Miami surgeon performs 'top surgery' for 15-year-old transgender kids, report says
NEW YORK (TND) — Healthcare professionals who have been criticized for allegedly providing life-altering "gender-affirming" surgeries to minors claim information about their services to youth are frequently misconstrued and misrepresented by right-wing media.
But one doctor in Florida providing "gender-affirming" pediatric services, Dr. Sidhbh Gallagher, has decided not to mince words when it comes to what she offers her minor patients. A recent article in The New York Times indicated Dr. Gallagher provides "top surgeries," or a procedure in which a child's breasts are removed, to multiple trans youth around the age of 15 every month, despite it being a clear violation of state health department guidelines where she practices.
"Dr. Gallagher said she performed top surgeries on about 40 patients a month, and roughly one or two of them are under 18. Younger patients are usually at least 15, though she has operated on one 13-year-old and one 14-year-old, she said, both of whom had extreme distress about their chests," a New York Times article published Monday reads.
The article also indicated Dr. Gallagher enjoys promoting the surgeries she provides for youth on social media, though there is no indication she is conducting surgeries without parental consent.
"Her feeds often fill with photos tagged #NipRevealFriday, highlighting patients like Michael whose bandages were just removed," the article notes. "On her office windowsill sits a framed nameplate with one of her best-known catchphrases on TikTok: 'Yeet the Teet,' slang for removing breasts."
The number of trans-identifying youth in America has nearly doubled in recent years, according to UCLA's Williams Institute. Roughly one in five trans identifying persons is between the ages of 13 and 17 the institute says.
As the debate over access to "gender-affirming care" for minors continues, many GOP states are seeking to restrict the availability of these procedures for minors.
While not illegal in Florida, providing "gender-affirming care" to minors violates state department of health guidelines.
And it soon could become illegal, as Florida's medical board voted last month to begin the process of banning "gender-affirming" medical treatments for youth, according to Politico.
