Gender realist Irish academic sues for defamation

[fromorbit]

Even academic TAs being bigots can't accept there is multiple ways to think about gender and thus often target professionals who question their simple minded ideas. It is sad you have to resort to the law over this, but when dealing with fanatics it can be the only way.

Stella O’Malley files defamation case against professional association and fellow psychotherapist over article on trans healthcare
Genspect, the organisation Ms O’Malley founded, has filed a separate action
https://archive.ph/tPkFA

Psychotherapist Stella O’Malley has filed a defamation case against the Irish Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (IACP) and a fellow psychotherapist who criticised her views on transgender healthcare.
Ms O’Malley is suing the IACP and Leonie O’Dowd, who wrote an article that criticised them both in the IACP’s winter 2024 journal. It was a special edition on LGBTQ+ issues.
Genspect, the organisation Ms O’Malley founded, has filed a separate action against both IACP and Ms O’Dowd. That group claims it supports “an evidence-based approach to sex and gender”.
Ms O’Dowd is a former head of training at the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre and is a member of the trans support group, Mammies for Trans Rights. The article accused Genspect of having an “anti-trans stance” and accused Ms O’Malley of wanting to marginalise trans people, among other claims that Ms O’Malley objects to.

“Above all they should seek out the voices of trans people, which are largely shut out of the media and political discourse,”

Well that is hardly an accurate statement

Thank you for the link, fromorbit.

Stella O'Malley is not an academic she is, to quote from her own website:
a psychotherapist, bestselling author, public speaker, and parent with extensive experience in counselling and psychotherapy.

Before the trans thing was a thing, she was very well known for her books on parenting, and was often on radio doing phone-ins and offering advice on family dynamics and that kind of thing.
She wasn't at all controversial, I think she was well-liked as someone who gave down-to-earth, sensible, practical advice to parents.

Since she picked a side in the trans debate, her 'brand' and even her professional reputation have suffered, she has morphed from 'that sensible woman on the radio who writes best-selling books' to 'that transphobic bigot'.

She has also been criticised from other sides for some of Genspect's policies.

It must be a weird situation for her to find herself in - to the best of my knowledge she hasn't changed her opinions or her professional approach over the years, but the zeitgeist changed and now she's toxic and cancelled.
I'm not surprised she has decided to fight back. It'll be interesting to see what happens...

I hope she win's, I think the one she's suing, Ms O’Dowd, has been mention on previous threads, she's a mother of a 'trans' and comes across as one of those pushy, helicopter parents. Although I could be wrong, I might be thinking of another pushing, helicopter, 'trans' parent.

Well it's not like there's a shortage of them, is it?😏

This is a useful article, it sets the case out clearly:
Hate Speech or Free Speech? Stella O’Malley Sues IACP for Defamation – Critical Therapy Antidote

Here's a link to a recent podcast where Stella talks about how she was partially 'cancelled' and dropped, especially by RTE, for her gender critical views. She mentions specifically an interview with Miriam O'Callaghan, where the producers insisted on pre-recording the interview, of having just 1 question about trans issues that the text had to be agreed on. Madness.

Thanks for that link EarringsandLipstick.

For a bit of background about Stella O'Malley as she was perceived before she took a position on the transgender issue, here's a very positive 2017 review of one of her books.
Bully-Proof Kids review: how to empower children in peer networks – The Irish Times
The good reputation she had in 2017 has been damaged by TRAs and their allies painting her as a bigot and a promoter of hate-speech.

I don't now everything there is to know about Stella O'Malley, so I'm not saying she's perfect [I'm sure she wouldn't either!] but do I know enough good things about her to completely support her in this because what has been said about her sure as heck looks like textbook defamation to me! But obviously the courts may see it differently.

As I said before, I also feel that there must be a personal as well as professional cost to having your good reputation damaged by the unexpected arrival of the trans juggernaut.

Is this the first Irish legal case?