HHS Report Advocates Therapy Over Gender-Affirming Care for Youths

The Trump administration has released a 400-page Department of Health and Human Services report which challenges established standards for transgender youth healthcare, instead promoting behavioral or 'exploratory' therapy over gender-affirming medical care for those under 19. This report, produced in response to recent executive orders, claims current medical interventions are 'unproven' and potentially harmful, directly contradicting positions held by major medical organizations such as the American Medical Association and the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, which support gender-affirming care as evidence-based and sometimes life-saving. The administration's guidance frames behavioral therapy as distinct from 'conversion therapy,' but advocates argue it effectively repackages the widely discredited practice under a new name. Critics, including medical professionals and LGBTQ+ advocates, warn that the report legitimizes harmful approaches and undermines the autonomy of families and doctors. The administration's shift in policy also includes threats to withhold federal funding from providers offering gender-affirming care to minors. The report has been widely criticized for its methodology, lack of transparency, and its divergence from established scientific consensus.