NORTHERN DISTRICT OF TEXAS — The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and attorneys general from Alaska, Iowa, Nebraska, and Texas filed a lawsuit against the World Professional Association for Transgender Health in federal court in the Northern District of Texas. The lawsuit alleges the organization made deceptive claims about gender-affirming medical care for minors and that its members profited from those claims.

FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson stated, "Parents have a right to make informed decisions about their children's health. 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." The organization responded by stating its guidelines advocate for individualized patient care, not standardized treatment protocols.

The organization also stated, "The U.S. Federal Trade Commission is not a medical provider and has no place interfering with the process of individualized medical decision-making. The FTC also does not have any jurisdiction over WPATH and its noncommercial speech. The state claims have similar factual and legal flaws." This lawsuit follows a prior regulatory investigation into the organization's practices, which WPATH attempted to halt by filing its own lawsuit, citing First Amendment protections.

D.C. District Court Judge James Boasberg temporarily blocked that investigation in a May ruling that favored the organization. The court cited evidence of animus and insufficient evidentiary justification for the regulatory probe. The new lawsuit refers to the Cass review from England's health agency and a Trump administration review on gender dysphoria as evidence that the organization misled the public.

An executive order directing agencies to end gender-affirming care for minors stated WPATH lacks scientific integrity and ordered the rescission of policies relying on its guidance. The Department of Justice and the FTC issued subpoenas to medical clinics and pharmaceutical companies providing gender-affirming treatments last year. NYU Langone hospital received a grand jury subpoena in the Northern District of Texas.

The FTC also initiated separate investigations into the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Endocrine Society regarding medical guidelines for transgender youth. Both organizations have filed legal actions in response to their respective investigations. Then-FTC Commissioner Melissa Holyoak proposed that healthcare providers asking parents if they would prefer a deceased child over a transitioned child could commit fraud.

WPATH stated, "WPATH is in a strong position to prove that the FTC is acting out of pure retaliation as part of the federal government's relentless and targeted campaign to undermine gender-affirming care by attacking the First Amendment rights and the independence of professional medical organizations. 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."