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Parents of Trans Youth

Lies, all lies

Published 10 months ago • 1 min read

Yesterday, the Trump administration’s Department of Health and Human Services released a 409-page report on transgender youth health care entitled "Treatment for Pediatric Gender Dysphoria: Review of Evidence and Best Practices."

LOTS to unpack in this report, and I honestly haven't had time to read all 409 pages yet, but it mainly advocates for "gender exploratory therapy" (aka conversion therapy) over established gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth.

Notably, the report lists no authors and has no evidence of peer-review.

Here's what some trusted sources had to say:

"Masquerading as science but serving as a blunt instrument of ideological warfare against transgender youth." - Erin Reed, Erin in the Morning (worth the read)
"This politically motivated report, designed to achieve an outcome predetermined by Donald Trump, was developed without input from major medical organizations and contradicts over five decades of clinical understanding about transgender healthcare. HHS under RFK Jr. threatens the wellbeing and mental health of transgender and non-binary Americans by promoting practices known to cause psychological harm." - Human Rights Campaign (sign on to their petition)
"This report misrepresents the current medical consensus and fails to reflect the realities of pediatric care." - statement by the American Academy of Pediatrics
"The trusted relationship between a physician and their patient should never be jeopardized by the actions of policymakers, that physicians should not be criminalized or penalized for providing care and that medical standards of care and physician training and education must remain evidence-based and free from political interference." - joint statement by American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, American College of Physicians, American Osteopathic Association and American Psychiatric Association
Sending love and support to all trans youth: the inaccurate and harmful information about gender-affirming health care for youth coming from the federal government does not change the fact that there is a huge community that supports, loves, and affirms you." - post by Campaign for Southern Equality

I'm sure there will be more responses in the coming days.

Just know that nothing this report says affects how fantastic and self-aware trans kids are or how much we love them.

Mandy Giles​
Founder, Parents of Trans Youth​

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Parents of Trans Youth

Mandy Giles (she/her)

Parents of Trans Youth provides learning, support, and community to parents and caregivers of transgender, nonbinary, and gender diverse kids. Join our email list for bite-sized tips and news about supporting trans kids sent straight to your inbox twice weekly.

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