Nicki Minaj doubles down on stance against trans youth with breast implants comparison
Nicki Minaj has doubled down on her stance against trans youth. (Getty)
Rapper Nicki Minaj has attempted to explain her stance against transgender youth, stating that she disagrees with children accessing gender-affirming surgeries – despite such instances being extremely rare.
During an appearance on the The Katie Miller Podcast on Tuesday (3 February), the controversial “Starships” performer, 43, was asked why she is so vehemently opposed to California governor Gavin Newsom.
When Miller questioned whether Minaj was opposed to Newsom due to his support for trans youth, the rapper took a moment to try and explain her views.
“I want to make it clear. I personally don’t have an issue with the trans part of the LGBT at all,” she began.
“I am the biggest advocate for adults being able to do whatever the heck they wanna do, they’re adults. I don’t care.”
Minaj then compared gender-affirming surgery for trans youth to allowing a teenager “to get breast implants”.
“Ninety-nine per cent of the parents would not let their 17-year-old child get breast implants. If you wouldn’t let a child get breast implants, you’re not gonna want them to have any kind of surgery. We all know the brain is not developed,” she said.
It is extremely rare that gender-affirming surgeries, such as chest feminisation or masculinisation, vaginoplasty and phalloplasty, are performed on patients under the age of 18 in the US.
As noted by the Human Rights Campaign, in the rare instances where gender affirming surgery has been performed on those under the age of 18, it has been done so only on patients for whom it is “deemed clinically necessary” to reduce depression and suicidal ideation stemming from gender dysphoria.
Only patients who have been “consistent and persistent in their gender identity for years” and have accessed gender-affirming hormones for some time can access gender-affirming surgeries, and only after extensive consultations between the patient, their parents, and doctors.
The notion that gender-affirming surgery is commonly performed on youth under the age of 18 is false and often pedalled by anti-trans campaigners.
Minaj continued her explanation by claiming that youth who have accessed gender-affirming surgery are “19 times more likely” to take their life than those who have not accessed such surgery.
“What more do you need to know? That a child is 19 times more likely to commit suicide if they have surgery before they’re an adult? I just wanted to make that clear. Of course, I don’t judge adults, they can do whatever they want,” she said.
Though Minaj did not cite the source of her data, a 2011 study, featuring 324 trans participants, indicated that individuals who had accessed gender-affirming surgery were 19-times more likely to take their own life than members of the general population.
The study did not focus on trans youth, nor did it indicate that accessing gender-affirming surgery was the reason participants had died by suicide. While it is acknowledged that trans people experience higher suicide rates than the wider public, this can often be due to external factors such as “discrimination, bullying and stigma” plus “policies of exclusion,” according to Ian Crabtree, the author of a separate study on trans suicide rates.
Conversely, several more recent studies have indicated that trans youth who access gender-affirming care experience positive mental health benefits as a result.
Minaj did not offer her thoughts on trans youth who have transitioned socially but not via gender-affirming care or surgery.
Earlier this week, after model Chrissy Teigen appeared to celebrate Minaj’s absence from the 2026 Grammy Awards, Minaj falsely claimed that Teigen, a cisgender woman, “has/had a d** [sic]”.
Elsewhere on the podcast, Minaj doubled down on her support for Republican president Donald Trump, stating that she became an ardent support of him due to him being “bullied” by the left.
Last month, Minaj joined Trump on stage at an event in Washington, during which she professed to be his “number one fan”.
The rapper also courted controversy recently for using a homophobic slur about gay journalist Don Lemon following his coverage of an anti-ICE protest at a church in Minnesota.
Readers affected by the issues raised in this story are encouraged to contact Samaritans free on 116 123 (www.samaritans.org) or Mind on 0300 123 3393 (www.mind.org.uk). Readers in the US are encouraged to contact the National Suicide Prevention Line on 1-800-273-8255.
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