Biden’s trans HHS assistant sec Dr Rachel Levine pressured WPATH to eliminate age guidelines for child sex changes

Levine's reason was to further the progressive LGBTQ political agenda, and not for medical or scientific reasons. Levine did not want the guidance to fuel more laws prohibiting child sex changes. Dr. Marci Bowers, a trans surgeon who is president of WPATH, operated on trans reality star Jazz Jennings (telling Jennings that the new neo-vagina was so pretty Jennings could be in porn) rejected the claims of political pressure.

"It wasn't political," Bowers said, "the politics were already evident. WPATH doesn't look at politics when making a decision." Bowers also said that as a surgeon, Bowers has had no patient who went on puberty blockers, then onto cross sex hormones, who was able to achieve an orgasm as an adult.

In that exhibit, researcher Dr. James Cantor said that the internal communications of WPATH show that Levine "strongly pressured WPATH leadership to rush the development and issuance of SOC-8," their latest standards of care for trans persons, "in order to assist with Administration political strategy." Levine has said that "trans kids" are an "inspiration."

This means that Levine pressured a group of medical professionals to hurry up and issue guidance on how to treat children with gender dysphoria in order to aid her boss' political aims. Joe Biden, Levine's top boss, instructed all federal agencies to be more trans-inclusive on his first day in office in 2021.

"What’s being told to the public is totally different from WPATH’s discussions in private," Cantor said. The communications from WPATH read:

"I have just spoken to Admiral Levine today, who—as always is extremely supportive of the SOC 8, but also very eager for its release—so to ensure integration in the US health policies of the Biden government. So, let’s crack on with the job!!!"

"I am meeting with Rachel Levine and her team next week, as the US Department of Health is very keen to bring the trans health agenda forward."

"The failure of WPATH to be ready with SOC 8 is proving a barrier to optimal policy progress and she [Dr. Levine] was eager to learn when SOC 8 might be published."

"[T]his should be taken as a charge from the United States government to do what is required to complete the project immediately."

The exhibit from Cantor states that "Assistant Secretary Levine also attempted to and did influence the substantive content of SOC-8, based on political goals rather than science. Specifically, Assistant Secretary Levine, through a staff member, pressured WPATH to remove recommended minimum ages for medical transition treatments from SOC-8."

The Standards of Care 8 did remove age guidance for medical sex changes, which shocked many. The announcement of the new standards was made at their annual conference, held in Montreal, in 2022. That conference also held a breakout session with medical professionals who work to transition "littles," or little kids.

The previous guidelines had said that sex change drugs could be administered as young as 14, surgeries to remove healthy breasts could be done at 15, and genital surgeries, other than phalloplasty for females, could be done at 17. Phalloplasty was not recommended until age 18 due to complexity of the process of removing tissue from one part of the body, reconstructing it to resemble a phallus, and surgically grafting it onto the pubic area.

The Standards of Care 8, however, said essentially that everyone is different and that guidance should be given on an individual basis with no specific recommendations given to start puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, or surgeries.

Cantor's exhibit further read: "Assistant Secretary Levine also attempted to and did influence the substantive content of SOC-8, based on political goals rather than science. Specifically, Assistant Secretary Levine, through a staff member, pressured WPATH to remove recommended minimum ages for medical transition treatments from SOC-8." The reason for these requested changes was to enable the administration to combat laws that prohibit child sex changes.

"Sarah Boateng, who is Adm. Levine’s chief of staff [said the] biggest concern is the section below in the Adolescent Chapter that lists specific minimum ages for treatment," it reads, "she is confident, based on the rhetoric she is hearing in DC, and from what we have already seen, that these specific listings of ages, under 18, will result in devastating legislation for trans care. She wonders if the specific ages can be taken out and perhaps an adjunct document could be created that is published or distributed in a way that is less visible than the SOC8, is the way to go."

"The issue of ages and treatment has been quite controversial (mainly for surgery) and it has come up again. We sent the document to Admiral Levine . . . She like the SOC-8 very much but she was very concerned that having ages (mainly for surgery) will affect access to health care for trans youth and maybe adults too. Apparently the situation in the USA is terrible and she and the Biden administration worried that having ages in the document will make matters worse. She asked us to remove them. We have the WPATH executive committee in this meeting and we explained to her that we could not just remove them at this stage."

WPATH then made the changes, saying "[W]e heard your [Dr. Levine’s] comments regarding the minimal age criteria for transgender healthcare adolescents; the potential negative outcome of these minimal ages as recommendations in the US [. . .] Consequently, we have changes to the SOC 8 in this respect. Given that the recommendations for minimal ages for the various gender affirming medical and surgical intervention are consensus-based, we could not remove them from the document. Therefore, we have made changes as to how the minimal ages are presented in the documents."

Boe v. Marshall is a case in which plaintiffs have asked a federal court to block an Alabama law from taking effect which criminalizes medical child sex changes through drugs or surgery. Activist lawyers and non-profit groups have advocated for the law to be blocked. GLAAD, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, and other trans activists have all said that it's wrong to prevent medical providers from giving sex change drugs and surgeries to minors. A similar law in Tennessee has been challenged and the Supreme Court has agreed to hear the case in the next term.

The Alliance Defending Freedom has defended Alabama, saying that "Alabama is right to protect minors from harmful, irreversible, and experimental medical procedures that can permanently alter children’s bodies without any proven long-term benefit."