The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is investigating organizations that have promoted the gender transitions of children. Civil demands have been sent to the American Academy of Pediatrics and the World Professional Association of Transgender Health, with investigators seeking information as to whether the groups have “made, or assisted others in making, false or unsubstantiated representations or engaged in unfair practices in connection with the marketing and advertising of Pediatric Gender Dysphoria Treatment.”
Both groups are seeking to stop the document request.
“The [Civil Investigative Demand] should be quashed in its entirety because it: (1) exceeds the scope of the Commission’s authority to investigate; (2) violates the First Amendment; (3) was not issued pursuant to a Commission Resolution; and (4) is overbroad and unduly burdensome,” reads the petition from the American Academy of Pediatrics.
WPATH’s petition states that it and its members have been “targeted, harassed, and retaliated against by federal and state government entities for the content of their speech and advocacy regarding healthcare for transgender and gender diverse individuals.” It further states that as the “current administration has taken a clear, public stance against gender-affirming care and WPATH itself, WPATH and its members have been subjects of conspiracy theories, politicized attacks, and harassment.”
FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson previously vowed to “fight back against the trans agenda” and “investigate the doctors, therapists, hospitals, and others who deceptively pushed gender confusion, puberty blockers, hormone replacement, and sex-change surgeries on children and adults while failing to disclose strong evidence that such interventions are not helpful and carry enormous risks.”
The FTC requested public comment on the subject in July, where it sought to learn how “consumers may have been exposed to false or unsupported claims about ‘gender-affirming care,’ especially as it relates to minors, and to gauge the harms consumers may be experiencing.”
