The Federal Trade Commission joined forces with the states of Texas, Alaska, Iowa, and Nebraska in a sweeping lawsuit against the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), accusing the organization of helping medical providers mislead parents and children into undergoing life-altering gender transition procedures.

The 123-page complaint, filed Tuesday in federal court in Texas, alleges that WPATH, the organization behind the widely cited “Standards of Care” for transgender treatments, provided doctors with the means to make false, misleading, and unsubstantiated claims about the safety, effectiveness, and medical necessity of pediatric gender transition services.

According to the lawsuit, WPATH’s membership is largely composed of clinicians who financially benefit from transgender medical procedures, including surgeons, endocrinologists, psychiatrists, and pediatric specialists.

The complaint argues that the organization has spent years promoting puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and irreversible surgeries for minors while portraying them as evidence-based and medically necessary treatments.

The FTC and the states allege that WPATH’s influential “Standards of Care Version 8” (SOC-8) misrepresented the existence of a medical consensus supporting pediatric transitions and exaggerated claims about the benefits of these interventions while downplaying or omitting serious risks.

The lawsuit further alleges that, “In 2022, WPATH omitted all mention of age limitations for breast amputation or penis removal from the “Standards of Care” document providing the organization’s official recommendations for treating sex-trait-related dissatisfaction or distress in children. As alleged in the complaint, WPATH did not base this decision on medical evidence.”

Among the most explosive allegations, the complaint claims WPATH promoted the narrative that pediatric gender transitions are “lifesaving” and necessary to prevent suicide despite an alleged lack of evidence proving that such interventions reduce suicide rates among minors.

The FTC contends that clinicians frequently repeated these claims to parents, often presenting transition procedures as the only alternative to a child’s death.

The lawsuit also accuses WPATH of failing to adequately disclose significant risks associated with puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and gender-related surgeries.

According to the complaint, parents and former patients reported experiencing serious complications, including chronic pain, sexual dysfunction, infertility concerns, urinary issues, nerve damage, mental health problems, and other long-term health consequences that they claim were not fully disclosed before treatment.

FTC attorneys point to numerous consumer complaints and declarations from detransitioners who say they were steered toward irreversible medical interventions as teenagers.

One Texas woman cited in the complaint reportedly underwent testosterone treatments and a double mastectomy as a minor before later accepting that she was female and discontinuing the treatments. She now reportedly suffers ongoing physical complications that she attributes to the medical interventions.

The complaint further notes that several European countries, including Sweden and Finland, have moved to restrict or significantly limit pediatric gender-transition treatments after reviewing the scientific evidence.

The lawsuit also references the United Kingdom’s Cass Review, which criticized the quality of evidence supporting many pediatric transition practices and called for greater caution.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers, Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird, and Alaska Attorney General Cori Mills joined the FTC in seeking injunctive relief, civil penalties, restitution, and other remedies.

The plaintiffs argue that WPATH’s conduct violates federal consumer protection laws as well as state deceptive trade practices statutes.

According to the FTC:

“Any group that illegally promotes irreversible, life-altering ‘transitioning’ procedures to kids as safe and necessary will face the full force of the law for harming children,” said Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. “We will not allow WPATH or any other organization to illegally promote or perform dangerous ‘transitioning’ procedures on our kids that leave them with permanent trauma and lifelong health consequences.”

Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers said: “WPATH has long represented itself as the final authority for the gender-related treatment of children, advancing profit-driven ideology unsupported by science and withholding crucial information from children, parents and doctors. We’re proud to work with the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general to hold WPATH accountable for deceiving parents and medical professionals and causing harm to children in Nebraska and nationwide.”

Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird said: “WPATH recommends permanent irreversible treatments and surgeries on children without solid medical science. Patients and their families have been deceived into believing the organization is an authoritative, medical body, when, in truth, their recommendations are based on politics and ideology. Parents and children deserve better.”

Alaska Acting Attorney General Cori Mills said: “Our laws demand real transparency and full disclosure of risks—whether it’s a defective product that harmed consumers or powerful drugs like opioids. This is especially vital for irreversible treatments with lifelong consequences, and it must be held to the highest standard when minors are involved. Unfortunately, as alleged in the complaint, WPATH failed that test by prioritizing ideology over sound science, downplaying serious long-term harms. They must be held accountable like we have held countless other companies and organizations accountable when they fail to follow the laws that protect consumers.”

Jim Hᴏft Jim Hᴏft is the founder and editor of The Gateway Pundit, one of the top conservative news outlets in America. Jim was awarded the Reed Irvine Accuracy in Media Award in 2013 and is the proud recipient of the Breitbart Award for Excellence in Online Journalism from the Americans for Prosperity Foundation in May 2016.

You can email Jim Hᴏft here, and read more of Jim Hᴏft's articles here.

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