Over 5,700 American children undergo transgender surgery in five years - Report

Friday, October 11, 2024 - A new database has revealed that over 5,700 minors in the U.S. underwent gender-affirming surgeries between 2019 and 2023.

Fox News and the New York Post reported on Wednesday, October 9, that the database, launched by an advocacy group Do No Harm, tracks where children are receiving treatments like puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and surgeries for gender dysphoria.

The searchable database is called “Does My Hospital Transition Kids?” and was launched earlier in the week.

The report shows that a total of 13,994 minors received gender-affirming care during the four-year period.

Researchers identified 5,747 unique minors who underwent gender-affirming surgeries, including mastectomies and genital reassignment procedures.

In addition, 8,579 children received puberty blockers or hormone replacement therapy, with over 60,000 prescriptions issued in total.

The data was collected from insurance claims across the country, excluding some health plans like Kaiser and self-pay.

The insurance claims for these treatments, covering roughly 14,000 patients, amounted to $119 million, according to the new report.

The database’s analysis by state highlights significant regional variations in transgender medical care.

The database also highlights that the cost of medical care for these treatments reached $119 million, with California alone accounting for more than $28 million from 2,000 patients.

Irreversible surgeries were more common in certain states. In California, 1,359 minors underwent surgical procedures, followed by 357 in Oregon, 330 in Washington, 316 in Pennsylvania, and 300 in Massachusetts.

Do No Harm’s findings suggest that these numbers may be underestimated, and the group aims to provide the public, policymakers, and researchers with clearer insights into gender-affirming care for minors.

The chairman of Do No Harm, Stanley Goldfarb, in a press conference about the database, said, “We’ve really been meticulous in trying to make sure that the data are as clear as possible and are as accurate as possible.

“If anything, we’re showing the lower limits of what’s going on… to be certain that we’re not overstating it one iota. We’re probably and almost certainly understating the nature of the problem.”

Activist Chloe Cole, who detransitioned after receiving gender-affirming treatment as a minor, criticized the medical field, claiming that “thousands of kids are being treated like guinea pigs for unproven medical experiments.”

Cole underwent a double mastectomy at 15 years old and put on puberty blockers and testosterone at age 13.

“I hope politicians and parents alike use this database to see where these treatments are happening and protect their children from being rushed into irreversible, life-altering treatments,” Cole said in a statement.