Former president Donald Trump slammed the Biden administration’s endorsement of surgery and medical therapy for transgender minors at a rally in Michigan on Saturday.
“This week the Biden administration released guidance endorsing hormone therapy, puberty blockers and sex-changing surgeries for children and minor youth,” Trump told the crowd in Grand Rapids.
“Can you imagine a child and then they grow up and they say ‘why the hell did you do that to me mom or dad or government?’”
On Thursday — the International Transgender Day of Visibility — the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Population Affairs released a document titled “Gender Affirming Care and Young People.”
The same day, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s National Child Traumatic Stress Network, another subset of DHHS, released a more detailed twin document titled, “Gender-Affirming Care Is Trauma-Informed Care.”
Both documents offer guidance for adolescents struggling with their gender identities, including “‘Top’ surgery – to create male-typical chest shape or enhance breasts;” and “‘Bottom’ surgery – surgery on genitals or reproductive organs, facial feminization or other procedures.”
“Medical and psychosocial gender affirming healthcare practices have been demonstrated to yield lower rates of adverse mental health outcomes, build self-esteem, and improve overall quality of life for transgender and gender diverse youth,” the OPA document states.
Other practices promoted include puberty blockers, which can pause pubertal development, and hormone therapy using estrogen or testosterone.
The NCTSN document claims that such practices are not child abuse, likely in response to a Texas law passed in February that makes such transitions illegal.
“Who the hell would have even believed that we’d be talking about this stuff?” the 45th president asked the crowd.
Biden released a video on Thursday pledging his support for the transgender community, in which he said “affirming your child’s identity is one of the most powerful things you can do to keep them safe and healthy. Any transgender American who’s struggling, please know you’re not alone.”
Biden also indicated he would fight state laws that limit transgender collegiate athletes from competing. The topic has gained much attention since the emergence of transgender University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas, who had a dominant run in competition in women swim teams.
“With their extremist sex and gender ideology the Democratic party is waging war on reality, war on science, war on children, war on women,” Trump said.
A Gallup survey published in February found that about 0.7 percent of Americans self-identify as transgender.