Overview
- The Federal Trade Commission and the attorneys general of Alaska, Iowa, Nebraska and Texas filed a 123‑page complaint on June 17, 2026 in the Northern District of Texas seeking injunctions, civil penalties and state remedies against the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH).
- The suit accuses WPATH of making ten central misrepresentations or omissions in its Standards of Care, citing claims that puberty blockers are fully reversible, that cross‑sex hormones reliably improve mental health, and that certain interventions are ‘medically necessary’ or ‘lifesaving’ to prevent suicide.
- WPATH rejected the allegations and said the FTC lacks jurisdiction over its noncommercial speech; the group previously sued to block the agency’s probes and won a preliminary injunction in May that paused parts of the investigation.
- Plaintiffs say WPATH’s widely used guidelines shaped clinician recommendations and insurance coverage, and the case raises novel legal questions about whether the FTC can use consumer‑protection law to regulate medical guideline development and speech.
- The lawsuit is the latest move in the administration’s broader scrutiny of gender‑affirming care, which also includes FTC probes of the Endocrine Society and the American Academy of Pediatrics and a series of related federal reviews that could affect clinicians, insurers and families.