GOP state officials are so mad that doctors support trans healthcare that they’re intimidating them

Andrew Bailey, Attorney General of Missouri in 2023 Photo: Jack Gruber-USA TODAY via IMAGN

Earlier this week, 20 Republican attorneys general banded together to send a letter to the leadership of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the national professional association for pediatricians, accusing them of breaking the law for supporting age-appropriate and life-saving gender-affirming care for trans youth.

The letter accuses the organization of violating consumer legal protections for allegedly deceiving the public on the reversibility of puberty blockers while also seeking detailed information on their internal evidence assessments and communications.

Related:

The letter was sent by Idaho Attorney General Raul Labrador.

Stay connected to your community

Connect with the issues and events that impact your community at home and beyond by subscribing to our newsletter.

According to journalist Erin Reed, this letter holds no legal weight, and as such, the AAP is under no obligation to respond.

The letter claims that puberty blockers, a form of medication given to youth to temporarily delay puberty so that they can better understand their identities before the permanent effects of puberty set in, are unsafe and not reversible. In support of this, it cites the Cass Review, a review of the literature on puberty blockers in transgender youth that has been used to justify bans on puberty blockers in the United Kingdom.

However, the letter does not mention the numerous critiques of the Cass Review, all of which suggest that it got much of the science wrong, failed to consult with proper experts, and left out pertinent research that should have changed the conclusion.

A separate review by the Sax Institute, which was commissioned by the New South Wales, Australia, Ministry of Health, found that puberty blockers are safe, effective, and entirely reversible. It drew from established research on not only transgender youth but youth with precocious puberty, or early-onset puberty, who wanted their puberty delayed to be more in line with their peers.

Research on precocious puberty and puberty blockers has been happening for decades, and it all supports puberty blockers as safe and life-saving.

The letter also cited news articles, fringe journal pieces, and opinion pieces from anti-trans advocates in support of their claims. Among those cited is Leor Sapir, a non-expert who publishes on the conservative Manhattan Institute-backed outlet City Journal.

The letter’s citations also include news articles from New York Times’ Azeen Ghoryashi, who some have criticized for allegedly biased coverage of transgender issues, and psychiatrist Dr. Stephen Levine, who frequently provides expert testimony in court cases opposing gender-affirming care while often being dismissed due to judges finding he lacks professional experience with gender-affirming care.

The letter also claims that the widely regarded World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) is unreliable, citing in support of this a set of leaked documents from the organization’s internal communications called the “WPATH Files.” Reed found these leaks contained over 200 factual errors regarding gender-affirming care and judged them as containing irrelevant information regarding the professional merit of WPATH.

The letter concludes by demanding all internal communications held with WPATH in relation to their Standards of Care, detailed information regarding the AAP’s views on puberty blockers, and its views on the leaked WPATH Files.

LGBTQ Nation reached out to the American Academy of Pediatrics for comment. However, they did not respond before the publication of this article.

Other states that are represented here include Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and West Virginia. There are also two signatures from the Speaker of the Arizona House of Representatives and the President of the Arizona Senate.