Last Friday I wrote about Kaiser Pemanente's decision to stop offering gender affirming care to minors. Kaiser is just the latest of a slew of hospitals and medical groups that are opting out of gender affirming care because the legal exposure is too great.
Oakland-based Kaiser Permanente, which serves more than 12 million people across eight states, said Wednesday it would stop offering surgical gender-affirming treatments for trans minors next month, citing “significant risks” created by the current legal and regulatory environment surrounding care for transgender children.
That led to a protest over the weekend where a smallish group of trans activists gathered outside a Kaiser building in San Francisco. They were joined by state Senator Scott Wiener. But a number of opponents of gender affirming care for kids also showed up, leading to a tense situation.
A tense and confrontational rally unfolded in San Francisco as trans supporters clashed with those who oppose gender affirming surgeries for children.
This comes as Kaiser Permanente announced a pause in performing those surgeries for patients under 19.
Protesters on both sides of the controversy came out with signs in hand outside the Kaiser facility and pharmacy on Geary Boulevard. Many protested peacefully, but others clashed with each other as some tried to cover up a protester's sign.
Here are the protesters:
It’s not a cult tho
— WomenAreReal (@WomenAreReals) July 28, 2025
SF Kaiser Protest 7/25/25 pic.twitter.com/4lUyl6HIw3
But one of the people who showed up to counter-protest was a detransitioner named Layla Jane. When she was just 13, Jane had surgery to remove her breasts at the facility where the protest was taking place.
I showed up to Kaiser In SF today to counter protest everyone upset about the ban. This is the exact hospital that maimed me, and I'm glad they are halting the surgical harm. It's a step in the right direction. @bourne_beth2345 @WomenAreReals @DIAGdemocrats pic.twitter.com/0ggS3eWMes
— Layla Jane🦎 (@LJDetrans) July 26, 2025
One of the pro-gender affirming care protesters explained to a different counter protester that girls who have their breasts removed "aren't girls."
"they're not girls" I was, and will always be a female. What happened to me was medically assisted self harm. https://t.co/FyYndQF88b
— Layla Jane🦎 (@LJDetrans) July 28, 2025
Perhaps the most surprising thing about all of this is that some of the local news outlets covered both sides of the issue. Here's KPIX's report featuring both Layla Jane and a father of another detransitioner.
This is Gideon Codding's first time at a protest. He says his daughter transitioned at the age of 11 and is now regretting her choice.
"Every person in authority has failed them when they should have pumped the breaks, assured them and said, 'Hey, you're OK,' " he said. "Take some time, sort it out. Don't make any rash decisions."
People like Codding feel it's important to let kids grow up first, and wait on making any life-altering changes until they're adults.
"You know, no child is born in the wrong body," Layla Jane said. "Every child should be allowed to grow up whole and deserves adequate treatment for their underlying conditions."
Here's the full report:
.@LJDetrans was affirmed as a “boy” on her first visit with a Kaiser therapist. They gave her puberty blockers, testosterone and removed her breasts at 13.
— WomenAreReal (@WomenAreReals) July 26, 2025
Yesterday she stood facing critics and TV cameras outside the very building where this medical harm occurred 7 years ago. pic.twitter.com/UfPUZvQrKn
It's not easy to get a balanced report on this issue from any news outlet and that's probably especially true in San Francisco. So the fact that both sides of this issue are making news there is probably a sign that this is no longer a winning issue for the proponents of gender affirming care. And that's obviously good news because no doctor should be basing permanent, life-altering medical decisions on the feelings of an 11-year-old who has been propagandized on social media. Hopefully more hospitals nationwide will put a stop to this in the coming weeks.
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