Robert F Kennedy Jr is currently receiving gender-affirming care. Yes, really

US health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, , who once likened gender-affirming care to ‘mutilation,’ is currently undergoing… gender-affirming care.

The 71-year-old Republican is reportedly taking hormone replacement therapy medication despite his repeated criticism of the medical treatment, which is an often life-saving way to affirm trans people’s gender identity.

Since becoming US health secretary in February, Kennedy has falsely framed gender-affirming care as a form of “chemical and surgical mutilation” while enacting policies pressuring major healthcare providers to cease trans healthcare services.

But, according to a recently-published interview with The Atlantic, the vaccine sceptic is currently undergoing testosterone-replacement therapy – a form of gender-affirming care.

Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT), is a medical treatment designed to supplement the body’s natural testosterone production to reach desired levels. It is used by trans men and cisgender men with hypogonadism; low levels of testosterone.

Alongside exercises and a strict health regime, Kennedy is currently undergoing the medical treatment in order to reach his desired form of masculinity – in other words, to affirm his gender identity.

Journalist Michael Scherer, who profiled RFK Jr for the piece, likened his appearance to that of a “comic-book character,” highlighting his “bronzed face” and “chiseled angles.”

Kennedy also spoke about undergoing TRT during an interview with Newsmax last year, after the vaccine-sceptic was accused of using steroids to achieve his physique.

“I take testosterone replacements which are appropriate for my age,” he said. “Then I take a big fist full of nutrients.”

While gender-affirming care for trans teens, including reversible puberty blockers, have been banned by a plethora of red states, US healthcare providers in states where it is legal, including in California and Washington DC, have faced escalating pressure by the Trump administration to ban trans healthcare for under-18s.

Leaked reports from the Department of Health and Human Services, reported by NPR in October, also suggest the administration is planning to heavily restrict gender-affirming care for trans youngsters nationally.

This is despite evidence that healthcare bans amount to “state-sanctioned medical neglect and emotional abuse,” according to the American Academy of Paediatrics.

“These legislative efforts operate under the guise of protecting children. In reality, they punish caregivers and physicians when they choose to support children,” it explained.

Conversely, plenty of studies have proved trans healthcare is almost always beneficial for patients, adults and under-18s alike. One report from 2024 found that 97 per cent of trans youngsters are “highly satisfied” with the results of hormone replacement therapy.

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