EGGÖ — Austrian association critical of self-identification

EGGÖ (Europäische Gesellschaft für Geschlechtergerechtigkeit Österreich) is an Austrian association that takes a critical view of affirmative gender care for minors and of self-identification in policies concerning women’s spaces and sport.

Read more about this on this site: EGGOE Österreich.

Profile

EGGÖ regards the rapid medicalisation of gender incongruence in children and adolescents as a serious healthcare and legal issue. The association refers to international reviews — the British Cass Review, Sweden’s SBU and Finland’s COHERE — and advocates a similar evidence-based approach for Austria. The situation in the country is outlined under gender care in Austria.

Positions

• Puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones for minors require high-quality evidence, which is lacking in systematic reviews.
• Self-identification as a legal criterion undermines sex-based rights for women and girls.
• Women’s categories in sport should remain linked to biological sex, not to a person’s perceived identity.
• Parents should be fully involved in decisions concerning their minor children — informed consent, with no social transition behind their backs.

Origins and background

On its own website, the association calls itself Europäische Gesellschaft für Geschlechtergerechtigkeit Österreich, abbreviated as EGGö. According to the site, it was founded in Vienna on 9 December 2022 as a non-profit association. All members work as volunteers, and the association says it is not affiliated with any political party. The initiators describe themselves as a group of women from different professions and age groups. Membership is open to women and men.

What the organisation does

EGGö collects and disseminates information about the consequences of legislation that links the registration of sex to a person’s own declaration. The site covers areas in which sex plays a role: employment, statistics, healthcare, child protection and schools, the judiciary, the prison system, science and sport. The association also publishes a collection of articles, book reviews, letters to the editor and a newsletter, and organises meetings. One dossier deals with gender dysphoria at a young age. For parents, EGGö refers to the independent Elterninitiative ROGD Österreich. What you are reading here is an advocacy organisation with a clear position, not a neutral body. You can find other organisations among the external sources.

Articles in this hub

Related international voices

EGGÖ is not alone. Similar critical associations are active in Italy (Generazione D) and the Netherlands (MeMoMa). Together, they form a European network that challenges affirmative gender care.