Fact-Checking the Fear: Research Counters Republican Claims on Trans Youth Care
A recent study provides important data that counters many of the claims being made by Republican politicians and others seeking to restrict gender-affirming care in the US, especially for transgender youth.
The researchers analysed a large national dataset of medical claims from 2019 to determine how frequently gender-affirming surgical procedures were actually being performed, particularly on minors. They found that such procedures were extremely rare among minors and non-existent for those 12 and under.
Specifically, the rate of gender-affirming surgeries was only 2.1 per 100,000 for minors aged 15-17, 0.1 per 100,000 for ages 13-14, and zero for those 12 and younger. Even among adults, the rate was only 5.3 per 100,000. For minors who did have procedures, 96.4% were chest-related surgeries like “top surgery” for transmasculine youth.
These findings directly contradict the rhetoric from many Republican lawmakers claiming that young children are being rushed into irreversible surgeries. The data shows this simply isn’t happening. The researchers note that the low rates likely reflect adherence to the stringent standards of care for gender-affirming treatment.
Interestingly, the study also looked at breast reduction surgeries, which can be considered gender-affirming for both transgender and cisgender individuals. They found that the vast majority (80% for adults, 97% for minors) were actually performed on cisgender males rather than transgender patients. This highlights how gender-affirming care is not exclusive to the trans community, despite being portrayed that way in much of the current political discourse.
As a trans woman, I find these results both unsurprising and deeply frustrating. The medical community has long had careful protocols in place for treating gender dysphoria, especially in youth. But these facts are being ignored in favor of sensationalised and false narratives about children being “mutilated” or pressured into transition.
The manufactured moral panic around this issue is causing very real harm to transgender people of all ages. We’re seeing a wave of legislation that would criminalise ‘evidence-based’ medical care and further marginalise an already vulnerable population. And it’s all based on fears that this study shows to be completely unfounded.
My hope is that factual data like this can help cut through some of the misinformation and fear-mongering. Transgender people, and especially trans youth, deserve access to appropriate medical care just like anyone else. The extremely low rates of surgical interventions for minors show that the system is working as intended - providing careful, individualised treatment plans rather than rushing into irreversible procedures.
Ultimately, this study reinforces what the trans community has long been saying: we are not a threat, we are not pushing any agenda on children, we simply want to live our lives and have access to necessary healthcare. The imaginary crisis being used to justify discriminatory laws simply does not exist.
Citation: Dai, D., Charlton, B.M., Boskey, E.R., Hughes, L.D., Hughto, J.M., Orav, E.J. and Figueroa, J.F., 2024. Prevalence of Gender-Affirming Surgical Procedures Among Minors and Adults in the US. JAMA Network Open, 7(6), pp.e2418814-e2418814.