Benjamin Ryan
@benryanwriter.bsky.social
🔬Health & science reporter: New York Times, Washington Post, The Atlantic, NBC News, The Guardian, NY Sun, The Nation, NY Post. http://www.benryan.net 🔹 https://benryan.substack.com 🔹Columbia grad🔹
Please, not the left-handed chart.
January 16, 2026 at 10:48 PM
Please, not the left-handed chart.
Whether GIDS referrals leveled off at that point or not doesn’t change matters much. All of these trends surged across the western world starting in about 2012-2015. These facts aren’t in dispute. What is in dispute is *why* these figures increased so swiftly and dramatically.
January 16, 2026 at 10:32 PM
Whether GIDS referrals leveled off at that point or not doesn’t change matters much. All of these trends surged across the western world starting in about 2012-2015. These facts aren’t in dispute. What is in dispute is *why* these figures increased so swiftly and dramatically.
The referrals increased during the earlier years. There are plenty of metrics one can look to all over the western world showing a surge in referrals to pediatric gender clinics, diagnoses of pediatric gender dysphoria, prescriptions of blockers and hormones, and provisions of surgeries.
January 16, 2026 at 10:32 PM
The referrals increased during the earlier years. There are plenty of metrics one can look to all over the western world showing a surge in referrals to pediatric gender clinics, diagnoses of pediatric gender dysphoria, prescriptions of blockers and hormones, and provisions of surgeries.
What is the argument you are asserting hinges upon whether GIDS referrals plateaued or increased by 2020/2021?
I missed the fine print on that chart. My mistake.
I missed the fine print on that chart. My mistake.
January 16, 2026 at 10:22 PM
What is the argument you are asserting hinges upon whether GIDS referrals plateaued or increased by 2020/2021?
I missed the fine print on that chart. My mistake.
I missed the fine print on that chart. My mistake.
x.com
January 16, 2026 at 10:07 PM
Let’s not get into the difference in pronunciation between Boston suburbs and English towns.
January 16, 2026 at 8:15 PM
Let’s not get into the difference in pronunciation between Boston suburbs and English towns.
You’re not listening to me either. I’m talking about *explicit* segregation based on income. You are referring to implicit segregation. Some leagues might offer financial aid, just like a private school, so that the facial barrier doesn’t exclude all lower income families.
January 12, 2026 at 6:10 PM
You’re not listening to me either. I’m talking about *explicit* segregation based on income. You are referring to implicit segregation. Some leagues might offer financial aid, just like a private school, so that the facial barrier doesn’t exclude all lower income families.
About that, yes.
January 12, 2026 at 5:45 PM
About that, yes.
But those leagues do not ask before accepting a kid what their family income is and then segregate accordingly. Those factors obviously have a self sorting influence on who joins. But the league itself is not *explicitly* segregating based on income.
January 12, 2026 at 5:44 PM
But those leagues do not ask before accepting a kid what their family income is and then segregate accordingly. Those factors obviously have a self sorting influence on who joins. But the league itself is not *explicitly* segregating based on income.
What I mean by that is there is no sports league that *explicitly* segregates based on income. I’m talking about the law here and how it applies to these cases before the court.
January 12, 2026 at 5:43 PM
What I mean by that is there is no sports league that *explicitly* segregates based on income. I’m talking about the law here and how it applies to these cases before the court.
Sports sometimes classify based on weight or age. But they do not classify based on family resources. That is not a matter relevant to these deliberations, which concern existing systems of sex segregation.
January 12, 2026 at 5:34 PM
Sports sometimes classify based on weight or age. But they do not classify based on family resources. That is not a matter relevant to these deliberations, which concern existing systems of sex segregation.
Those are all reasons why one person may do better than another. But the question is about how Title IX permits sex segregation in sport and how trans athletes are classified in that system, as similarly situated to their own birth sex or the sex of their gender ID.
January 12, 2026 at 5:34 PM
Those are all reasons why one person may do better than another. But the question is about how Title IX permits sex segregation in sport and how trans athletes are classified in that system, as similarly situated to their own birth sex or the sex of their gender ID.
Survey data reported by HRC suggest that about 135,000 trans middle and high school students play sports.
January 12, 2026 at 5:32 PM
Survey data reported by HRC suggest that about 135,000 trans middle and high school students play sports.
The chances that the plaintiffs will win are considered to be slim.
January 12, 2026 at 5:31 PM
The chances that the plaintiffs will win are considered to be slim.
The authors of recent review papers have found that testosterone suppression and estrogen treatment do not fully erase the competitive advantage of male, or testosterone-based, puberty in women's athletics.
See:
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39716906/
See:
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39716906/
Client Challenge
link.springer.com
January 12, 2026 at 3:42 PM
The authors of recent review papers have found that testosterone suppression and estrogen treatment do not fully erase the competitive advantage of male, or testosterone-based, puberty in women's athletics.
See:
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39716906/
See:
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39716906/
You are welcome to be more specific in your criticisms. Here are my citations:
www.nysun.com/article/supr...
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39716906/
www.nysun.com/article/supr...
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39716906/
Supreme Court To Grapple With the Role of Transgender Athletes in Sports
On Tuesday, the justices will hear oral arguments about Idaho and West Virginia laws that restrict those born male from sports specifically for girls and…
www.nysun.com
January 12, 2026 at 3:39 PM
You are welcome to be more specific in your criticisms. Here are my citations:
www.nysun.com/article/supr...
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39716906/
www.nysun.com/article/supr...
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39716906/
There are multiple uses of the term “transgender women” or “transgender girls” in the article as well. I invite you to read it in its entirety.
January 12, 2026 at 2:57 PM
There are multiple uses of the term “transgender women” or “transgender girls” in the article as well. I invite you to read it in its entirety.
For those who are curious about why I use certain words, such as “biological male,” or “born male,” or “natal male” when discussing transgender issues, see:
benryan.substack.com/p/journalist...
benryan.substack.com/p/journalist...
Journalists Should Not Use the Term “Assigned Sex at Birth” When Covering Transgender Issues
A political-activist term misappropriated from the intersex context, it sticks a thumb on the scale regarding a contested legal issue about which reporters should strive to observe neutrality.
benryan.substack.com
January 12, 2026 at 2:53 PM
For those who are curious about why I use certain words, such as “biological male,” or “born male,” or “natal male” when discussing transgender issues, see:
benryan.substack.com/p/journalist...
benryan.substack.com/p/journalist...
Transgender girls and women were born male and transitioned to female.
For more on this nomenclature see:
open.substack.com/pub/benryan/...
For more on this nomenclature see:
open.substack.com/pub/benryan/...
Journalists Should Not Use the Term “Assigned Sex at Birth” When Covering Transgender Issues
A political-activist term misappropriated from the intersex context, it sticks a thumb on the scale regarding a contested legal issue about which reporters should strive to observe neutrality.
open.substack.com
January 12, 2026 at 2:50 PM
Transgender girls and women were born male and transitioned to female.
For more on this nomenclature see:
open.substack.com/pub/benryan/...
For more on this nomenclature see:
open.substack.com/pub/benryan/...
However, one of the recent review papers concluded that even before puberty, boys hold a small but significant competitive advantage over girls. Researchers believe this is because of the testosterone exposure boys get in utero and in infancy during “mini puberty.”
January 12, 2026 at 2:48 PM
However, one of the recent review papers concluded that even before puberty, boys hold a small but significant competitive advantage over girls. Researchers believe this is because of the testosterone exposure boys get in utero and in infancy during “mini puberty.”