In a surprising turn of events, the organizers of the upcoming national conference for physician assistants have announced the cancellation of Bari Weiss, an author known for her controversial views on transgender issues. The American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) made the decision to remove Weiss from the event following what they referred to as “member concerns.” This decision comes just days before the conference, set to take place in Nashville, Tennessee, where more than six thousand attendees are expected to gather to discuss the future of healthcare.
The panel that Weiss was scheduled to moderate, titled “How Lifestyle Choices Impact Your Brain Health and Overall Wellness,” sparked intense backlash due to concerns over Weiss’s anti-transgender views. Weiss, a former opinion writer for esteemed publications such as The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, has been accused of promoting and platforming gender critical and anti-transgender ideologies through her work at The Free Press. Transgender activist Andrea James labeled Weiss as a key figure in supporting exclusionary activists and TERF (trans-exclusionary radical feminist) groups.
The cancellation of Weiss’s appearance reached the LGBTQ Caucus of the trade organization just as its board members were organizing a counter-meeting off-site during her scheduled panel. Shani Wilson, the president-elect of the caucus, expressed surprise at the swift response from the AAPA. Initially, the organization had defended its decision, citing free speech. However, a wave of concerned colleagues, students, and peer leaders from various organizations across the country inundated the AAPA with calls and messages expressing their dismay.
Among those who played a significant role in raising awareness about the issue was Alejandra Caraballo, a clinical instructor at Harvard Law School’s Cyberlaw Clinic. Caraballo’s tweet caught the attention of Devon Ojeda, the senior national organizer for the National Center on Transgender Equality, who immediately took action to pressure the AAPA for a change. Ojeda emphasized that the controversy was not about lifestyle choices, as implied by the panel’s title, but about the rights and identities of transgender individuals.
While the cancellation of Weiss’s appearance has been welcomed by LGBTQ+ activists, they are pushing for further changes within the AAPA. Ojeda and others have expressed gratitude for the removal of Weiss from the platform but stressed the need for ongoing discussions to ensure that such incidents do not occur in the future. The LGBTQ Caucus has highlighted the importance of creating a safe space for transgender attendees, especially given the controversial context surrounding Nashville, Tennessee, where the conference is being held.
As controversies continue to emerge in the field of healthcare, the decision by the AAPA to cancel Bari Weiss’s appearance at their conference serves as a reminder of the ongoing struggle for inclusivity and the respect of diverse perspectives within the medical community. The incident sparks conversations about the responsibility of professional organizations to uphold the values of inclusivity and the potential impact of their choices on the well-being and safety of marginalized groups.