Outrage over Trump White House directive to NIH to study 'regret' transgenders feel after transitioning

WASHINGTON, DC: Donald Trump's White House has directed the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study the "regret" that transgender people feel after choosing to medically transition.

This happened as the NIH continues to defund nearly every research project on transgender health. Several anonymous NIH employees confirmed the directive to Nature.

Trump's WH directs NIH to study negative consequences after transgender people transition

Matthew Memoli, who was the acting NIH director at the time, sent an e-mail to the directors of several NIH institutes two weeks ago.

The email stated that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which is the NIH’s parent agency, "has been directed to fund research on a few specific areas" related to what it calls "chemical and surgical mutilation" of children and adults, a reference to gender-affirming care and surgery, per the outlet.

The email said that "this is very important to the President and the Secretary” of the HHS, Robert F Kennedy Jr.

The NIH employees said, according to Nature, that the White House sometimes directs the NIH to study certain topics, such as cancer or women’s health, but the recent directive’s specificity, inflammatory language, and focus on a hyperpolarizing topic is unprecedented based on its priority.

Moreover, a staff member added that the White House can sometimes "push us on various different things, we normally get to chart out the approach."

Notably, many scientists slammed the proposed studies as ideologically driven, per Nature.

Harry Barbee, who studies the health of people from gender and sexual minorities (LGBT+) at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, and identifies as non-binary and queer, informed the outlet, "It’s really pigeonholing trans people into this medical lens where the only thing important to know about them is that they seek medical transition."

Barbee added, "When ideology is prioritized over scientific merit, that threatens the entire scientific enterprise."

Donald Trump's actions against trans community since becoming the POTUS

Since Donald Trump became the president for the second time, he has taken some stern decisions that have directly affected the transgender community in the US.

In January 2025, he announced that there will only be two genders -- male and female -- as he signed an executive order and declared that they cannot be changed.

Similarly, in February, Trump signed another executive order banning transgender women from competing in women’s sports, according to CNN.

While signing the order titled 'Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports', Trump said, "With this executive order, the war on women’s sports is over."

Moreover, Trump also issued an executive order restricting access to gender-affirming medical care for transgender people under the age of 19, leading to many hospitals nationwide abruptly cutting off treatment for trans youth.

The POTUS order would deny trans youth access to medically-necessary care, like puberty blockers and hormone therapy, according to ACLU.

Internet slams Trump as WH directs NIH to study 'regret' trans people feel after transitioning

Many internet users slammed Donald Trump as the White House directed the NIH to study the "regret" that transgender people feel after choosing to medically transition.

A user wrote on Reddit, "Every person now has regrets based on the current administration, so much regret that it will skew all future studies," while one added, "Wasting lots of tax money for….? Obviously there are no real issues to spend that money on."

A person also stated, "Trump White House asks science to bend to its narrative," whereas one mentioned on X, "Isn't the regret rate near non-existent, I am not fully well-versed but I'm pretty sure."

A user also wrote, "They want to use these definitely scientific results as justification to outlaw gender affirming healthcare," while one commented, "Exclusive: Trans community directs Americans to study 'regret' after Trump election."

A person added, "I regret…….not transitioning much earlier in life," whereas one mentioned, "Disgusting. All the money in the world can't buy you human decency I guess."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online