By SUZANNE DOWNING
June 17, 2026 – The Federal Trade Commission and the State of Alaska have joined a lawsuit against the World Professional Association for Transgender Health. The suit says the influential medical organization misled parents, patients, and healthcare providers about the safety, effectiveness, and medical necessity of transgender medical interventions for children.
The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in federal court in Texas, is another step in the national debate over pediatric gender-bending “medicine.” Alaska joined the case alongside Iowa, Nebraska, and Texas, with the FTC alleging that WPATH enabled healthcare providers to make false and unsubstantiated claims in order to market puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and sex-change surgeries to minors.
According to the complaint, WPATH’s treatment guidelines have been used for years as the primary authority supporting pediatric gender-transition procedures. Federal and state officials say those guidelines were presented as evidence-based medical consensus despite lacking sufficient scientific basis.
FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson said the lawsuit centers on whether parents were given truthful information when making major medical decisions for their children.
“Children, but especially their parents, must have complete and truthful information when making decisions to purchase medical services,” Ferguson said. “When an entity makes a claim about a medical treatment, the claim must be truthful, evidence-based and not misleading.”
At the center of the complaint is WPATH’s 2022 revision of its Standards of Care, the organization’s widely cited treatment recommendations. Federal regulators allege WPATH removed age minimums for certain surgical procedures involving minors, including mastectomies and genital surgeries, without basing the decision on medical evidence.
The complaint also alleges that WPATH failed to adequately disclose risks associated with cross-sex hormones and other medical interventions. According to the lawsuit, potential side effects include infertility, sexual dysfunction, chronic pain, mood disturbances, and other long-term health consequences.
FTC Commissioner Mark Meador said families seeking guidance deserve accurate information rather than advocacy disguised as medical consensus.
“When an organization provides guidance designed to mislead families about the risks, benefits, or medical consensus behind a treatment, it undermines trust in those responsible for providing medical care,” Meador said.
One of the most striking allegations in the complaint concerns claims that pediatric transition treatments are “lifesaving.” The lawsuit states that clinicians influenced by WPATH guidance have sometimes asked parents whether they would rather have “a live daughter or a dead son,” implying that medical transition reduces suicide risk.
Federal regulators argue there is no competent and reliable scientific evidence demonstrating that puberty blockers, hormones, or surgeries reduce suicide among children experiencing gender-related distress.
The FTC further alleges that WPATH classified nearly every pediatric transition procedure as “medically necessary” despite insufficient evidence, increasing the likelihood that insurance companies would cover the treatments.
Alaska Acting Attorney General Cori Mills said the state’s participation reflects longstanding consumer-protection principles.
“Our laws demand real transparency and full disclosure of risks,” Mills said. “This is especially vital for irreversible treatments with lifelong consequences, and it must be held to the highest standard when minors are involved.”
Mills accused WPATH of prioritizing ideology over science and downplaying serious long-term harms associated with the treatments.
The lawsuit comes amid growing international scrutiny of pediatric gender medicine. In recent years, several European countries, including the United Kingdom, Sweden, Finland, and Norway, have moved away from routine use of puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones for minors, citing insufficient evidence regarding long-term safety and effectiveness.
WPATH has long maintained that its recommendations are based on expert consensus and reflect the best available clinical evidence. The organization has been widely cited by major medical associations, hospitals, insurers, and government agencies in developing policies related to transgender healthcare.
The case was filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas.
2 thoughts on “FTC, Alaska join lawsuit accusing transgender health association of deceptive claims about pediatric transition treatments”
Thank God. The people running the State of Alaska are still operating rationally, with common sense. The Alaska Democrats will stop at nothing to ruin our great state and place it into the hands of Marxists.
WPATH is the organization mainly responsible for the reclassification of Gender Identity Disorder listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, version 5, in 2013.
No scientific evidence exists to support that change.
No scientific evidence exists to support that change.
“Transgenderism” is, in fact, a psychological disorder. It is NOT normal. I am no fan of ostracizing those with that condition, and I believe they should be treated with compassion. Affirming their delusions is not at all compassionate. No clear scientific argument has EVER been made to support the position that “transgenderism” is normal. None. Zero. Most arguments in support of such claims basically amount to “I’m a doctor, therefore I don’t need scientific evidence.” Huge amounts of very clear evidence exist to prove that large healthcare companies are making billions, if not trillions of dollars pushing “gender affirming care”. Huge amounts of clear evidence exist proving that the leftists running our public schools are brainwashing kids with transgender ideology, and before too long those people will be included in lawsuits filed by the victims of this utterly sick social disease.