University of Louisville professor wins in court after getting fired for questioning gender ideology

September 16, 2024

A former professor at University of Louisville in Kentucky has won a court victory after being demoted and fired for voicing his opinions about gender dysphoria.

The Christian Post reports that Allan M. Josephson, who has taught in the psychology department at the University of Louisville since 2003, received a favorable ruling from a three-judge panel in the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last week.

Josephson claimed he had been harassed and fired from his position after participating in a 2017 Heritage Foundation panel discussion questioning the idea of gender identity and the effectiveness of administering cross-sex hormones to children suffering from gender confusion.

Following that discussion, Josephson said he was subsequently demoted from his position at the school and was informed that his contract would not be renewed.

Senior Counsel Travis Barham of the Alliance Defending Freedom, who argued before the court, told The Christian Post: “Public universities have no business punishing professors simply because they hold different views than a few colleagues or administrators. The court’s decision affirms that basic truth. Dr. Josephson had a long and distinguished career at the University of Louisville, leading and rebuilding its child psychiatry program.”

Barham added, “On his own time, he spoke about treatments for children struggling with their sex, and the university punished him for expressing his opinion. That’s exactly what the First Amendment prohibits, and when public universities disregard our nation’s highest law, they must be held accountable.”

The court’s decision will allow Josephson to take the university to trial in federal court.

The decision by the 6th Circuit was written by Biden appointee Judge Andre Mathis and states: “The defendants argue that they are entitled to Eleventh Amendment immunity and qualified immunity. The district court disagreed, and so do we.”

Photo: top, Credit: Courtesy of Alliance Defending Freedom