Fired Over Transgender Views, Professor Gets $1.6M Settlement
The University of Louisville has agreed to pay nearly $1.6 million to settle a lawsuit filed by Dr. Allan Josephson, who was terminated after publicly criticizing medical procedures for children who identify as transgender.
Josephson served as chief of the university’s Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology for nearly 15 years. His legal complaint emphasized that, despite having a record of professional success, he was demoted in 2017 and later dismissed due to his public opposition to hormone therapy and surgery for minors experiencing gender dysphoria.
The settlement was announced Monday by Alliance Defending Freedom, the legal group representing Josephson, which described the resolution as a “major victory” for free speech.
“I’m glad to finally receive vindication for voicing what I know is true,” Josephson said in a statement. “Children deserve better than life-altering procedures that mutilate their bodies and destroy their ability to lead fulfilling lives. In spite of the circumstances I suffered through with my university, I’m overwhelmed to see that my case helped lead the way for other medical practitioners to see the universal truth that altering biological sex is impossibly dangerous while acceptance of one’s sex leads to flourishing.”
The dispute began in October 2017, when Josephson participated in a panel on transgender ideology hosted by The Heritage Foundation, where he criticized the promotion of transgender medical procedures for minors. Colleagues who disagreed with his comments pressured the administration to take disciplinary action against him. Josephson was demoted a month later, and in February 2019, his contract was not renewed.
Josephson then filed a lawsuit to challenge his termination, arguing the school “retaliated” against him and violated his First Amendment rights.
In response to the settlement, ADF Senior Counsel Travis Barham said, “Hopefully, other public universities will learn from this that if they violate the First Amendment, they can be held accountable, and it can be very expensive.”
