Doctor claims Mayo Clinic 'silenced' him over transgender comments, criticism of NIH's COVID-19 protocols

A Mayo Clinic doctor has claimed that he was unjustifiably "silenced and punished" by the health clinic after he shared his research findings that touched upon politically divisive topics, such as transgenderism.

Fox News Digital reported that Dr. Michael Joyner, who is a physiologist and professor of anesthesiology, filed a legal complaint on November 13, claiming that he was punished for making comments to the media about testosterone and the COVID-19 protocols of the National Institute of Health.

During an interview with the New York Times in 2022, Joyner explained some of his findings about male and female swimmers. He felt that the differences between male and female swimmers were a good source of study, given that the sport is more than 100 years old and both sexes stick to a similar training and nutrition regime.

The piece detailed that girls who have not reached puberty have a significant advantage over boys their age, given that they grow faster in the early years of prepubescence. However, when puberty hits, the dynamics change.

"You see the divergence immediately as the testosterone surges into the boys," Joyner said. "There are dramatic differences in performances."

The records currently held by elite adult male swimmers are, on average, 10% to 12% faster than their elite adult female counterparts.

Joyner added that though there are social elements to sports, the physiology and biology cannot be ignored.

Just months after the interview, Joyner was allegedly warned not to make future similar comments, which were characterized as unprofessional. The warning came just before he was prepared to give a lecture on "sex differences and human performance."

Joyner was allegedly not only silenced about transgenderism, but he was also criticized for his comments about the NIH's COVID-19 protocols. Fox New Digital reported that Joyner said the agency had made it difficult to make changes to the protocol that could have made convalescent plasma treatment available to those especially vulnerable to the illness.

The Mayo Clinic appears to have been so enraged by Joyner's media comments that it suspended him for one week without pay and threatened to fire him.

FIRE reported that during a disciplinary hearing, the Mayo Clinic threatened to fire Joyner for giving "problematic" interviews that apparently did not reflect the "brand and reputation" of the clinic.

"Your use of idiomatic language has been problematic and reflects poorly on Mayo Clinic’s brand and reputation," the letter reads.

"Prior to the most recent incident this issue was discussed with you when your June 2022 comments in a NY Times article were problematic in the media and the LGBTQI+ community at Mayo Clinic. Members of the Personnel Executive Committee met with you on November 28, 2022, to discuss several concerns, including your use of language viewed as inflammatory in this context."

"The fact that your selection of idiomatic expressions continues has caused the institution to question whether you are able to appropriately represent Mayo Clinic in media interactions."

Joyner has reportedly insisted that his comments given during media interviews do not reflect the official positions of Mayo Clinic as a whole but that they are his views based on his own research.

Joyner's legal counsel, Kellie J. Miller of Allen Harris Law, stated that the Mayo Clinic's performance reviews of Joyner are evidence that the clinic has not been honest with its recent assessment of the physician's work.

"Mayo’s attempt to deceive the public regarding Dr. Joyner’s stellar professional reputation is a clear effort to distract from Mayo’s own bad faith, retaliation, and unlawful actions," Miller said.

"Contrary to Mayo’s claims, Dr. Joyner’s three most recent performance evaluations, which cover the years in dispute, contain only high praise for Dr. Joyner’s character, professionalism, and achievements."

"Academic freedom is essential to legitimate science, and the public deserves honest scientific opinions from doctors, not curated institutional statements promoting the Mayo 'brand' at the expense of scientific integrity," Mill continued.

"Dr. Joyner hopes his lawsuit will result in the Mayo Clinic taking such issues seriously."

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