A former University of Louisville professor, Allan Josephson, who was fired for opposing the ability of trans-identified minors to obtain body-altering surgeries, has reached a settlement of over $1 million with his former employer.
The legal nonprofit Alliance Defending Freedom announced that the University of Louisville agreed to pay $1.6 million in damages and attorney's fees to settle the lawsuit filed by Josephson.
Josephson was terminated in February 2019 following his participation in a 2017 panel hosted by the Heritage Foundation, a Washington-based conservative public policy think tank, which criticized the performance of life-altering surgeries on trans-identified youth. In September, a federal appeals court ruled that Josephson's case could proceed to trial and that university officials could potentially be held personally liable.
“I’m glad to finally receive vindication for voicing what I know is true,” Josephson stated.
“Children deserve better than life-altering procedures that mutilate their bodies and destroy their ability to lead fulfilling lives. In spite of the circumstances I suffered through with my university, I’m overwhelmed to see that my case helped lead the way for other medical practitioners to see the universal truth that altering biological sex is impossibly dangerous while acceptance of one’s sex leads to flourishing.”
Travis Barham, senior counsel at Alliance Defending Freedom, remarked, “Free speech and common sense have scored a major victory on college campuses.” He noted that Josephson recognized the dangers of certain medical procedures as early as 2014 but faced significant fallout for expressing his views.
“He risked his livelihood and his reputation to speak the truth boldly, and the university punished him for expressing his opinion — ultimately by dismissing him,” Barham explained.
Furthermore, Barham stressed the importance of academic freedom, stating, “Public universities have no business punishing professors simply because they hold different views.” He added that Josephson’s case illustrates the accountability that universities may face if they violate the First Amendment, which can be financially costly.
In recent years, more than two dozen states have enacted measures to restrict trans-identified minors from accessing various "gender-affirming" procedures and medications due to concerns about their long-term effects. The National Health Service in the United Kingdom announced last year, after months of research, that it would cease providing puberty-blocking drugs for children with gender dysphoria, except as part of clinical trials.
The topic of gender transition procedures for minors has gained renewed attention at the federal level since the inauguration of President Donald Trump, who, in an executive order signed shortly after taking office, established official U.S. policy stating that the federal government will not “fund, sponsor, promote, assist, or support the so-called ‘transition’ of a child from one sex to another.”
