Trump Declares Trans Youth "Child Abuse," Pledges "Punishment"

The declaration was made in Trump's designation of April as National Child Abuse Prevention Month.

Photo by Tabrez Syed on Unsplash

On Thursday, President Donald Trump declared April as National Child Abuse Prevention Month. In the brief proclamation, one of the only examples of child abuse he cites is “the sinister threat of gender ideology.” He also alludes to attacks on LGBTQ+ parents, stating that there is “no substitute for a strong mother and father”—a frequent talking point among far-right groups used to delegitimize same-sex couples. Trump concludes the statement by vowing to punish those he deems responsible for such “child abuse” to the fullest extent of the law.

“Sadly, one of the most prevalent forms of child abuse facing our country today is the sinister threat of gender ideology. Proponents of the gender ideology movement are outrageously indoctrinating our children with the devastating lie that they are trapped in the wrong body — and that the only way they can be truly happy is to alter their sex with hormone therapy, puberty blockers, and sexual mutilation surgery. The evil and backwards lies of gender insanity are robbing our children of their happiness, health, and freedom, while imposing unimaginable heartbreak on parents and families. As I stated during my Joint Address to the Congress last month, my message to every American child is simple: you are perfect exactly the way God made you,” reads Trump’s statement.

Trump then goes on to cite his efforts to prevent child abuse—once again turning to his anti-transgender policies. He references Executive Order 14187, which targets public schools and educators for supporting transgender youth. The order directs the attorney general and state attorneys general to prosecute teachers and counselors who affirm transgender students, accusing them of “practicing medicine without a license.” It also threatens to strip public schools of funding if they allow transgender students to participate in sports or use bathrooms aligned with their gender identity.

Trump closes off by stating that he will prosecute people to the fullest extent of the law: “This National Child Abuse Prevention Month, we pledge to stop the atrocity of child abuse in all its forms. We affirm that every perpetrator who inflicts violence on our children will be punished to the fullest extent of the law.”

The proclamation marks the latest escalation in attacks on transgender people across the United States. Efforts to define being transgender as child abuse have long sparked controversy. In 2022, Governor Greg Abbott called on citizens to report the parents of transgender youth for child abuse, and state agents began sweeping Texas in search of transgender children—actions that were ultimately blocked by the state’s own courts. Despite Texas’s conservative judiciary, the court rulings halted the practice. Still, the threat led many families to flee the state out of fear they could lose their children.

This year, two states—Texas and Montana—have advanced efforts to classify transgender youth care as child abuse. In Texas, proposed legislation defines child abuse as “causing, permitting, encouraging, engaging in, or allowing” a transgender youth to transition. Montana’s bill takes a similar approach, targeting parents with child abuse investigations for seeking gender-affirming care for their children—care that remains legal in the state due to court rulings. While Texas’s bill has seen little movement, Montana’s has already passed the Senate and is expected to come to a full vote on the House floor.

Allowing youth to transition is not child abuse. Transgender youth see much lower suicide and depression rates when they are affirmed and accepted for who they are in loving families. A Cornell review of more than 51 studies determined that trans care significantly improves the mental health of transgender people. One major study even noted a 73% lower suicidality among trans youth who began care. A similar study found a 40% reduction in actual suicide attempts over the previous year. In a recent article published in the Journal of Adolescent Health in April of 2024, puberty blockers were found to significantly reduce depression and anxiety. In Germany, a recent review by over 27 medical organizations has judged that gender affirming care is recommended for trans youth, and a recent medical consensus in France supported their use. The evidence around transgender care led to a historic policy resolution condemning bans on gender affirming care by the American Psychological Association, the largest psychological association in the world, which was voted on by representatives of its 157,000 members.

It remains unclear how Trump will seek to enforce this latest proclamation, but similar executive actions and rhetoric have already spurred sweeping state-level crackdowns on transgender people. While previous attempts to classify being transgender as child abuse have faced legal and political obstacles, this declaration may signal a renewed push—and offer justification—for escalating those efforts.