Department of Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary for Health, Admiral Rachel Levine speaks on Wednesday, June 29, 2022, in Miami, Florida.Biden administration officials attempted to pressure an international group that sets guidance on transgender health issues to remove the minimum age recommended for gender-affirming care, according to emails released in an
“Assistant Secretary for Health Dr. Rachel Levine strongly pressured WPATH leadership to rush the development and issuance of SOC-8 , in order to assist with Administration political strategy,” stated the email from an unnamed member of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health and obtained by James Cantor, a psychologist and critic of gender-affirming care for minors.
While Levine was generally pleased by the new standards, according to the email, “she was very concerned that having ages will affect access to health care for trans youth and maybe adults too.