White House clarifies support for gender-affirming care for transgender youth after backlash (exclusive)

After intense pressure from leadingLGBTQ+ advocacy groups, the White House has issued a clarification about its position on gender-affirming care for transgender people in America.

The clarification comes after the White House received harsh criticism days after the end of Pride Month when a spokesperson toldThe 19ththat the administration opposes gender-confirming surgery fortransgender youth — a medical treatment that is rarely available to very few oldertrans teenagers. Right-wing extremists have pushed false assertions of easy access to surgical care for trans kids, which is not true.

In response, Neera Tanden, director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, wrote toHuman Rights Campaign president Kelley Robinson on Monday night, assuring that the administration’s policy remains unchanged.

In an email obtained by The Advocate, Tanden said, “We continue to fight state and national bans on gender-affirming care, which represents a continuum of care, and respect the role of parents, families, and doctors — not politicians — in these decisions. Gender-affirming surgeries are typically reserved for adults, and we believe they should be.”

She added, “Above all, families should have the freedom to make the medical decisions that they and their doctors determine are best for them – which is why we oppose attempts to limit healthcare for transgender individuals in the courts or through legislation.”

Tanden also wrote, “We will continue to vigorously fight categorical bans on gender-affirming care in the courts, including the Supreme Court, and we will fight back hard against partisan laws being pushed by extreme Republican elected officials that target Americans just for who they are.”

Related: White House statement on transgender minors’ health care sparks outrage by LGBTQ+ rights groups

The need for clarification arose after reports indicated a possible shift in the administration’s support for transgender healthcare, leading to widespread concern within the LGBTQ+ community. Over the weekend, HRC led a coalition letter, co-signed by a number of LGBTQ+ advocacy groups, demanding a clear reaffirmation of support for gender-affirming care for minors.

The July 5 letter addressed to PresidentJoe Biden said, “No parent should ever be put in the position where they and their doctor agree on one course of action for their children, supported by the overwhelming majority of medical experts, but the government forbids it.”

The National Center for Lesbian Rights, Advocates for Trans Equality, The Trevor Project, PFLAG, the Whitman-Walker Institute, and the American Civil Liberties Union were among the signatories.

The letter also highlighted that while the administration has been praised for enacting policies based on research and science, this recent statement appears to contradict decades of medical knowledge on the care of transgender individuals, including youth. Every leading professional medical organization in the U.S. endorses gender-affirming care as medically necessary, safe, and evidence-informed. The letter stressed that access to such care is associated with positive mental health and quality of life outcomes for transgender people, especially amid the public health crisis of depression, anxiety, and suicidality among young people. It emphasized empowering doctors, patients, and families to make healthcare decisions without political interference.

In response, Tanden reiterated Biden’s condemnation of anti-trans legislation. “It’s wrong that extreme officials are pushing hateful bills targeting transgender children, terrifying families, and criminalizing doctors. These are our kids. These are our neighbors. It’s cruel, and it’s callous,” Biden said previously. While emphasizing that gender-affirming surgeries are typically reserved for adults, Tanden underscored the importance of allowing families and their doctors to make healthcare decisions without political interference.

Robinson valued the administration’s clarification in a statement to The Advocate.

“We appreciate that the administration has clarified that its position on healthcare for the transgender community has not changed—that it opposes any and all bans on access to care and will continue to fight these bans both in the courts and at the legislative level,” Robinson said. “The administration also reiterated what we know to be true: these types of personal healthcare decisions are best left to the families, the patient, and their medical provider—and no one else.”

This confirmation from the White House follows a period of intense advocacy and pressure from HRC and other groups. Transgender legislators like Montana state Rep. Zooey Zephyr and other progressive voices have also been vocal in demanding clarity from the administration.

The Biden administration has consistently championed the rights of transgender individuals, positioning itself as a pro-equality administration.

The commitment to combating state-level bans and ensuring access to gender-affirming care reflects a broader, deeply contentious national debate about the rights oftransgender people and the role of government in personal medical decisions.

According to the HRC, as of May 2024, 39 percent of transgender youth in the United States live in states that have passed bans on gender-affirming care. These states includeFlorida,Ohio, andMontana, where bans are currently on hold or blocked from enforcement through court orders. HRC reports that almost 300,000 high school-aged transgender youth need gender-affirming care.

In June, a federal judge struck down a 2023 Florida law that blocked gender-affirming care for transgender minors and severely restricted such treatment for adults. Senior Judge Robert Hinkle declared the law unconstitutional, saying that transgender people are entitled to the legitimate treatment they need. He compared opponents of transgender rights to those who historically opposed equality for minorities and women.