Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris has avoided commenting on whether she supports transgender surgery for minors – a far-left position that most Americans do not support. Yet a number of LGBTQ groups that support gender reassignment surgery for children are eagerly supporting Harris and her running mate, Tim Walz.

Some of these leading LGBTQ groups include the American Civil Liberties Union, GLAAD, Advocates for Trans Equality and the Human Rights Campaign. These organizations, which did not respond to requests for comment, warn against “anti-LGBTQ” legislation, citing fears that Republican politicians would protect children from transgender interventions, discussions about gender and sexuality in the classroom and inappropriate drag performances.

Although Walz signed an executive order as governor of Minnesota establishing a “right” to transgender hormones, puberty blockers and surgery, the Harris campaign has so far refused to tell The Daily Signal whether it supports transgender surgery for minors. The White House referred The Daily Signal to the Harris campaign on the matter.

For a campaign closely linked to radical left groups, this issue is extremely dangerous, since most Americans oppose hormonal or surgical interventions on transgender children.

The White House, which had previously advocated for “medical care” for transgender children, seems to be aware of this. In early July, the White House backtracked on the issue. It first told news outlets that the Biden-Harris administration did not support transgender surgery on children, but then reiterated its support for irreversible procedures on minors after “intense pressure” from LGBTQ groups.

The change of heart followed reports that Rachel Levine, a top U.S. Department of Health and Human Services official who identifies as transgender, had successfully pressured the World Professional Association for Transgender Health to lift the age limit on minors undergoing irreversible transgender surgeries.

Levine’s office has said that “early” surgeries, hormone treatments and affirmation are “critical” to the health of children and teens who identify as transgender, and that if these procedures are not available to transgender youth, they are at risk of self-harm or suicide.

Studies have shown that, contrary to the claims of these activists, so-called gender reassignment surgery increases the likelihood that young people will attempt suicide. According to an April study, “gender reassignment surgery is significantly associated with an increased risk of suicide attempts, underscoring the need for comprehensive psychiatric care after the procedure.”

GLAAD

GLAAD (formerly known as the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) claims that so-called gender reassignment treatment (transgender surgery, hormones, and puberty blockers) is both critical and life-saving for young people who believe they are transgender. It states that “efforts to ban and criminalize this treatment are not based on medical or scientific expertise and often spread misinformation about what the treatment is.”

The organization has consistently documented Harris’s commitment to LGBTQ issues, calling the Biden-Harris administration “the most pro-LGBTQ presidency in history.” When selecting Walz as her running mate, GLAAD highlighted Harris’ commitment to LGBTQ issues.

“Vice President Harris’ selection of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz underscores a long-standing commitment to the equality, prosperity and safety of all Americans, including and especially LGBTQ people,” GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said in a statement at the time. “Governor Walz has a track record of including and protecting LGBTQ people and the fundamental freedoms that all Americans value.”

GLAAD’s accountability trackers highlight that Harris has taken at least “66 positive steps toward LGBTQ equality,” including marrying a gay couple back in 2004, opposing conversion therapy, and consistently supporting the radical Equality Act—a law that allows men into girls’ rooms, forces employers, employees, and hospitals to conform to state-mandated ideology, threatens families who refuse to give their children sex reassignment surgery, and more.

American Civil Liberties Union

The ACLU, an organization that advocates for obtaining so-called gender-affirming care for minors, predicts that given the “Biden-Harris administration’s record of improving protections for LGBTQ people,” there is a strong likelihood that “Kamala Harris would be a champion for the community if elected.”

“While much work remains to be done to protect the LGBTQ community, we have seen significant progress under the Biden-Harris administration in reversing the anti-trans and anti-LGBTQ policies of the Donald Trump administration,” the ACLU said in a press release titled “Why a Harris Presidency Promises Hope for LGBTQ Rights.”

A key ACLU goal for the Harris-Waltz administration is passage of the Equality Act. The ACLU promises that if necessary, it will apply public pressure, “including aggressive lobbying and grassroots mobilization,” to force Congress to pass the Equality Act.

Harris and Walz’s key recommendation is to “issue an executive order on day one directing federal agencies to explore ways to positively improve access to gender-affirming care in federally funded programs.” Gender-affirming care is the activist euphemism for transgender surgery, hormones, and puberty blockers.

The ACLU also wants Harris to work with the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division to “protect transgender people across the country from discriminatory state laws through litigation.”

“The Biden-Harris administration has a strong track record of protecting and expanding the freedoms of LGBTQ people at a time when those freedoms have been under unprecedented attack,” James Esseks, co-director of the ACLU’s LGBTQ and HIV Project, said in a statement in August.

“In the face of further attacks on our rights and a landmark ruling in the Supreme Court, we encourage a Harris-Walz administration to continue this commitment and do everything in its power to protect our rights, our health care, and our freedom to be ourselves without fear,” Esseks added.

Human Rights Campaign

When Harris announced Walz as her vice presidential running mate, the Human Rights Campaign concluded that “a Harris administration would build on the legacy of Biden and Harris as the greatest champions of equality in American history.”

“There is no doubt about it – Kamala Harris has electrified the nation and breathed new hope into the race,” Kelley Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign, said in a statement at the time. “Her selection of Governor Walz sends the message that a Harris-Walz administration will be committed to advancing equality and justice for all.”

The organization praised Harris as a “career-long champion for LGBTQ+ people,” noting that she created a hate crimes unit to investigate crimes against people who identify as LGBTQ shortly after becoming San Francisco district attorney in 2004. HRC also praised her for a 2006 conference she organized that brought together over 100 officials to refute the gay and transgender panic defense—which allows a defendant to claim that discovering that a person who identifies as trans misrepresented their biological sex enraged the defendant.

“As Vice President, Harris helped lead the most pro-equality administration in history,” HRC said in a press release. The Biden-Harris administration cites the signing of the Respect for Marriage Act, its promotion of people who identify as LGBTQ within the government, the selection of LGBTQ judges, and more as reasons.

The Human Rights Campaign also supports so-called gender-affirming care for minors and criticizes those who want to protect children: “Some even go so far as to accuse parents who support their transgender children of child abuse,” says a fact sheet from the organization on the subject.

HRC falsely claims that “no permanent medical interventions will be performed until a transgender person is old enough to give truly informed consent.” A number of detransitioners, that is, young people who tried to transition before realizing it was impossible, have recently sued the doctors and medical organizations that transitioned them, arguing that their age and mental health issues left them unable to give fully informed consent.

Advocates of equal rights for transsexuals

Advocates for Trans Equality expects Harris to “expand the protections for transgender Americans put in place by the Biden administration” and praises her for “her unwavering commitment to promoting the well-being of the transgender community.”

“Her leadership promises to strengthen and enhance efforts to respond to and meet the needs of transgender people, ensuring continued progress in our country’s civil rights history,” Rodrigo Heng-Lehtinen, executive director of Advocates for Trans Equality, said in a statement in July.

When the White House initially opposed transgender surgeries for minors, trans equality advocates fiercely opposed the move, accusing the White House of putting politics above science.

“No parent should ever find themselves in a situation where they, their child and their doctor agree on a course of action that is supported by the overwhelming majority of medical experts, but which the government prohibits,” Heng-Lehtinen said in a statement in early July.

“The Biden administration is sending mixed messages that are misguided and dangerous for trans youth,” Heng-Lehtinen added. “We need the president to keep his promise to stand up for trans youth and make clear his opposition to the dangerously broad bans that target trans youth and their families.”