GLMA Condemns Department of Health and Human Services‘ “Report” Undermining Medical Care for Transgender and Non-Binary Youth
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 1, 2025
Contact: Eli Duffy
Director of Communications & Strategic Partnerships
eduffy@glma.org
WASHINGTON, DC — GLMA strongly condemns the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) newly released report,
Treatment of Pediatric Gender Dysphoria: Review of Evidence and Best Practices. This misleading and inflammatory document misrepresents decades of clinical research and promotes harmful practices long denounced by the medical community. Though framed as a federal review, the publication explicitly states that it does not represent clinical guidelines and does not provide treatment recommendations.
In this publication, HHS is breaking with precedent by disregarding the extensive body of research supporting medical care for transgender and non-binary people and attempting to discredit the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Psychological Association for their evidence-based stances on the care.
“This is not a scientific review—it’s a political document dressed up to look like medicine,” said
Alex Sheldon, MA (they/them), GLMA Executive Director. “By sidelining rigorous evidence in favor of biased opinion, this so-called ‘report’ fails the most basic test of medical integrity and, in doing so, jeopardizes patient care. And the fact that it explicitly disclaims any clinical relevance should tell us everything we need to know. It is not designed to inform medical care; it is meant to politicize it.”
“Gender-affirming care is not about control or profit—it is about respecting what trans and non-binary people ask for, need, and deserve,” said
Jona Tanguay, MMSc, PA-C, AAHIVS (they/them), GLMA President and practicing clinician. “Gender-affirming care is rooted in evidence, ethics, and the lived realities of our patients, yet this report disregards proven care models and vilifies providers for doing what keeps people well. When politics enters the exam room, patient care suffers. For the sake of our entire nation’s healthcare system, we must keep politicians out of deeply personal medical decisions.”
As the nation’s oldest and largest association of LGBTQ+ and allied health professionals, GLMA speaks from both clinical expertise and lived experience. We stand in solidarity with the nation’s major medical associations in their united
opposition to this report’s findings. GLMA urges policymakers, journalists, and the public to approach this report with the scrutiny it demands and to center the voices of trans people, their families, and the health professional experts who care for them.
About GLMA: Health Professionals Advancing LGBTQ+ Equality
GLMA is a national organization committed to ensuring health equity for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) communities and equality for LGBTQ+ health professionals in their work and learning environments. To achieve this mission, GLMA utilizes the scientific expertise of its diverse multidisciplinary membership to inform and drive advocacy, education, and research.
glma.org