In the final weeks of the presidential campaign, the catchphrase echoed in voters’ ears: “Kamala is for them. Trump is for you.”
The success of this part of closing arguments will likely prompt the new Trump administration to make policy changes affecting transgender people as soon as it takes office. The issue is mentioned twice in President-elect Donald Trump’s 20 Points. “Agenda 47” platform: #16 Cut funding to schools that teach “radical gender ideology.” And #17: “Keeping men away from women’s sports.”
But what about medical care for transgender people? The Trump campaign and conservative think tanks have offered some indications of how policy might change.
John Schweppe, policy director of the American Principles Project, a conservative political advocacy group that has long advocated against transgender policies, said the federal government could ban gender-affirming care for minors. He says it’s expensive. “For adults, I don’t think the American public is very enthusiastic about a total ban.” [on gender affirming care]But for kids, that’s all there is to it,” Schweppe argues. half of the state These bans have been enacted even though public opinion polls vary on how much the broader public supports or disapproves of these efforts.
There are also plans to limit access to gender transition by limiting insurance coverage. To accomplish this, Republicans could draw on their anti-abortion rights strategy.
“One of our goals is definitely to create what’s called a Hyde Amendment for gender-affirming care,” Schweppe says. The Hyde Amendment is 1977 policy This prohibits federal funding for abortions, with limited exceptions.
“We don’t think taxpayer dollars should be going to that kind of thing for minors or adults. We’ve tested that in polls and we think the American people agree. I’m confident that we will,” Schweppe said.
The Hyde Amendment is primarily responsible for how abortion came to be performed outside the regular health insurance system. Patients often pay in cash because they don’t have insurance for an abortion or don’t want it listed in their medical records. In response, abortion funds were established to make abortions available to those who are uninsured or unable to afford abortions on their own.
Investing in “political winners”
In the presidential election alone, Republicans spent more than $46 million on the message “Kamala is for them,” according to an AdImpact report shared with NPR.
“This represents a political winner,” Schweppe said. Overall, the party spent $222 million on anti-trans and LGBTQ ads during the 2024 campaign. In contrast, Democrats spent just under $29 million on LGBTQ ads.
Some Republicans in Congress have expressed enthusiasm for translating the anti-trans campaign’s message into legislation. In the weeks before the new session began, laws and policies were proposed regarding: Bathroom access These were designed to target Democratic Congresswoman Sarah McBride of Delaware, the first transgender lawmaker in U.S. history.
Other commitments and policies
In 2023, the Trump campaign will A video has been released He then outlined policy steps Republicans would take “to protect our children from the gender insanity of the left.”
Specifically, Mr. Trump promised:
- A national ban on gender-affirming care for young people.
- Prohibit Medicare and Medicaid coverage of gender-affirming care for patients of all ages and withhold federal funds from hospitals that provide the care.
- Enact penalties for schools and teachers who affirm transgender youth.
President Trump has also called for a Department of Justice investigation into how drug companies and hospitals provide gender-affirming care, and has called for Title IX to allow transgender women and girls to participate in women’s sports. They will also seek to pass a federal law banning it.
Overall, Matt Sharp of the conservative Christian legal group Alliance Defending Freedom said that the Trump administration has made clear that “the differences between men and women matter and that states, schools and other places need to return to common sense.” He said he hopes to enact a policy that establishes “forgivable behavior.” And to recognize those differences. ”
Advocates for access to gender-affirming care agree that restrictions are likely to be imposed when President Trump takes office. “It’s clear that they’re going to pursue a consistent anti-trans agenda, so we’re preparing on multiple fronts,” he said. Harper Seldinstaff attorney for the ACLU’s LGBTQ & HIV Project.
Seldin said transgender people saw all of these ads, too. “Without making any assumptions as to what that may or may not have done to the final outcome, [of the election]”I think it creates a climate of fear towards trans people,” he says, “and I think it also very much condones a climate of hatred against people who oppose trans people.” Indeed, it positions transgender people as enemies of the normal American polity, and transgender people are people too. ”
Transgender youth in the spotlight
Although Trump’s policy goals regarding transgender people will affect adults in some ways, the focus of much conservative activism on the issue is on children.
Major medical organizations in the United States, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association, and the Endocrine Society, support young people’s access to gender-affirming care, which ranges from the use of a child’s preferred pronouns to These range from the use of puberty blockers to sex hormones. (It is very rare for minors to undergo surgery.)
According to recent reports According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 3% of high school students describe themselves as transgender, but not all of them necessarily want medical interventions related to that identity.
The CDC found that trans students “experience more prevalent violence, poorer mental health, suicidal thoughts and behaviors, and unstable housing.” The report goes on to say, “Having a supportive family and peers, feeling connected to family and school, having a positive name and pronouns that others consistently use, and pride in one’s identity” “Having a child is a protective factor for transgender students that buffers against the effects of being transgender.” Eliminate fewer stressors and promote better mental health. ”
The Trevor Project operates a 24/7 crisis line for LGBTQ youth and answers calls from the 988 crisis line for this population. published an analysis They found that transgender youth were more likely to attempt suicide after their home state passed a ban on gender-affirming care for youth.
The day after the election, calls to the crisis line increased 700%, the largest jump in daily calls ever, The Trevor Project wrote in a statement to NPR. Although the number of cases has decreased since Nov. 6, “the number remains higher than normal as LGBTQ+ young people overwhelmingly continue to reach out to discuss concerns about the 2024 election results,” the statement said. is written.
Schweppe, of the American Principles Project, rejects this data point and argues that research on suicide risk in this population is overstated. “We are the exact opposite of their goals,” he said of The Trevor Project, describing its work as indoctrination.
Even if children suffer from gender dysphoria, “we should strive to help our children identify with their biological sex, and we should try to help our children identify with their biological sex and not believe that their body is wrong or that their body is wrong.” Instead of telling them what’s wrong, we should try to help them feel comfortable in their own bodies,” he says. The way God made them is wrong,” he says. Importantly, the American Academy of Pediatrics states: in a policy statement Conversion and reparative therapies “have proven not only unsuccessful but also harmful, and are considered outside the mainstream of traditional medical practice.”
Changing legal landscape
On Dec. 4, before President-elect Trump’s term begins in January, the Supreme Court will hear arguments on whether Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for transgender youth, and by extension 25 other states’ bans, is constitutional. A trial is scheduled.
Mr. Sharp, of the Alliance Defending Freedom, said he expected the high court to rule on the merits of the case. “Ultimately, we hope that these state laws will be ruled in favor of and enforced,” he says.
Seldin, of the ACLU, who represents transgender children and their families in Tennessee who filed the lawsuit, said it’s difficult to predict what will happen after oral arguments, but “it’s important to know what’s needed in the moment. We are prepared to respond flexibly.” . He said LGBTQ advocates are similarly determined to continue fighting for the rights of transgender people.
If a judge finds the ban unconstitutional, conservative advocacy groups like the American Principles Project will “pursue other means to effectively shut down these gender clinics.” Schweppe says he plans to do so. That’s the overall goal, he added. “I think we’ve been very transparent about it.”
He isn’t worried about the narrow Republican majorities in both chambers making it difficult to pass legislation on transgender issues. he points out that several democrats He has argued in recent weeks that support for transgender people is costing his party electoral wins, and that he could use bipartisan support to support the Women’s Sports Bill, for example.
“What groups like ours are making to Republican leadership is that not only is this the right thing to do and the right law to pass, but it also has great political benefits.” he says.
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