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Alice Sullivan vs. transgender people

Alice Sullivan is a British sociologist and anti-transgender activist. Sullivan is affiliated with the Gender Critical Research Network at Open University and is closely associated with anti-trans group Sex Matters. Sullivan co-edited the 2023 anti-trans book Sex and Gender: A Contemporary Reader with Selina Todd. Sullivan led the 2025 “Sullivan Review,” a document commissioned by the UK government to promote retaining a sex binary in law and policy.

Background

Alice Sullivan earned a bachelor’s degree at Balliol College, Oxford in 1995, then attended Nuffield College Oxford, earning a master’s degree in 1996 and a doctorate in 2000, followed by postdoctoral work there through 2003. In 2003 Sullivan joined the University College London (UCL) Institute of Education, initially as a Research Officer. Sullivan was Director of the 1970 British Cohort Study  at the Centre for Longitudinal Studies (CLS) from 2010 to 2020. In 2020, Sullivan was appointed Head of Research at the UCL Social Research Institute (SRI).

Sullivan gave evidence to the Scottish Parliament on the Scottish Government’s gender reforms.

2025 Sullivan Review

In 2024, the Conservative government commissioned a report designed to reflect their views about sex and gender. Upon publication, Wes Streeting ordered immediate ban on NHS changing children’s gender on medical records.

LGBTQ+ advocacy groups TransActual and the Feminist Gender Equality Network (FGEN) claimed the report was rooted in “factually incorrect assertions about the binary nature of sex and gender”.

Via PinkNews:

Dr Kevin Guyan, a chancellor’s fellow at the University of Edinburgh Business School and a director of the Gender + Sexuality Data Lab, said the review, a “hangover from the former Tory government’s mission to address ‘wokeism in science’”, went against a “fundamental principle” that methodology should change based on “specific questions under investigation”.

He went on to say: “The review’s similarities to what is currently unfolding in the US are stark. [The Department of Science, Technology and Innovation], the UK government, researchers, funders and public bodies need to recognise this Trumpian intervention for what it is: an attempt to erase trans and non-binary people from existing in data.”

Following release of the Sullivan Review, Philippa East reported that “the PCSE form for GPs to update a patient’s NHS gender marker have been suspended. There’s a notice on the site about the Sullivan Review, and the form link defaults to ‘This page is currently unavailable’.” The form was replaced with this message:

Sullivan review: process change for re-assigning gender and sex identity in the GP record

An independent review published by Professor Alice Sullivan that looked at data, statistics and research on sex and gender has identified a serious safeguarding risk in the current process of re-assigning gender and sex identity in medical records for children and young people.

In response, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has directed that the process for changing NHS numbers and gender markers for children and young people under 18 is stopped with immediate effect.

References

Mimmymum (March 30, 2025). The Sunday Telegraph’s PR Puff Piece for Transphobia: A Critical Analysis of Judith Woods’ Profile on Alice Sullivan. Medium https://medium.com/@mimmymum/the-sunday-telegraphs-pr-puff-piece-for-transphobia-a-critical-analysis-of-judith-woods-profile-12b1bb75e349

Woods, Judith (March 30, 2025). It’s uncomfortable for a Leftie like me to admit, but Trump is right on trans issues. [alt title: Trans rights minorities have captured Britain’s institutions.] The Telegraph https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/03/30/alice-sullivan-transgender-donald-trump-wes-streeting/

Belcher, Helen (March 21, 2025). The Sullivan Review Treats Trans People as an Inconvenience Whose Experiences Can Be Dismissed as Invalid.’Byline Times https://bylinetimes.com/2025/03/21/the-sullivan-review-treats-trans-people-as-an-inconvenience-whose-experiences-can-be-dismissed-as-invalid/

Hansford, Amelia (March 21, 2025). Government asked to reject ‘biased’ review by academic with ties to gender-critical group. PinkNews https://www.thepinknews.com/2025/03/21/sullivan-review-sex-matters/

Sex Matters (March 19, 2025). Why the government must act on the Sullivan Review and fix the sex data problem urgently. https://sex-matters.org/posts/updates/why-the-government-must-act-on-the-sullivan-review/

Walker, Peter (March 20, 2025). UK data recording of biological sex causing potential risks, report finds. The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/mar/20/uk-data-recording-biological-sex-gender-identity-report

Aoife Walsh & Euan O’Byrne Mulligan (March 20, 2025). Public data should not conflate sex and gender, review says. BBC News https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvge4jyz9dyo

Grive, Jack (March 19, 2025). ‘Widespread loss’ of sex data in gender question confusion. Times Higher Education https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/widespread-loss-sex-data-gender-question-confusion

Scott, Geraldine (March 19 2025,). Biological sex erased from official data on health, crime and education. The Times https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/sex-gender-review-alice-sullivan-25rgbk8vj

Sullivan, Alice; Todd, Selina [Eds.] (2023). Sex and Gender: A Contemporary Reader. Taylor & Francis, ISBN 9781032261195

Sullivan, Alice (19 March 2025). Review of data, statistics and research on sex and gender: executive summary. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/independent-review-of-data-statistics-and-research-on-sex-and-gender/review-of-data-statistics-and-research-on-sex-and-gender-executive-summary

Media

TalkTV (Mar 20, 2025). “Dangerous” Public Bodies Must Not Conflate Sex With Gender In Data, Report Author Warns. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9rYcvz9hjU

Outspoken Women (Mar 26, 2023). Prof Alice Sullivan speaking at “Silencing Women: Academic Freedom and Unthinkable Thoughts.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5asI8RnZuIc

Woman’s Place UK (Feb 17, 2023). Education for Women’s Liberation, Panel 1: Alice Sullivan (UCL, 4 February 2023). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zH-RypX4nCY

Jo Phoenix / OU Health and Wellbeing SRA (Jul 21, 2021). Interview 3 OUGCRN interview with Alice Sullivan. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5x2eqIOR3eI

Jo Phoenix / OU Health and Wellbeing SRA (May 30, 2021). Professor Alice Sullivan, an OUGCRN Launch Interview. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlD60yOOHk8

LGB Alliance (Nov 16, 2021). Session 2: Facts Matter – Erasing LGB in Language, Law & Data. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXQINlDTB0g

Woman’s Place UK (Oct 19, 2020). A Woman’s Place is in conversation: Sex in the census (18 October 2020). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lj0WHSozREw

Cambridge Radical Feminist Network (Dec 13, 2019). Alice Sullivan – Gender Critical Feminism in Public & Academic Discourse – Cambridge Uni, 5.12.2019. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sptFsznVvrw

UCL Centre for Longitudinal Studies (Apr 28, 2017). BBC News Channel – Dr Alice Sullivan on grammar schools. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70VdASjDzT8

Resources

Professor Alice Sullivan (profalices.co.uk)

UCL (profiles.ucl.ac.uk)

X/Twitter (x.com)