The Trump administration is taking steps to conduct a study on the risks and long-term consequences associated with gender transitions, particularly among children. According to a leaked directive from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), acting NIH Director Matthew Memoli has ordered a comprehensive study into what the memo describes as the effects of “social transition and/or chemical and surgical mutilation.”
The administration’s focus, spearheaded by President Donald Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is centered on examining the rising number of cases involving “regret” and “detransition” among individuals—especially minors—who have undergone transgender procedures. The memo calls for funding announcements within six months to begin this critical research.
For years, the voices of detransitioners—those who regret their decision and attempt to reverse course—have been marginalized by a politically driven medical establishment. Now, the Trump administration is moving to ensure that taxpayer-funded research includes the full picture, including the physical, emotional, and psychological costs of aggressive gender ideology pushed on vulnerable children.
Oxford sociologist Michael Biggs, who has studied this issue, acknowledged the importance of this move, stating that detransition is “an understudied population to collect systematic data on.” That acknowledgment flies in the face of activist-driven narratives that insist regret is rare and irrelevant.
Not surprisingly, the move has sparked outrage from left-wing activists and members of the LGBTQ lobby, who have long fought to suppress any research that could challenge their ideological framework. Former Biden health official Adrian Shanker blasted the directive as political, not scientific—though it is precisely the politicization of science that has prevented this research from being done in the first place.
Critics argue that regret is rare, citing outdated or incomplete data. But as more young people come forward after being fast-tracked into life-altering treatments, the need for honest, objective study is undeniable. Evidence-Based Gender Medicine cofounder Evgenia Abbruzzese said, “We are starting to see much greater numbers of young people who are seeing that they went down the wrong path … and they’re now left with irreversible changes to their body.”
The Trump administration’s push to investigate these consequences is a significant step toward protecting children from the irreversible damage caused by radical gender policies. Rather than catering to activist demands, the administration is demanding truth and accountability from the scientific community—something that should have happened years ago.
By prioritizing this issue, President Trump is giving a voice to those who have been silenced for too long—and placing the well-being of America’s youth above ideological agendas.
