Trump ends teen gender transition funding; Musk has reason to cheer

US president has signed an order cutting federal funding for teen gender transitions, with Elon Musk's support adding to the controversy

US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order ending federal funding for gender transition procedures for minors under 19, sparking debate debates on transgender rights and health care.

 

While the move fulfills a key campaign promise, it has also drawn attention due to an unexpected endorsement from billionaire Elon Musk. Musk, who has openly criticised gender-affirming care for minors, supported Trump’s decision, adding a new layer of controversy given his strained relationship with his transgender daughter.

 

What Trump’s executive order says

 

The executive order, signed on Tuesday (local time), declares that the US government would no longer "fund, sponsor, promote, assist, or support" medical procedures that aid in gender transitions for minors. It further directs federal agencies to strictly enforce laws restricting such treatments.

 

 

"It is the policy of the United States that it will not fund, sponsor, promote, assist, or support the so-called ‘transition’ of a child from one sex to another, and it will rigorously enforce all laws that prohibit or limit these destructive and life-altering procedures," the order states.

 

Trump’s directive also takes aim at medical professionals, alleging they are "maiming and sterilising a growing number of impressionable children" under the belief that a child's sex can be changed through medical interventions. The order also dismisses guidance from the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) as "junk science."

 

Key provisions of the order include:

 

- Banning federal health programs like Medicaid and TRICARE from covering gender-affirming care for minors.

 

- Directing the Department of Justice to pursue legal action against medical institutions providing such care.

 

- Encouraging Congress to pass laws allowing individuals who regret undergoing gender-affirming procedures as minors, or their parents, to sue healthcare providers.

 

Trump's 'honour’ to ban teen gender transitions

 

Trump celebrated the move on his social media platform, Truth Social, saying, "Today, it was my great honor to sign an Executive Order banning the chemical castration and medical mutilation of innocent children in the United States of America. Our Nation will no longer fund, sponsor, promote, assist, or support so-called ‘gender-affirming care,’ which has already ruined far too many precious lives."

 

He further referred to gender-affirming procedures as "barbaric medical practices" and vowed that his administration, if elected again, would use every available means to defund institutions that promote them.

 

Medical experts and trans rights groups push back

 

The American Medical Association (AMA) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), along with other leading medical organizations, have expressed strong opposition to Trump’s order. They emphasise that gender-affirming care is a carefully regulated process that involves multiple evaluations before any medical treatments are considered.

 

For most young people questioning their gender, the first steps involve non-medical interventions, such as changes in clothing, pronouns, or names. Puberty blockers and hormone therapy may be prescribed in some cases after extensive psychological evaluations, while surgical procedures on minors remain extremely rare.

 

Harper Seldin, an attorney with the ACLU’s LGBTQ & HIV Project, called Trump’s move an attack on transgender people, stating, "This order, combined with others we’ve seen in recent weeks, is designed not to protect children, but to erase transgender people from public life. We will challenge it in court."

 

What is the Elon Musk connection?

 

Musk, a vocal supporter of Trump, has long criticised gender-affirming care for minors. "Children cannot consent. That is why there are laws protecting minors. Those who perpetrated this evil should be in prison for life," the businessman said on X, the social media platform he owns.

 

Musk's position is personal as his estranged daughter, Vivian Jenna Wilson, legally changed her name and gender in 2022, publicly distancing herself from him. Musk has since accused her of being influenced by "extreme ideologies", saying in a past interview, “The woke mind virus killed my son.”

 

Wilson has described Musk as a cold and absentee father who did not support her gender identity. She claims he harassed her about her gender expression from a young age.