At a gender clinic in California, doctors have reportedly prescribed puberty blockers to children as young as 9.
This information surfaced from a collection of emails linked to a prominent doctor at the University of California, San Francisco’s Child and Adolescent Gender Center. These emails were obtained through a freedom of information lawsuit.
A significant portion of the records, totaling 2,491 pages, included correspondence from UCSF medical directors Maddie Deutsch and Stephen Rosenthal, revealing that a 9-year-old had been administered puberty blockers previously.
Deutsch and Rosenthal are also co-authors of the World Professional Association’s Standard of Care for Transgender Health, Version 8, which shapes clinical practices internationally.
In an email exchange from October 2022, Rosenthal responded to a journalist’s inquiry about a case where an 8-year-old involved with the National Institutes of Health developed a bone issue after receiving puberty blockers.
Rosenthal, who co-founded the Gender Center at UCSF, clarified internally that the youngest participant in their study was actually 9, asserting that the mention of an 8-year-old was incorrect.
His reply maintained that “there are no such participants in our study,” contradicting the earlier claim.
Another email from May 2022 highlighted a discussion between Rosenthal and a colleague regarding “jarring research” they referred to in their work. They cited a controversial study by Stanford’s Diana Tordoff, claiming puberty blockers could potentially alleviate depression in transgender youth.
While they pointed to research supporting “clear mental health benefits” of gender-affirming care, some findings appeared to get lost or misrepresented.
Rosenthal lamented that he wished he had been aware of “important methodological concerns” before the related opinion piece was published. He expressed agreement with criticism concerning the study, emphasizing the need for thorough long-term follow-up in ongoing research.
A conservative group, Judicial Watch, prompted this disclosure after suing UCSF for failing to provide communications related to “gender-affirming hormone therapy” and “puberty suppression.”
Concerns have been raised regarding the practices at UCSF and LA Children’s Hospital, with claims of performing drug and surgical experiments on very young children.
The Post attempted to reach UCSF for a comment regarding the emails but did not receive a response immediately.
