Freddie deBoer and transgender people

Fredrik deBoer is an American author and cultural critic. While deBoer has been explicit in supporting trans people, deBoer’s audience has a significant anti-trans faction.

A key figure in America’s “hereditarian left,” deBoer has written for anti-trans publications including UnHerd and City Journal. DeBoer has appeared on anti-trans podcast Blocked and Reported and well as podcasts with other anti-trans activists, including Bari Weiss, Clementine Morrigan, Meghan Daum, Ethan Strauss, Razib Khan, and Nick Gillespie.

Background

Fredrik “Freddie” deBoer was born on June 2, 1981. deBoer earned a bachelor’s degree from Central Connecticut State University, a master’s degree from University of Rhode Island, and a doctorate from Purdue University. DeBoer work at Brooklyn College on academic assessment.

View on trans issues

Because deBoer publicly interacts with so many anti-trans activists, deBoer’s audience includes many people with strong anti-trans sentiment, to the point that deBoer felt a need to address it:

I respect trans people’s gender identities, including their personal pronouns. I advocate for respect and acceptance for trans people and support efforts to protect their physical safety. I support the inclusion of gender identity in federal nondiscrimination standards. I don’t believe that transwomen represent a threat to cisgender women in public spaces. I think that by far the most pressing issue regarding trans people in this country is fighting the recent spate of Republican bills that target them. And, to address the controversy of the day, I think that medical decisions about transitioning for minors should be handled by those minors, their parents, and their doctors. Of course medical protocol will evolve over time. It may well be that, in the future, the protocol regarding medical transition for minors will include longer waiting periods or more psychological evaluation. But I really have no idea if that will happen because I’m not a doctor or researcher and am not involved in the development of medical guidelines for trans minors. And I don’t understand why this element of medical science has become everyone’s business to a degree that is simply not true in other fields. Let these minors, their parents, and their doctors determine the best course of action.

[…] I also think that the volume of coverage of trans issues, particularly of the relatively rare phenomenon of youth medical transition, is certainly subject to questioning. And fundamentally I think compassionate, progressive people should be welcoming and affirming towards trans people.

References

deBoer, Freddie (March 6, 2023). And Now I Will Again Ponderously Explain Why I Am Trans-Affirming. Freddie deBoer https://freddiedeboer.substack.com/p/and-now-i-will-again-ponderously

Lewis-Kraus, Gideon (September 3, 2021). Can Progressives Be Convinced that Genetics Matters? The New Yorker https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/09/13/can-progressives-be-convinced-that-genetics-matters

Homan, Timothy R. (August 2, 2020). Author Fredrik DeBoer calls for rethinking the push to prioritize college. The Hill https://thehill.com/hilltv/rising/509986-author-fredrik-deboer-calls-for-rethinking-the-push-to-prioritize-college

Fisher, Anthony L. (October 24, 2020). Cult of Smart author Fredrik deBoer on the taboo of admitting some kids just aren’t good at school, why ‘equality of opportunity’ is bunk, and why he believes in a culture of forgiveness over cancellation. Business Insider https://www.businessinsider.com/cult-of-smart-author-fredrik-deboer-schools-marxism-cancel-culture-2020-10

Swaim, Barton (August 18, 2020). The Cult of Smart Review: Social Justice Goes to School. The Wall Street Journal https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-cult-of-smart-review-social-justice-goes-to-school-11597792293

Books

deBoer, Fredrik (2020). The Cult of Smart: How Our Broken Education System Perpetuates Social Injustice. All Points Books / St. Martin’s Publishing Group, ISBN 978-1250200372

deBoer, Fredrik (2023). How Elites Ate the Social Justice Movement. Simon & Schuster, ISBN 978-1668016015.