The Trump administration's crackdown on gender-affirming care represents a dangerous escalation in the ongoing assault on science and the rights of transgender individuals, with potentially devastating consequences for the health and well-being of marginalized communities across the nation. As more health systems are pressured to end gender-affirming care for patients, scientists and advocates are raising alarms about the deliberate misrepresentation of the science of sex and gender, warning that these policies could have far-reaching and discriminatory implications for all Americans. The administration's actions are viewed by many as part of a broader, coordinated effort to undermine scientific expertise and roll back civil rights protections.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is finalizing a new rule that would effectively deny transgender youth access to life-saving medical care by blocking Medicaid and Medicare payments to health systems providing gender-affirming care to patients under the age of 18. This includes vital treatments like puberty blockers and hormone therapy, which are often medically necessary for transgender individuals to align their physical bodies with their gender identity. By denying access to these treatments, the administration is jeopardizing the health and well-being of vulnerable young people and inflicting lasting harm. In response to the administration's policies, major clinics such as Mount Sinai, NYU Langone, Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital in Tacoma, and University of Utah Health have been forced to end their pediatric gender-affirming care programs, further restricting access to care for transgender children across the U.S.

The Trump administration has also announced a disturbing policy to deny gender-affirming healthcare to transgender individuals in correctional facilities, further marginalizing and dehumanizing a population that is already disproportionately vulnerable to abuse and discrimination. Transgender inmates will be denied access to clothing and toiletries that affirm their gender identity, and those currently receiving hormone therapy will be forced to discontinue treatment, causing significant physical and psychological distress. Critics argue that these policies are rooted in prejudice and ignorance, and that they reflect a fundamental misunderstanding of the science of sex and gender. Jey McCreight, founder of Beyond X&Y, a human genomics expert, contends that Trump officials “don’t actually understand the science at all.” McCreight emphasizes that limiting healthcare based on misinformation is a dangerous precedent that could have dire consequences for all patients, particularly those from marginalized communities. Jess McLaughlin, an assistant professor of biological sciences at the University of Alaska Anchorage, warns that “These oversimplified understandings of the biology of sex are being used to back up transgender legislation and federal policy.”

These policies are not isolated incidents but rather part of a larger pattern of attacks on science, bodily autonomy, and the rights of vulnerable populations. By misrepresenting the science of sex and gender, the Trump administration is creating a climate of fear and discrimination that endangers the health and well-being of transgender individuals and undermines the principles of equality and justice for all. This assault on science is not limited to transgender healthcare but extends to other areas, such as abortion access and vaccine policy, raising concerns about the future of healthcare and civil rights in the United States. McCreight argues that the administration is “not just attacking trans people, it’s attacking women’s rights, bodily autonomy around abortion, disabled people, autistic people.” The HHS order referring to gender-affirming care as “sex-rejecting procedures” further demonstrates the administration's deliberate attempt to demonize and stigmatize transgender individuals, using language that originated with a conservative religious group known for its anti-LGBTQ+ agenda. The fight for transgender rights is a fight for justice, equality, and the fundamental right to healthcare for all. The administration's policies must be resisted to protect the health and well-being of transgender individuals and uphold the values of inclusion and compassion that define our nation.