The Federal Trade Commission and four states — Alaska, Iowa, Nebraska and Texas — sued the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPath) on Wednesday, alleging the organization made deceptive claims about gender-affirming care for minors and that its members profited from those claims. The lawsuit is the latest push by the Trump administration to limit gender-affirming care for transgender minors.
FTC Chair Andrew Ferguson said on X that the agency would not allow parents and children to be deceived. “Parents have a right to make informed decisions about their children’s health,” Ferguson wrote. “The FTC will not allow parents and children to be deceived by medical organizations and providers who are prioritizing profit over children’s health and safety.”
In a statement, WPath said its guidelines call for care that is tailored to individual patients, rather than a “one size fits all” approach. The organization noted that it has established widely accepted medical standards for gender-affirming care for more than 50 years, based on “established scientific standards, expert consensus and patient-centered values.”
WPath said it is in a strong position to prove the FTC is acting out of retaliation as part of a campaign to undermine gender-affirming care. “We expect the same result when we oppose this latest attack on WPath and its mission to promote evidence-informed care and guidance for doctors and their patients,” the statement said.
The lawsuit comes after the FTC launched an investigation into WPath. The organization sued to block the investigation, arguing it violated its First Amendment rights. A federal judge in May ruled in favor of WPath and temporarily blocked the investigation from continuing. The FTC has also launched investigations into the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Endocrine Society over their guidelines on gender-affirming care; both groups have also sued.