Brown University and PLoS ONE: Defend academic freedom and scientific inquiry

For free scientific study of an important social phenomenon that must be openly discussed.

There will be pressure on university personnel and administration, now. As you have bowed to one demand, activists will assume they will be able to direct and control all future decisions. It has been seen in other organizations.

This was an inoffensive piece of preliminary research, which you ought to stand behind.

Academic freedom is paramount.

Academics should not be censored due to some political agenda. Science has its own rules.

Ideology should never stifle scientific enquiry, especially scientific enquiry into the health and welfare of children.

My daughter was impacted in the rapid onset gender dysphoria social contagion. She openly admits she got the idea from Social media

Shocking suppression of academic work on the say-so of aggressive activists

I wholeheartedly support this type of research. I am very concerned about this issue, and am worried about the health of our society if these concerns are suppressed.

Higher education in the US, long a source of pride, has been on a steady decline. Nowhere is a significant drop in standards more evident than in Brown University's cowardly, anti-intellectual and unprincipled caving to demands from moneyed interests in the trans movement to censor and disavow scientific inquiry on a matter of great public concern. It is worthy research, and the muzzling of scholarship is a stain on Brown U. I've never been more ashamed of a school.

I support Dr. Lisa Littman's research on Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria. My daughter met the definition of ROGD. After a year she outgrew the feeling. In her high school dozens of students have declared they're trans, non-binary, or other gender variation. At least two of them have started medical transition. It very much appears to be a social contagion. It's critical that this study is allowed to be published. Medical and mental health professionals need to be aware of ROGD so that they can more accurately determine what options are best for their patients.

Academic freedom is all that separates us from tyranny.

scientific research must not be suppressed by political agendas!

This is a vastly under-researched area. Academic freedom of speech must not be silenced.

Do not fall in line with science deniers! Biology matters.

I am concerned that the current rhetoric around transgenderism is oppressive and is shutting down vital debate and discussion. Girls and women are disproportionately affected by the single minded agenda of a core group of the trans community. They are not representative of the wider LGBTQ community who like women are fearful of raising genuine concerns. you are on the wrong side of herstory if you colude with the mantra of agressuve trans activists pushing an agenda which puts back girls and women’s rights decades. Academia has a responsibility in pursuing research where serious repercussions for girls, women and society exist. They must do this and provide sound, evidence based conclusions which can then be open to debate and criticism.

Listen to women , our rights are being overriden.

This is ridiculous. RESEARCH is SCIENCE, and if science is 'offensive', you're on the losing side of history, bucko.

This is a very important research study and needs to be kept as open-access and published. People who have not experienced this have no clue as to the devastating consequences of affirming trans-identity in these young people.

The job of academia is to illuminate abuses of power- this is at best an attempt to dim that light and at worst, an attempt to shut down the debate and credible research. This must not happen. If universities are not critical then they are nothing.