Trump Signs Executive Order Banning Gender-Affirming Care for Minors

President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that he has signed an executive order banning what he termed the “chemical castration and medical mutilation” of children in the United States. The move, aimed at blocking gender-affirming care for minors, has drawn sharp reactions from both supporters and medical experts.

“Today, it was my great honor to sign an Executive Order banning the chemical castration and medical mutilation of innocent children in the United States of America,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. “Our Nation will no longer fund, sponsor, promote, assist, or support so-called ‘gender-affirming care,’ which has already ruined far too many precious lives.”

Trump stated that the order directs federal agencies to use “every available means to cut off” financial participation in institutions that provide what he called “barbaric medical procedures that should have never been allowed to take place!”

The decision has been met with praise from Trump’s conservative allies, but medical experts and major health organizations argue that gender-affirming care is medically necessary and reduces the risk of mental health crises among transgender youth.

Scientific studies have consistently shown the benefits of gender-affirming care. A 2022 report by Scientific American cited data from over a dozen studies involving more than 30,000 transgender and gender-diverse youth, concluding that “access to gender-affirming care is associated with better mental health outcomes—and that lack of access to such care is associated with higher rates of suicidality, depression, and self-harming behavior.”

Leading medical associations—including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, the Endocrine Society, the American Medical Association, the American Psychological Association, and the American Psychiatric Association—have all issued guidelines supporting gender-affirming care, citing it as evidence-based and medically necessary.

Despite this, Trump’s order was widely celebrated among his supporters, particularly within the MAGA movement. “Absolutely fantastic!” right-wing influencer Robby Starbuck wrote on X. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), a vocal opponent of gender-affirming treatments, praised the move and urged Congress to take further legislative action.

“President Trump just signed an executive order protecting children from chemical and surgical mutilation! THANK YOU PRESIDENT TRUMP!!! Congress must now work to pass the Protect Children’s Innocence Act to criminalize barbaric and irreversible genital mutilation surgeries under the guise of so-called ‘gender-affirming care’ in all 50 states. President Trump will sign my bill into law and end this twisted gender ideology once and for all,” Greene wrote.

Other conservative figures also cheered the announcement. “HUGE!!!!” exclaimed Riley Gaines, a vocal critic of transgender women in sports. Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, called the move a major victory. “This will put a stop to the butchery and medieval witchcraft masquerading as ‘healthcare’ MASSIVE!” he wrote.

While Trump’s order is certain to energize his base, legal challenges and pushback from the medical community are expected in the coming weeks, setting the stage for a heated national debate over transgender rights and healthcare policy.