The Trump administration announced on Thursday that it is acting to effectively ban gender-affirming care, and they couldn’t seem to do so without senior officials making strange statements about children’s genitals.
The administration hopes to cut off funding for hospitals providing care from Medicaid and Medicare if they provide gender-affirming care, though the proposals that were announced are not final or legally binding
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, a promoter of multiple false conspiracy theories involving medicines and vaccines, falsely claimed that gender-affirming care is “malpractice” that robs children of their futures. Kennedy recently pulled funding for the American Academy of Pediatrics after they criticized his anti-child policies.
Mehmet Oz, administrator for Medicare and Medicaid services, made things even weirder at a press conference announcing the initiative.
“The creation of a penis costs on average in America, according to this data, high quality, $150,000 per child,” Oz said, noting that “if you add testicles, that’s extra.”
The administration’s bigoted action was slammed by the Trevor Project, a nonprofit that advocates for the rights of LGBTQ+ Americans.
“If implemented, these efforts will have detrimental impacts on transgender and nonbinary youth in particular. The Trevor Project’s research shows that access to this care is associated with significantly lower rates of depression and suicide risk among transgender and nonbinary young people who receive it,” said Rodrigo Heng-Lehtinen, senior vice president of engagement at the group, in a statement.
“It’s no hyperbole to say that restricting this medically necessary care risks the lives of transgender and nonbinary youth in communities all across the U.S.”
The Trump administration is waging a full-scale war against the existence of transgender people in America. Led by Trump, Republicans have been using their power to limit the ability of transgender people to simply live their full lives.
Related | Trump administration steps up its heinous war on trans people
It is a continuation of efforts by Republican candidates to gin up anti-trans bigotry, which the party and its allies like Fox News see as a useful way to motivate Republican voters to turn out.
Trump often invokes the specious claim that Republicans are protecting women’s sports by assailing the participation of transgender athletes.
Republicans have even reinstated a ban on transgender people serving in the military, preferring bigotry over assembling a fighting force capable of defending the country and its interests.
Some states with Democratic leadership, like Maine, have been successfully pushing back on bigoted anti-trans action by the administration. But Thursday’s announcement shows that even with the economy failing and health care costs rising, Republicans—who have a long and involved history with pedophilia—intend to legislate young people’s genitalia so they can secure votes.
Oliver Willis December 19, 2025 at 12:30AM From Daily Kos
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