The Federal Trade Commission and four states have filed a lawsuit against the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, alleging that the organization misled parents about medical interventions for children experiencing gender dysphoria.
The complaint was filed Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas. Alaska, Iowa, Nebraska and Texas joined the FTC in the legal action.
According to the lawsuit, WPATH promoted pediatric medical transition procedures — including hormone treatments and surgeries — through claims that were allegedly false, misleading or unsupported by sufficient scientific evidence.
FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson said the agency's action is consistent with its longstanding responsibility to challenge deceptive health-related claims.
"When an entity makes a claim about a medical treatment, the claim must be truthful, evidence-based and not misleading," Ferguson said in a press release. "Children, but especially their parents, must have complete and truthful information when making decisions to purchase medical services. For decades, the FTC has taken action against entities that make deceptive and unsubstantiated health-related claims."
The lawsuit contends that WPATH misrepresented the degree of medical consensus surrounding pediatric gender-transition interventions and allegedly provided misleading information regarding their necessity, safety and effectiveness.
Federal officials described WPATH as an organization whose members financially benefit from providing pediatric medical transition services and accused the group of violating federal consumer-protection laws.
Joe Simonson, director of public affairs for the FTC, told reporters that WPATH intentionally "deceived parents and children of the medical and scientific basis for such services" to increase the likelihood that the interventions would be covered by insurance.
"WPATH professional members have profited immensely from the organization's work, but this profit has come at the expense of children and their parents," Simonson said.
WPATH strongly rejected the allegations and accused federal officials of improperly targeting the organization.
In a statement released Wednesday, the association dismissed the lawsuit as "baseless" and criticized both the Trump administration and the participating states for pursuing the case.
"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," WPATH said.
