The Federal Trade Commission, joined by the attorneys general of Alaska, Iowa, Nebraska, and Texas, has taken legal action against the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH). The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Texas, alleges that WPATH made misleading claims about the safety, effectiveness, and medical necessity of gender-affirming care for minors.
The complaint targets WPATH’s Standards of Carewhich have significantly influenced the medical, legal, and insurance landscapes surrounding transgender healthcare for decades. The FTC and the participating states argue that WPATH’s guidelines mislead families, doctors, and insurers about the benefits and risks of puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and surgeries for young people.
WPATH’s Response and Defense
WPATH has vehemently rejected the allegations, accusing the Trump administration of abusing federal power to attack transgender patients and the medical professionals who care for them. The organization stated that the FTC’s earlier attempt to obtain protected information from WPATH had been struck down by a federal judge and called the new lawsuit similarly baseless.
Adrian Shanker, a former deputy assistant secretary for health policy in the Biden administration, described the lawsuit as part of a broader pattern of unscientific actions targeting transgender health. He emphasized that gender-affirming care saves lives, despite the FTC’s claims to the contrary.
The Impact on Transgender Communities
Amber Perez, executive director of the Borderland Rainbow Center in El Paso, expressed concern about Texas’s role in the lawsuit. She noted that Texas has become a testing ground for anti-LGBTQ+ policies that often spread to other Republican-led states. Perez highlighted the resilience of the transgender community in Texas, despite repeated political attacks.
Perez also pointed out that most Texans are more concerned with economic issues such as the prices of gas and food, rather than attacking transgender people. She emphasized the visibility and defiance of the transgender community during Pride this year, despite the ongoing political challenges.
The FTC’s Perspective
FTC Chairman Andrew N. Ferguson framed the case as a consumer protection matter, stating that parents need complete and truthful information when making medical decisions for their children. He emphasized the FTC’s long-standing mandate to take action against entities that make deceptive and unsubstantiated health-related claims.
The lawsuit centers on WPATH’s Standards of Care, which the FTC alleges gave clinicians a framework to describe pediatric gender-affirming care as medically necessary and lifesaving while minimizing or omitting risks and limits in the research. The complaint also highlights instances where parents were asked to choose between a live daughter or a dead son, based on WPATH’s representations that pediatric medical transition services are lifesaving.
WPATH defended its work, stating that for more than 50 years, it has developed guidelines informed by established scientific standards, expert consensus, and patient-centered values. The organization emphasized that it supports individualized patient care, not a ‘one size fits all’ approach, and that transgender and gender-diverse patients deserve the highest level of care from their medical professionals.
