Observatoire La Petite Sirène
Observatoire La Petite Sirène is a French association that describes itself as an observatory of ideological discourse on children and adolescents. It was founded in 2021 around psychoanalyst and professor Céline Masson and child psychiatrist Caroline Eliacheff.
What you can find there
The French-language website features editorial articles and analyses, reviews of scientific studies and official reports such as the Cass Review, books, newsletters, and practical information for parents and professionals. In November 2023, the Académie des sciences morales et politiques awarded the Marcelle Blum grant to Céline Masson, co-director of the observatory. A Swiss association with a similar purpose, and a website in French and German, is AMQG-AUFG.
Background and criticism
The association opposes medical transition for minors and is controversial in France. Critics, including doctors who work with transgender young people and LGBTQ+ organisations, accuse it of fuelling moral panic and misrepresenting clinical practice. Its publications are useful for following the debate in France, alongside the article on gender care in France and other sources on policy by country.
Publications and political influence
The observatory is an association established under France’s 1901 law. In addition to Masson and Eliacheff, the French Wikipedia entry also names Anna Cognet as a co-founder and co-director. In January 2022, the book La Fabrique de l'enfant trans-genre was published, prompting considerable debate. The association sought political contacts at an early stage. In September 2021, it approached parliamentarians considering a ban on conversion therapy, asking them to exclude gender identity from the ban. In 2024, members contributed to a Senate report on minors who identify as transgender. That report formed the basis for a bill to restrict medical transition for minors, which the Senate passed on 28 May 2024.
Incidents surrounding events
Events organised by the observatory have been disrupted or cancelled on several occasions. In November 2022, the city of Paris cancelled a planned conference following pressure from LGBTQ+ activists, and in December 2022 an event in Brussels was disrupted. In October 2026, Masson wrote on the Genspect Substack about a symposium cancelled at the Collège de France.
How to assess this source
The founders come from psychoanalysis and child psychiatry and write from that perspective. This shapes their analyses. The reviews of studies are a starting point; read the studies themselves or consult the overview of systematic reviews of gender care.