Today, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed a lawsuit against the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) that alleges the advocacy group “has provided the means for medical providers to make false and unsubstantiated claims to parents in order to sell pediatric medical transition services.”

With this lawsuit against WPATH, the FTC is “alleging that the organization made false and unsubstantiated claims regarding the necessity, effectiveness and safety of puberty blockers, hormones and sex-change surgeries,” according to Chairman Andrew N. Ferguson.

According to the FTC press release, “In 2022, WPATH omitted all mention of age limitations for breast amputation or penis removal from the ‘Standards of Care’ document providing the organization’s official recommendations for treating sex-trait-related dissatisfaction or distress in children. As alleged in the complaint, WPATH did not base this decision on medical evidence.”

As leaders in the fight to protect children from sex-rejecting medical interventions, Eagle Forum applauds this action taken by the FTC along with the states of Alaska, Iowa, Nebraska, and Texas. Since 2018, when we first featured Dr. Michelle Critella at our 47th annual Eagle Council, Eagle Forum has worked to educate Americans on the dangers of the ‘gender identity.’  We have been a leading voice against the ghoulish medical procedures being inflicted on children, including puberty-blockers, cross-sex hormones and surgical mutilation of healthy body parts.

Our state affiliate, Eagle Forum of Alabama (EFA), took the issue home and encouraged lawmakers there to address the issue.  The result was the Vulnerable Child Compassion and Protection Act (VCAP), which took effect in 2022 after three successive legislative sessions. That same year, opponents of the bill sued the state to overturn the legislation.  

During discovery for the case, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall revealed that WPATH had “misled parents, promoted unproven treatments as settled science, and ignored growing international concern over the use of sex-change procedures to treat gender dysphoria in minors. Alabama’s investigation also uncovered internal communications showing that WPATH’s ‘Standards of Care’ document was drafted with input from lawyers and advocacy organizations to win lawsuits and influence policy decisions."
 
“Eagle Forum’s advocacy against the movement to ‘medically transition’ children suffering from gender dysphoria has been consistent for nearly a decade. Because of the work of Eagles in Alabama and other states, the deceptions of WPATH have been exposed. We are grateful to FTC Chairman Ferguson and the state Attorneys General for bringing this lawsuit against the WPATH for their misleading and unscientific ‘Standards of Care,’” said Eagle Forum President Kris Ullman.

The legal justification for this action was made clear by Chairman Ferguson in the FTC press release: “For decades, the FTC has taken action against entities that make deceptive and unsubstantiated health-related claims. The complaint filed today reflects that same long-standing mandate: when an entity makes a claim about a medical treatment, the claim must be truthful, evidence-based and not misleading.”

During the lawsuit against the Alabama VCAP statute, trans activists received help from Biden’s Department of Justice (DOJ) to subpoena Eagle Forum of Alabama for any documents or communications regarding their advocacy of the bill. The DOJ was smacked down by a federal judge, effectively quashing the subpoenas for exceeding the scope of discovery and being “overly broad and unduly burdensome.”  The plaintiffs withdrew their case afterward and were compelled to pay EFA’s attorney fees. In 2025, after the Trump Administration withdrew its support for the challenge, the case against the law itself was dismissed. More information about this aspect of the case can be found on our website here.

“Eagle Forum and its state chapters across the nation will continue to advocate for science-based approaches to treat children suffering from gender confusion and dysphoria. Every child is created in the image of God.  We oppose the radical ideology that tells children they are ‘born in the wrong body’ and the pseudo-scientific ‘experts’ who have for too long told children they need to be sterilized or mutilated as a result of that ideology,” Ullman concluded.