credit until the ACCME completes its inquiry.

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Source: WCCS