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Republicans on Capitol Hill will participate in Detrans Awareness Day on Wednesday.
Republicans rally in D.C. to amplify anti-trans voices and push gender-affirming care bans.
Republican lawmakers and conservative groups in Washington, D.C., are ramping up their attacks on transgender rights with a "Detrans Awareness Day," a slate of events on Capitol Hill set for Wednesday.
The events, framed as a platform for people who identified as trans previously but who have detransitioned, are part of a growing strategy by the GOP to justify bans on gender-affirming care and push harmful narratives about transgender lives. For what evidence does exist, detransitioning is extremely rare.
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The main event, organized by Genspect and backed by a coalition of anti-LGBTQ+ organizations, has sold out but will be livestreamed, according to the group’s website. The day will feature discussions on so-called “medical ethics,” legal challenges to gender-affirming care, and the supposed role of social media in influencing gender identity. Republican politicians are expected to attend and reinforce their commitment to dismantling trans rights under the guise of protecting children.
Related: Biden issues proclamation for Transgender Day of Visibility amid Republican attacks on trans rights
Among those speaking at Detrans Awareness Day are Laura Becker, Soren Aldaco, and Chloe Cole, figures frequently used by anti-trans activists to push restrictive policies. Cole, in particular, has testified in multiple GOP-led hearings advocating for the elimination of gender-affirming care for minors and has become a favorite speaker among far-right groups.
“I’m going to New York today and then D.C. on March 12 for Detrans Awareness Day!” Becker posted on X (formerlyTwitter). “This week will be huge—Capitol Hill, the White House, and so much more.”
Another detransitioner, Maia Poet, wrote, “Officially landed in DC for detrans awareness day!!!!!!”
According toThe Handbasket, multiple GOP-sponsored events are being held alongside the Genspect conference. Rep. Dan Crenshaw of Texas is hosting a press conference at 3 p.m. EDT at the Longworth House Office Building, featuring Cole and Jared Ross, a figure known for making inflammatory claims about trans people on far-right media platforms. Crenshaw’s office confirmed that his event is separate from a roundtable discussion hosted by Secretary of Education Linda McMahon’s department, which will reportedly feature only detransitioners and conservative medical professionals. The Handbasket reports that McMahon’s department has ordered staff to telework for the day. Staff at the Department of Education were told to vacate the building by 6 p.m. on Tuesday for unspecified security reasons, MSNBC reports.
Moms for Liberty, The Heritage Foundation, Independent Women’s Forum, and other anti-LGBTQ+ groups are co-hosting a separate multi-panel event, according to The Handbasket. The event includes discussions on “medical harm,” legal challenges to gender-affirming care, and the role of “social contagion” in gender identity—terms frequently weaponized by anti-trans activists to fuel fear and misinformation.
Studies consistently show that regret among those who undergo gender-affirming care is rare. The overwhelming majority of trans people who receive care report improved mental health and quality of life.
The timing of Detrans Awareness Day also coincides with a more considerable effort by the Trump administration to dismantle transgender rights. On January 28, President Donald Trump signed an executive order restricting federal support for gender-affirming care, targeting providers and institutions offering treatment to minors and young adults. The order directs federal agencies to withdraw funding, enforce legal restrictions, and challenge medical guidelines supporting trans healthcare, further exacerbating barriers to care nationwide. Multiple federal judges have stepped in and blocked the order.
Related: LGBTQ+ and allied members of Congress introduce Trans Day of Visibility resolution
At the state and federal levels, Republican lawmakers are pushing extreme policies to criminalize gender-affirming care, restrict Medicaid coverage for transgender people’s access to health care, and ban trans people from public life.
In a few weeks, LGBTQ+ advocates will celebrate Transgender Day of Visibility on March 31. The internationally recognized day uplifts transgender lives, highlights ongoing discrimination, and calls for greater rights and inclusion. Last year, then-President Joe Biden issued a proclamation reaffirming his administration’s commitment to transgender rights and urging Congress to pass the Equality Act. “No one should have to be brave just to be themselves,” Biden said in his 2024 statement.
LGBTQ+ organizations like the Human Rights Campaign continue to emphasize that trans people do not need to be debated—they need protection from political attacks that threaten their safety and dignity.
Over the past few years, Republican-led states have banned puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and gender-affirming surgeries, often citing detransitioners—who make up a tiny fraction of those who transition—as justification.
Medical experts and LGBTQ+ advocates have denounced these policies as dangerous. The American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics affirm that gender-affirming care is safe, medically necessary, and backed by decades of research showing that it significantly reduces depression and suicide rates among trans youth.
