Social conservatives are used to politicians running on culture war platforms that they promptly abandon upon taking office. But when it comes to the transgender industry, the Trump administration has been delivering in spades.
These actions are not merely symbolic. Many of America’s most prominent medical institutions have announced, in response, that they will stop perpetrating transgender “treatments” on minors, including:
Other institutions have also indicated that they will be “suspending” or pausing so-called “gender-affirming care” for minors, including the VCU Health and Children’s Hospital of Richmond, the Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C., the University of Virginia, and Virginia Commonwealth University. Institutions in other states such as Texas have already suspended or halted these “treatments” in response to state-level legislation, although, as Jeff Younger recently pointed out, Governor Greg Abbott has not been the ally he claims to be.
Now, according to USA Today and other press reports, the Trump administration is moving to solidify these victories. On July 9, the Justice Department announced that over 20 subpoenas have been sent out to doctors and clinics across the country that have been involved in “child transgender medical procedures.” The DOJ stated that these subpoenas are a part of investigations “into possible healthcare fraud or false statements.”
“Medical professionals and organizations that mutilated children in the service of a warped ideology will be held accountable by this Department of Justice,” Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote in a statement accompanying the announcement. This is yet another declaration of open war on the transgender industry by the Trump administration, and the chilling effect this has already had on medical professionals willing to perpetrate these “treatments” will certainly be enhanced by this announcement. As Jon Brown reported at The Christian Post:
Panelists were reduced to tears during the Federal Trade Commission’s day-long workshop this week, featuring multiple panels of experts and detransitioners who shared their stories as the agency assesses whether consumers have been subjected to misleading or unsubstantiated claims about “gender-affirming care.” During the workshop on Wednesday, the U.S. Justice Department’s Chief of Staff Chad Mizelle announced that the agency has issued more than 20 subpoenas against clinics that are engaged in transgender medical procedures on children.
Two trailblazing journalists on gender ideology, Brandon Showalter of The Christian Post and Jennifer Bilek of The 11th Hour Blog, recently detailed where we are in the fight against the transgender industry and what must yet be accomplished:
Both emphasized that while there is much work yet to be done, the Trump administration has thus far exceeded the hopes of even the most optimistic whistleblowers. The Department of Justice has followed up each executive order with concrete action, indicating that there are driving forces within the administration that are prioritizing the protection of children and the restoration of cultural sanity.
