The previous assistant secretary for health promoted the drugs and surgeries.
President Donald Trump’s nominee for a top post at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) told senators on July 16 that he opposes giving drugs such as puberty blockers to children experiencing gender dysphoria.
Dr. Brian Christine, nominated to serve as assistant secretary for health, said during his confirmation hearing in Washington that gender dysphoria—distress stemming from the belief that one’s gender is different from their birth sex—is real.
“The best treatment for these individuals, in my opinion, and according to science, is that they be treated with compassionate counseling—expert counseling—and they be treated with support and care and love,” he said. “We know that if you treat minors with gender dysphoria in that way, then the vast majority of them, by the time they reach their late teens, will no longer suffer from gender dysphoria. They’re happy in their own skin. And so the point of that is, first, do no harm.”
Christine added that “the way to treat them is not with chemicals and puberty blockers and hormones and surgeries that do irreversible damage.”
The previous assistant secretary of health, Dr. Rachel Levine, is a male but as an adult began using a female name and presenting as a woman. Levine repeatedly promoted giving drugs such as puberty blockers to minors, describing it in a 2022 social media post as “medically necessary, safe, and effective for trans and non-binary youth.”
Levine also supported carrying out surgeries such as breast removal on minors with no age limits, according to excerpts of emails released during a court case.
“I know that the prior person in your role was pushing transgender surgeries on young children and advocating for those. What is your position on that, and how do you plan to bring sanity back to this role as it pertains to that issue?” Sen. Ashley Moody (R-Fla.) asked Christine on Wednesday, prompting Christine’s answer.
HHS earlier this year said that children with gender dysphoria should receive therapy, as opposed to drugs or surgeries.
