Wow! Thank you for sharing Dr. Li's letter to WSU. What a situation we are in when telling the truth takes a supreme amount of courage and the cost is potentially so high! May WSU meet Dr. Li's courage and integrity in kind!
Dr. Li is painfully accurate on how this will proceed if WSU wavers. After watching Guyatt debase and discredit himself, I’m dreading witnessing another slow-motion self-immolation.
Thank you to Dr. Li for speaking out with courage and integrity! Every person who steps forward and tells the truth makes it more possible for the next one.
I have started to wonder about the willingness of universities to follow policies that smarter administrators *must* realize are going to blow up in the university's face down the line. Gender medicine is so clearly a looming reputational disaster, it's not that common that you can actually see the next chapter outlined in flashing neon.
So... what gives? My current theory is that the way university upper administrations are now run is to blame: no one is incentivized to think of "my legacy at THIS university". They are incentivized to think "my next lateral, or hopefully, upward move when this contract runs out". The time horizon for that is short, so that being the administrator who holds the line and says "actually SEGM is doing important work" just means that in a few years when you need to move along these same activists will ruin your career trajectory. Better to keep your head down, and when the poo really hits the fan a decade later you'll either be retired or at another institution where you can agree with all the other administrators that "wow, that was a hard time, luckily we've all moved on from it" without in any way taking any blame.
Administration as something done by people from the faculty ranks, who intend to return to the faculty ranks at the same institution, was insulation for being a bit braver and a bit more loyal to the long-term interests of that institution. It might not be possible at modern complex universities, I'm not saying I know what the exact solution is, but it is a real problem.
Dr. Li, thank you. Moral clarity and historical perspective are priceless in moments like this. Perhaps this should become an open letter with signatures galore from clinicians who stand solidly behind your letter. But the letter speaks for itself, eloquently, even if signed by one. Many thanks.
A quote from the letter:
"The way forward is simple: tell the truth, refuse to live by lies, and courageously uphold the principles WSU has already committed itself to. Our duty to truth is deontological; it does not depend on whether it is convenient or safe. Everyone knows what our principles are—we advertise them on our website. Now we have the opportunity to act on them with clarity and transparency. Courage is contagious; cowardice is repelling."
I would contact one of their younger investigative journalists like Jennifer Block (who also writes the newsletter Unpopular Science) to share your story.
Wow! Thank you for sharing Dr. Li's letter to WSU. What a situation we are in when telling the truth takes a supreme amount of courage and the cost is potentially so high! May WSU meet Dr. Li's courage and integrity in kind!
Dr. Li is painfully accurate on how this will proceed if WSU wavers. After watching Guyatt debase and discredit himself, I’m dreading witnessing another slow-motion self-immolation.
Thank you to Dr. Li for speaking out with courage and integrity! Every person who steps forward and tells the truth makes it more possible for the next one.
Good letter.
I have started to wonder about the willingness of universities to follow policies that smarter administrators *must* realize are going to blow up in the university's face down the line. Gender medicine is so clearly a looming reputational disaster, it's not that common that you can actually see the next chapter outlined in flashing neon.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkcKQmr7kRc
So... what gives? My current theory is that the way university upper administrations are now run is to blame: no one is incentivized to think of "my legacy at THIS university". They are incentivized to think "my next lateral, or hopefully, upward move when this contract runs out". The time horizon for that is short, so that being the administrator who holds the line and says "actually SEGM is doing important work" just means that in a few years when you need to move along these same activists will ruin your career trajectory. Better to keep your head down, and when the poo really hits the fan a decade later you'll either be retired or at another institution where you can agree with all the other administrators that "wow, that was a hard time, luckily we've all moved on from it" without in any way taking any blame.
Administration as something done by people from the faculty ranks, who intend to return to the faculty ranks at the same institution, was insulation for being a bit braver and a bit more loyal to the long-term interests of that institution. It might not be possible at modern complex universities, I'm not saying I know what the exact solution is, but it is a real problem.
Dr. Li, thank you. Moral clarity and historical perspective are priceless in moments like this. Perhaps this should become an open letter with signatures galore from clinicians who stand solidly behind your letter. But the letter speaks for itself, eloquently, even if signed by one. Many thanks.
A quote from the letter:
"The way forward is simple: tell the truth, refuse to live by lies, and courageously uphold the principles WSU has already committed itself to. Our duty to truth is deontological; it does not depend on whether it is convenient or safe. Everyone knows what our principles are—we advertise them on our website. Now we have the opportunity to act on them with clarity and transparency. Courage is contagious; cowardice is repelling."
Such bravery should be celebrated publicly, and more importantly, be advertised and reported on by any news outlet that has the courage to do so.
Maybe The Free Press would be interested?
Would you like to introduce me to Bari Weiss?
I wish I could!
I would contact one of their younger investigative journalists like Jennifer Block (who also writes the newsletter Unpopular Science) to share your story.