U.S. President Donald Trump has signed an executive order halting federal funding for gender-affirming care for LGBTQ youth.
The order, signed on Tuesday, prohibits the federal government from “funding, sponsoring, promoting, assisting, or supporting” gender transitions for individuals under the age of 19. It specifically targets medical treatments such as puberty blockers, cross-sex hormone therapy, and gender-affirming surgeries.
In a statement accompanying the order, Trump argued that such treatments pose long-term health risks to minors. “Countless children soon regret that they have been mutilated and begin to grasp the horrifying tragedy that they will never be able to conceive children of their own or nurture their children through breastfeeding,” the order stated.
The decision comes amid an intense political debate in the U.S. over transgender rights. Conservative lawmakers argue that minors are not mature enough to make life-altering medical decisions, while LGBTQ rights groups and major medical associations advocate for access to gender-affirming care.
Backlash from LGBTQ Rights Groups
Trump’s order has been met with strong condemnation from LGBTQ advocacy organizations. GLAAD described the move as “appallingly inaccurate, incoherent, and extreme.”
“Health care for transgender people is supported by every major medical association,” GLAAD said in a statement. “The Trump administration’s unhinged obsession with attacking transgender people and their health care does not reflect medical fact and does not represent the reality of trans people, youth, and their freedom to be themselves.”
Major U.S. medical organizations, including the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics, support gender-affirming care, citing its importance for the mental well-being of transgender youth. However, several European nations, including the United Kingdom, Sweden, and France, have recently imposed restrictions on such treatments, citing concerns over their long-term effects.
A landmark review commissioned by the UK’s National Health Service last year concluded that the evidence supporting medical interventions for gender dysphoria in youth was “remarkably weak,” recommending a cautious approach.
Rejection of Global Guidance
Trump’s order also directs federal agencies to cease relying on guidance from the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), which the administration accused of promoting “junk science.” WPATH has yet to respond to the directive.
