As pediatric gender clinics proliferate across the United States, critics argue that financial incentives, rather than patient well-being, are driving the rapid expansion of gender-affirming treatments for minors. Since 2007, the number of these specialized clinics has exploded, coinciding with a over 4,000% increase in youth identifying as transgender. Many describe these facilities as “one-stop shops” offering everything from puberty blockers and hormones to surgeries—all under one roof, creating a pipeline of lifelong medical dependency.
Detransitioners and experts highlight how these treatments generate substantial revenue. Hormones require ongoing prescriptions, surgeries like mastectomies cost tens of thousands, and follow-up care ensures repeat visits. One detransitioner, Walt Heyer, has accused clinics of prioritizing profit, stating providers “do everything for profit” while he helps others for free. Reports describe the industry as “highly profitable,” with hospitals performing hundreds of procedures annually on teens, including minors as young as 13.
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s Gender & Sexuality Development Program, for instance, markets itself as a comprehensive “one-stop shop” for gender-variant youth up to age 21, serving over 700 families. Similar programs at major hospitals have seen dramatic rises in surgeries, fueling claims of a lucrative business model that locks children into irreversible changes—sterility, chronic pain, and altered bodies—for sustained income.
While proponents insist care is evidence-based and lifesaving, growing detransition lawsuits allege rushed treatments without adequate mental health exploration, driven by ideology and economics. As one expert noted, these interventions create patients “for life,” raising serious questions about whether profit, not care, is the true motivator.
Sources:
- https://washingtonstand.com/commentary/genderindustrial-complex-worth-billions-annually-report
- https://www.foxnews.com/media/detransitioner-clinics-media-politicizing-gender-affirming-care-everything-for-profit
- https://creativeminorityreport.com/blog/2022/09/22/doctor-boasts-that-gender-surgery-is-big-money-and-says-objectors-must-face-consequences/
