The American Academy of Pediatrics Pushes Back On HHS “Guidelines” for Pediatric Gender Dysphoria

On May 1, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a more than 400-page report on the efficacy of current treatments for gender affirming care in children.

Given the current administration’s outspoken views on trans and gender-nonconforming children, it is perhaps not surprising that the report — which does not list any authors — “reveals serious concerns about medical interventions ... that attempt to transition children and adolescents away from their sex,” flying in the face of the overwhelming majority of current medical consensus.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has already issued a statement criticizing the report.

The report draws heavily on The Cass Report, a 2024 study out of the UK that has been criticized for its methodology and findings. The HHS report categorizes the current model of pediatric trans healthcare as “child-led” and warns of “irreversible harms” and “weak evidence of benefit” for medical interventions such as puberty blockers and the use of hormone therapies.

This is contrary to the medical consensus supported by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), American Psychological Association (APA), and Endocrine Society, among others.

Ultimately, the report concludes that psychotherapy alone, instead of interventions like puberty blockers, administration of hormones, and surgery (which is rarely given to trans children), is the better treatment option for children suffering from gender dysphoria. The report explicitly denies that such treatment could be characterized as “conversion therapy” and even devotes a section to combating such an assignment, preferring the term “exploratory psychotherapy.” The report even goes as far as suggesting transition itself “deserves that label.”

“Our duty is to protect our nation’s children—not expose them to unproven and irreversible medical interventions,” said NIH Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya in a statement released by HHS. “We must follow the gold standard of science, not activist agendas.”

But Dr. Susan J. Kressly, president of the AAP (which was not consulted for this report), released a statement that is both skeptical and critical of the HHS report.

“For such an analysis to carry credibility, it must consider the totality of available data and the full spectrum of clinical outcomes rather than relying on select perspectives and a narrow set of data,” she wrote.

“This report misrepresents the current medical consensus and fails to reflect the realities of pediatric care. ... AAP was not consulted in the development of this report, yet our policy and intentions behind our recommendations were cited throughout in inaccurate and misleading ways. The report prioritizes opinions over dispassionate reviews of evidence.”

While the report does not purport to be clinical guidance, and does not offer policy recommendations, there can be little doubt that the contrary contents of this research from HHS will be held up among those dubious of current models of care for trans youth.