In 2018, Lisa Littman, Assistant Professor of the Practice at the Brown University School of Public Health, published an article in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS ONE entitled Rapid-Onset Gender Dysphoria in Adolescents and Young Adults: A Study of Parental Reports. The article drew attention to a phenomenon that had attracted widespread concern among parents, but which had not yet been studied systematically in the scientific literature.

Following publication, Dr. Littman and her study became the subject of intense criticism from some activists, who accused the author of spreading misconceptions about transgender people and employing biased methods. In response to this criticism, PLOS ONE initiated a re-review of Dr. Littman’s paper. This week, following the recent conclusion of that review, a modified version of Dr. Littman’s paper was published by PLOS ONE. And both Dr. Littman and PLOS One have released statements. According to the Notice of Republication, “Other than the addition of a few missing values in Table 13, the Results section is unchanged in the updated version of the article. The Competing Interests statement and the Data Availability statement have also been updated in the revised version.”

Since the original publication of her controversial article, Dr. Littman has maintained a low media profile, even as her exploration of Rapid-Onset Gender Dysphoria (ROGD), a once taboo subject, came to influence the policy debate surrounding the treatment of children and teens who present as transgender. To coincide with the republication of the paper, now titled “Parent Reports of Adolescents and Young Adults Perceived to Show Signs of a Rapid Onset of Gender Dysphoria,” Quillette Canadian editor Jonathan Kay interviewed Dr. Littman about her research. The opinions expressed in this article are those of Dr. Littman and do not necessarily reflect the position or opinions of any institution, organization or company with which she may be affiliated.