U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Assistant Secretary Rachel Levine recently stated that medical interventions, including hormone therapy, could be beneficial for children going through the "wrong puberty."
Levine made an appearance on Friday in the first installment of the ABC "Nightline" series, "Identity Denied: Trans in America." The episode highlighted the story of a teenager facing challenges due to Republican-led initiatives aiming to ban gender reassignment surgeries and drugs for minors in various states across the country.
Levine dismissed concerns about the age of consent for "gender-affirming care" for children under 18, stating that such care is considered necessary and beneficial by the LGBTQ community.
In the video, Levine emphasized that the treatment options for gender-affirming care for transgender youth are evidence-based and supported by research.
"Adolescence is hard and puberty is hard," she said. "What if you're going through the wrong puberty? What if you inside feel that you are female, but now you're going through a male puberty?"
Rachel Levine, the highest-ranking openly transgender federal official in the country, began exploring her gender identity later in life, and she completed her transition to female at the age of 54 in 2011.
In the ABC interview, Rachel Levine emphasized that young children are not receiving gender-related surgeries or procedures. Instead, she mentioned that other interventions, such as hormone therapy and speech therapies, can be beneficial in helping children explore and navigate their gender identity.
"I want to make it clear that for pre-pubertal children, there are no medical procedures done," she said. "The standard of care allows them to explore that with therapy."
Rachel Levine asserted that gender-affirming treatments, including hormone therapy and other interventions, are crucial for transgender youth and can play a significant role in suicide prevention.
Parents Defending Education President Nicki Neily criticized Rachel Levine's credibility and questioned whether she should be considered an expert in the field. "This is the 'expert' parents are supposed to trust?" she asked.
During the interview, Levine also argued that the government should not interfere in gender treatments for minors and expressed concerns about the potential harms caused by politically and ideologically motivated laws and actions targeting transgender youth across the country.
