TRANS-FORM YOUR MIND
Fighting Misinformation
THE FACTS
The Claims Are Wrong. Here Is the Truth.
False claims about transgender people have spread far and wide — through social media, political speeches, and local school board meetings. Many people repeat these claims because they genuinely believe them. Others spread them intentionally to cause fear.
Either way, the truth matters. Here it is.
What Is Misinformation?
Misinformation is false or incorrect information spread without the intent to deceive. The person sharing it believes it to be true.
Disinformation is false information deliberately spread to influence public opinion or obscure the truth.
Both are harmful. Both can be countered with facts.
CLAIMS VS. THE TRUTH
The Facts
CLAIM: "Children are getting sex-change operations at their schools."
THE TRUTH:
This is false. Under U.S. law, gender confirmation surgery is not available to anyone under the age of 18 — except in rare cases where medical professionals determine it is necessary for the patient's safety. It does not happen in schools. It is not legal.
CLAIM: "Transgender people are mentally ill."
THE TRUTH:
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), published by the American Psychiatric Association, explicitly states that gender non-conformity — including being transgender — is not a mental disorder.
What is recognized is gender dysphoria — the distress that can result when a person's gender identity does not match their sex assigned at birth. The condition is real. The treatment is established. The person is not ill.
CLAIM: "Transgender women are really men in disguise, trying to get into women's bathrooms."
THE TRUTH:
Transgender women are women. They use women's restrooms for the same reason every other woman does. The claim that transgender women represent a safety threat in restrooms has been studied repeatedly. There is no evidence to support it.
CLAIM: "Transgender girls have a genetic advantage in girls' sports."
THE TRUTH:
When transgender girls are receiving hormone blockers, their physical development is no different from that of cisgender girls. Across the United States, approximately 1% of the 8 million teenagers who participate in school sports are transgender. The idea of a widespread competitive imbalance driven by transgender athletes is not supported by data.
CLAIM: "Transgender identity is a new trend driven by social influence."
THE TRUTH:
Transgender people have existed throughout human history and across cultures. According to the UCLA Williams Institute, approximately 2.87 million Americans identify as transgender — about 0.86% of the U.S. population. That is not a trend. It is a longstanding, documented part of human experience.
CLAIM: "Gender-affirming care for youth is experimental and dangerous."
THE TRUTH:
A comprehensive 1,026-page evidence report commissioned by the Utah State Legislature and drawn from the Department of Health and Human Services concluded that policies preventing access to gender-affirming hormone treatment for minors "cannot be justified based on the quantity or quality of medical science findings." The report further found that the evidence supports these treatments as effective for mental health and psychosocial outcomes.
Hormone blockers — one of the most common treatments for transgender youth — are also fully reversible. If a patient stops treatment, normal development resumes.