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America\u2019s most influential psychological association told The Daily Wire it still recommends children receive so-called gender affirming medical interventions, despite downplaying its support of child transgenderism in a letter to government officials<\/a> investigating<\/a> fraud in pediatric gender medicine.<\/p>\n The American Psychological Association (APA) confirmed in a written statement that it continues to \u201csupport treatments for minors seeking gender affirming care\u201d in alignment with it\u2019s 2024 policy statement,<\/a> which endorses minors receiving harmful gender medical interventions, condemns state laws banning child sex-changes, and says \u201cnon-affirmation\u201d of a child\u2019s transgender identity can cause \u201csignificant harm.\u201d<\/p>\n In a September 2025 letter<\/a> to the Federal Trade Commission \u2014 which is actively investigating unfair and deceptive<\/a> practices within the field of pediatric \u201cgender affirming care\u201d \u2014 the APA downplayed its support of \u201cgender affirming care,\u201d stating the primary role of a therapist treating children with gender dysphoria is assessment, not affirmation.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is important to stress that during the assessment and evaluation process, a diagnosis of gender dysphoria or the identification of a youth as gender-questioning is not an automatic or singular pathway to medical intervention or even social transitioning,\u201d the letter reads.<\/p>\n This statement contradicts the idea that \u201cnon-affirmation\u201d poses a direct harm to children, as included in the 2024 policy.<\/p>\n Kurt Miceli, the chief medical officer at Do No Harm, says the APA wants to \u201chave it both ways.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe American Psychological Association continues its attempt at having it both ways,\u201d Miceli told The Daily Wire. \u201cIn its 2024 Policy Statement, the APA explicitly endorses \u2018medical gender\u2011affirming care,\u2019 even urging insurers to cover these interventions for minors.\u201d<\/p>\n The APA told The Daily Wire the \u201c2024 policy statement and the FTC letter are consistent\u201d and that \u201cboth documents reflect APA\u2019s consistent commitment to evidence-based psychological care.\u201d<\/p>\n The APA is the latest medical group to try to shed its reputation for radical transgender ideology. When President Donald Trump returned to office, his administration purged gender ideology from the government and launched investigations into practices within pediatric gender medicine. Since then, gender clinics across the country<\/a> have closed their doors, while\u00a0the American Society of Plastic Surgery<\/a> has backed away from supporting sex-rejecting procedures for minors.<\/p>\n \u201cThe APA\u2019s 2024 and 2025 statements cannot be reconciled,\u201d Miceli told The Daily Wire. \u201cIt is an audacious contradiction for the APA to try to claim that their definition of \u2018affirming care\u2019 means anything other than sex-rejecting interventions.\u201d<\/p>\n The Daily Wire asked the APA how it simultaneously viewed the \u201cnon-affirmation\u201d of a child\u2019s gender identity as causing \u201csignificant harm\u201d while recommending a psychologist\u2019s role is to assess, rather than affirm, a child\u2019s gender confusion. The Daily Wire also asked for clarity on what clinical standards the APA recommends to help therapists determine when non-affirmation of gender identity is harmful versus when it\u2019s an appropriate part of a clinical assessment.<\/p>\n The APA did not provide a straightforward answer to these questions, but said, \u201cIn APA\u2019s professional framework, affirming care does not mean a predetermined outcome, automatic validation of any particular intervention, or bypassing clinical judgment.\u201d<\/p>\n The Daily Wire asked the APA if a therapist should withhold using a child\u2019s preferred pronouns \u2014 a form of \u201csocial transition\u201d \u2014 until the child undergoes an extensive assessment.<\/p>\n \u201cAffirmation and assessment work together,\u201d the APA told The Daily Wire. \u201cSupporting a child does not mean steering them toward any particular outcome, and neither a diagnosis nor a youth\u2019s questions about gender automatically lead to social or medical transition.\u201d<\/p>\n The APA also said it \u201ccautions that equating gender\u2011affirming care solely with medical transition can stigmatize and limit access to essential mental health services.\u201d<\/p>\n With more than 190,000 members<\/a> nationwide, the APA has a far-reaching impact on the psychological field and the practice of therapy throughout the United States. The APA has received more than 20 million dollars in federal funding since 2020, according to a government transparency website<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n