The Biological Integrity Initiative is a subgroup and website of the American College of Pediatricians (ACPeds) that collects and distributes anti-trans misinformation about trans related topics to parents, youth, and policymakers.

The majority of work done by the Biological Integrity Initiative is providing resources through its stand-alone website. These largely repeat claims based on anti-trans misinformation, including claims contradicting the mainstream consensus that transitioning helps reduce or resolving mental health struggles among trans people, and claims of supposed medical harms of undergoing a gender transition. 

Proponents of gender theory have contributed to the current confusion about gender and sexuality by undermining one of the most foundational realities of what it means to be human: the fact that we are created male and female. When we deny this reality, everyone loses.

Original article by Alliance Defending Freedom, April 24, 2023 (posted to the Biological Integrity Initiative Site) 

Founding

The Biological Integrity Initiative was launched to the public on September 27, 2023 on the ACPeds website and in The Daily Signal. It was founded with the purpose of being a comprehensive resource for anti-trans misinformation.

The Initiative shares ACPeds headquarters located in Gainesville, Florida, and the “Judeo-Christian Values” of its parent organization.

The executive director of ACPeds, Jill Simmons, said of the Biological Integrity Initiative, “We have been receiving increasing demands to provide clarity and support on the gender dysphoria issue and it is our hope that the Biological Integrity Initiative will be a valuable, practical resource for everyone involved. The term biological integrity denotes living in consistency with one’s natural, biological self – the integrated whole of body and mind. Children and adolescents should be loved, and taught to love themselves, as wholly male or female. Children are always born in the right body.”

Finances

As an ACPeds project, funding for the Initiative stems from that organization. More information is available in our ACPeds entry.

History of Anti-LGBTQ+ Activism

The Biological Integrity Initiative shares its history of anti-LGBTQ+ activism, especially anti-trans activism, with ACPeds. The Initiative's only distinguishing feature is it's website and the collected misinformation contained on it.

Primarily oriented as FAQ sections, BII web pages are tailored towards parents, teens, physicians, schools, and policymakers, respectively. There are additionally a set of resources that feature a variety of links, such as books from noted anti-trans authors like Abigail Shrier, links to works from the ACPeds host website, videos and video series like Tucker Carlson’s, and a list of fact sheets and articles exclusive to the Biological Integrity Initiative website. Many of these resources contain the same information, largely claims that have been pointed out by scholars as inaccurate or even harmful.

Among these claims include debunked information about the infamous 2011 Swedish study, statements that transitioning is harmful despite evidence to the contrary, and links to opinion pieces by conversion therapist Kenneth Zucker that spread messaging in opposition to gender affirming care.

While the website contains misleading information when citations are included, not all the web pages include citations. The teens section of the website seems primarily designed to convince trans youth to detransition, and the schools section appears designed to share information for legal help and to convince faculty to out trans children to their parents.

Further resources:

• Website
• Daily Signal Article
• Original Quoted ADF Article
• TDL Entry on ADF
• Article on The Swedish Study
• Study on gender-affirming care
• Article on gender-affirming care