Tenn. AG Skrmetti to Newsmax: Government's Medical Consensus on Trans Care 'Fake'

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti criticized the federal government's stance on gender-affirming care for minors, calling the purported medical consensus supporting such treatments "fake" during an interview on Newsmax's "Saturday Agenda."

Skrmetti has taken a firm stance against gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors, describing the federal government's defense of such practices as based on a "fake consensus."

"The argument on the other side is this is a medical consensus," Skrmetti said, referring to the Biden administration's position. "All the big medical associations have said that this is good. They filed briefs on behalf of the government side, the federal government side. There's this consensus out there, but it's a fake consensus."

"They claim to be basing their decisions on the medicine," he continued. "But if you look at the medical research, as these European countries have, it shows that there's no benefit. And the risks are incredibly high for kids. If you just look at the scientific argument, the science is on our side."

Skrmetti cited a range of potential risks associated with gender-affirming treatments for minors, including infertility, blood clots, tumors, cognitive impairments, and bone density issues. He also compared minors' decisions in seeking such treatments to other regulated activities.

"We don't let kids make decisions about drinking alcohol, smoking tobacco, or getting tattoos because they're too young to meaningfully consent to changing the rest of their lives," he said. "These are serious issues, and the permanent loss of the ability to ever have kids is just one of the many lifelong impacts of these interventions."

The interview comes as the U.S. Supreme Court hears United States v. Skrmetti, a case centered on Tennessee's law banning gender-affirming care for transgender minors. The Biden administration has challenged the law on equal protection grounds, claiming it discriminates based on sex. The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned an earlier district court ruling in favor of the government.

Asked whether the Supreme Court could issue a broader ruling banning gender-affirming care for minors nationwide, Skrmetti said it was more likely that the issue would remain up to individual states. However, he highlighted the potential for Tennessee's law to influence others.

"One of the great things about America is when states get it right, the other states start to notice," Skrmetti said. "If you look at these European countries, they made this widely available to kids, then started looking at the evidence and pulling back. The truth became apparent that this is terrible for children."

Skrmetti also addressed comments by Justice Brett Kavanaugh during oral arguments, suggesting the case could have implications for other gender identity issues, such as women's sports and public accommodations.

"There's never been a constitutional case touching on gender identity issues before," Skrmetti said. "The Supreme Court could potentially resolve a lot of the questions about how the Constitution applies in this one case. There's real potential for this ruling to answer questions about whether lawsuits seeking to allow biological boys on girls' sports teams will have any legs."

"But as the evidence continues to come out showing what I think, a lot of people intuitively react, which is this is a horrible idea for kids. It's going to be harder and harder to justify doing this," he said.

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