Media Scandal: Danish Kristeligt Dagblad’s Trans Story Falls Apart Under Scrutiny

Kristeligt Dagblad is accused of misrepresenting Finnish research on transgender youth, with experts and LGBT.dk stating the study does not show worsening mental health after gender‑affirming care. Critics highlight factual errors, misleading quotes and flawed reporting now spreading across Danish media.

Kristeligt Dagblad (needs payed subscription to read) is under fire after publishing a sensational front‑page claim that Finnish research shows young transgender people «get worse» after receiving gender‑affirming care, a claim the study simply does not support, according to experts speaking to lgbt.dk, which is cited twice as the source. Critics say the newspaper has misled readers and allowed flawed interpretations to spread unchecked.

The controversy centres on a study published in Acta Paediatrica, which does not measure mental illness at all. Instead, it tracks whether young people have had any contact with specialist psychiatry — a metric that lumps together everything from a single screening for depression to severe psychosis. As lgbt.dk points out, transgender youth in Finland are monitored extremely closely, often assessed every three months, meaning more referrals are inevitable regardless of their actual mental health. Despite this, Kristeligt Dagblad quoted one of the study’s authors claiming mental disorders «increased significantly», even though her own research does not support that conclusion.

The newspaper’s reporting has also been criticised for basic factual errors. Breast development was described as a «side effect» of hormone therapy, even though it is the intended outcome. The journalist contacted the wrong hospital department for comment, despite treatment having been moved last year. And the article featured remarks from a doctor who neither works with transgender patients nor represents trans organisations, but is instead linked to a cis‑led activist group.

Despite these issues, the misleading narrative was picked up by Ritzau and echoed by outlets including Ekstrabladet and P1 Morgen, giving the false impression of scientific consensus. Researchers stress that more high‑quality studies on gender‑affirming care are needed, but warn that sensationalising isolated findings only fuels confusion and stigma.

Kristeligt Dagblad is a Christian newspaper and has it’s own bias towards transgender people. Their reporting are based on right wing agenda and and hiding behind so-called «Christian values»