National Institutes of Health Yanks Funding for Trans Health Studies - Except for Post-Transition 'Regret'

The NIH (National Institutes of Health) has been on a clear-cutting mission "to defund nearly every research project on transgender health," the journal Nature reported. However, "the White House has directed the agency to focus on studying 'regret' after a person transitions to align their body with their gender identity."

Such regretful individuals have been highlighted by the anti-trans right, but in fact such regret is a rarity – much less prevalent than post-surgical regret following common procedures like bariatric surgery and plastic surgery.

"Research collated by the American Journal of Surgery and published on 23 April [2024] collected data from three medical research databases which examined the regret rates for plastic surgery, major life decisions and vital surgical procedures," Pink News reported in an article on the subject of gender confirmation surgery.

"Transition-related regret is considerably lower than that which follows having children, abortions and even knee surgery," the publication relayed.

Pink News also pointed to a "2019 report for the European Professional Association for Trans Health" that "found that, in a study group of almost 3,400 people, only 16 – just 0.47 – experienced some form of regret."

Similarly, those who underwent hormone therapy – such as puberty blockers used for minors – also overwhelmingly reported happiness, and not regret, when it came to their treatment.

The Trump Administration's instructions to the NIH constitute a replication of effort: At least one study on post-gender confirmation regret has already been carried out by the NIH; that study, published in 2021, concluded that "there is an extremely low prevalence of regret in transgender patients after GAS [gender affirmation surgery]."

Nonetheless, "Two weeks ago, Matthew Memoli, who was acting NIH director at the time, sent an e-mail to the directors of several NIH institutes," Nature relayed. "It said that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which is the NIH's parent agency, 'has been directed to fund research on a few specific areas' related to what it calls 'chemical and surgical mutilation' of children and adults – a reference to gender-affirming care and surgery."

"'This is very important to the President and the Secretary' of the HHS, Robert F. Kennedy Jr, the e-mail added."

LGBTQ Nation observed that "many people reacting to the news on social media are comparing this to the Cass Review, a report on gender-affirming care for transgender youth released by the National Health Service in England."

Added the outlet: "The Cass Review was heavily criticized for misrepresenting data to promote transphobic bias and is scoffed at by academic researchers and institutions globally."

The publication also took note of the double standard that seemed to accompany the public's reception of that report.

"Gillian Branstetter of the ACLU wrote in a post on Bluesky, 'This is functionally what the Cass Review was in the UK and lots of people in prestige media swallowed it whole while accusing trans people ourselves of "politicizing science" by pointing that out,' in reference to the NIH directive."