Sacramento Hearing Doubles Down on Transgender Drugs and Surgeries for Kids as Evidence of Harm Mounts
At a time when federal agencies are reevaluating the use of experimental drugs and irreversible procedures on minors, California lawmakers are doubling down.
This afternoon, the California State Capitol will host a joint oversight hearing titled “Access to Gender Affirming Care in California,” convened by Senate and Assembly budget subcommittees on health.
But beneath the bureaucratic language lies a growing national controversy:
Should doctors be allowed to give children life-altering drugs and surgeries in an effort to make them look like the opposite sex, rather than helping them come to terms with the sex they truly are?
A Hearing at Odds with Federal Developments
This hearing comes as federal agencies and independent reviews are increasingly questioning the safety and effectiveness of puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgeries for minors.
California, however, appears poised to resist that shift.
Rather than examining the mounting evidence of harm, the hearing is framed around expanding “access” to these interventions, while largely ignoring the growing number of medical authorities, international health bodies, and whistleblowers raising serious concerns.
Recent developments highlighted by California Family Council underscore this shift:
- Major hospitals like Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) are halting new gender procedures for minors
- Sutter Health is retreating from pediatric gender treatments
- A federal report exposing how leading medical organizations misled policymakers
Despite these warning signs, California lawmakers appear intent on reinforcing the very system now under scrutiny.
The Johanna Olson-Kennedy Controversy
One of the most troubling aspects of this hearing is the inclusion of Dr. Johanna Olson-Kennedy, formerly of CHLA’s gender clinic.
Olson-Kennedy conducted a high-profile study on puberty blockers and their impact on youth mental health. However, according to reporting by The New York Times, she did not release the study’s results because the findings failed to show improvement in the mental health of minors taking these drugs.
This revelation directly contradicts one of the central claims used to justify these interventions—that they are necessary to improve mental health outcomes.
If the data does not support the narrative, why are lawmakers not demanding transparency?
Activists Push for $26 Million Expansion
Adding to the urgency, activist organizations including Equality California and PFLAG chapters are mobilizing supporters to attend Monday’s hearing—not to question these treatments, but to expand them.
They are calling on activists to urge lawmakers to add $26 million to the state budget to fund so-called “gender-affirming care,” framing the request as a response to federal actions.
This coordinated effort highlights the political pressure surrounding the issue—and raises serious questions about whether this “oversight hearing” will genuinely evaluate evidence or simply reinforce predetermined conclusions.
Giving Voice to the Harmed
In response, California Family Council will host a press conference at the Capitol prior to the hearing, alongside partner organizations including Our Duty.
The purpose is clear: to give a platform to those too often ignored, detransitioners and individuals harmed by these medical interventions. One of those detransitioners, will be Layla Jane, who will share her devastating experience of being approved for a double mastectomy at just 12 years old and undergoing surgery shortly after turning 13.
- Lifelong sterilization
- Sexual dysfunction
- Loss of healthy body parts
- Emotional and psychological trauma
These are not rare outliers. They are the predictable consequences of treating healthy children with powerful drugs and irreversible surgeries.
Ignoring the Evidence
Greg Burt, Vice President of California Family Council, did not mince words:
“California lawmakers are ignoring a growing body of scientific evidence showing the harms of puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones, including sterilization and lifelong sexual dysfunction. These are the inevitable side effects of attempting something medically impossible: changing a child’s sex.
In Europe, health authorities are pulling back from these treatments. The federal Department of Health and Human Services has raised serious concerns. Yet here in California, legislators appear unwilling to even review this evidence.
Instead, this hearing seems designed to push a narrative that children are victims of a cruel and hateful federal administration, while ignoring the real victims: young people who have been permanently harmed.”
A Critical Moment for California
This hearing is being presented as an opportunity for “oversight.” But if lawmakers refuse to examine the evidence, listen to detransitioners, or confront the failures of these treatments, it risks becoming little more than a political exercise.
Scripture reminds us: “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil” (Isaiah 5:20, ESV).
True compassion requires truth. And truth demands honesty about the real risks, the lack of proven benefits, and the irreversible harm being done to vulnerable children.
California stands at a crossroads.
Will lawmakers follow the evidence and protect children?
Or will ideology continue to override science, medicine, and common sense?
Today’s hearing may provide the answer.