The New Atlantis
The New Atlantis is an American magazine covering the social and ethical dimensions of science and technology. It has been published since 2003 and has a conservative orientation.
What it covers
Two publications are relevant to the gender debate. In 2016, the magazine published Sexuality and Gender, a lengthy review article by Lawrence Mayer and Paul McHugh on research into sexual orientation and gender identity. In 2017, it published Growing Pains by Paul Hruz, Lawrence Mayer, and Paul McHugh, on the treatment of gender dysphoria with puberty blockers.
Why it is included on this list
Growing Pains was an early, extensive English-language publication to question the evidence supporting puberty blockers, a key component of the Dutch Protocol. The articles were not published in a medical journal and drew strong criticism from researchers, who accused the authors of selectively using the literature. See also science and debate.
Publisher and editorial team
The New Atlantis is a quarterly magazine based in Washington, D.C. It was founded by Eric Cohen and Adam Keiper, who also served as its first editors. Initially, the Ethics and Public Policy Center published the magazine. Its current publisher is the nonprofit Center for the Study of Technology and Society. The editor-in-chief is Ari Schulman, and senior editors include Yuval Levin and Christine Rosen. The magazine describes itself as a public-interest publication devoted to ideas, featuring long-form essays for both general readers and scholars. According to its own disclosures, its funding comes almost entirely from private foundations, individual donors, and revenue from subscriptions and licensing.
Publication status
The articles are reviewed by the editorial team but do not undergo scientific peer review. The magazine therefore functions as a publication for a broad audience rather than as an academic journal. It writes from a socially conservative perspective that also reflects religious views. Sexuality and Gender is a 143-page literature review. McHugh was head of psychiatry at Johns Hopkins Hospital when it stopped performing gender surgeries in 1979. Staff members at Johns Hopkins University, including Chris Beyrer, responded that the article misrepresented the state of the science. More than 600 people affiliated with the medical school signed a petition opposing the article.
How to use and evaluate this source
Both publications are reviews by authors with a clearly stated position, not systematic reviews based on a predefined methodology. They are useful for seeing which objections were raised as early as 2016 and 2017. For the current state of the evidence, see the pages on puberty blockers and systematic reviews.