Joint Statement condemning the harmful conflation of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) with gender-affirming care

The U.S. End FGM/C Network, Equality Now, Sahiyo, and The World Professional Association for Transgender Health are disheartened by the harmful and inaccurate conflation of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C)– a recognized human rights violation which all of our organizations are committed to addressing– with gender-affirming care, an essential form of healthcare treatment for transgender individuals. 

On Tuesday, April 22, 2025, Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a memo, “Preventing the Mutilation of American Children,” based on the executive order, “Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation.” On May 19, 2025, a House Resolution titled “Protect Children’s Innocence Act of 2025” was introduced to Congress to amend the federal law against FGM/C to include gender-affirming care. Equating gender-affirming care with FGM/C, these actions exploit the condemnation of FGM/C to provoke opposition to trans-related healthcare, while obscuring the fundamental difference between the two.

Our organizations are deeply concerned that critical legislation intended to protect individuals from FGM/C is being co-opted by anti-trans rights agendas to stigmatize, marginalize, or scapegoat individuals and communities. 

This incorrect conflation must be challenged.

FGM/C is a human rights violation and an extreme form of gender-based violence, recognized under international human rights law, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. FGM/C has been documented in at least 94 countries around the world. Over 230 million women and girls worldwide are impacted, over half a million of whom are located in the United States. FGM/C has no health benefits, and instead may cause severe bleeding, shock, or death, as well as problems urinating, cysts, infections, complications in childbirth, and increased risk of newborn deaths. 

FGM/C has been a federal crime in the United States since 1996, and 41 U.S. States also have laws against it. These hard-fought legal protections for FGM/C survivors and those at-risk must be preserved at the state and federal levels. Ending FGM/C is an established domestic issue that deserves urgent attention. U.S. Federal law 18 U.S. Code § 116 ‘Female Genital Mutilation,’ as amended by the STOP FGM Act 2020, clearly defines FGM/C as all procedures that involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. This definition is legally agreed upon and utilized not only across the U.S. but globally by the World Health Organization. 

FGM/C and gender-affirming care are not the same. Importantly, several key distinctions differentiate the two. FGM/C is performed without consent and compromises a person’s bodily autonomy, leading to negative physical and mental health effects that can last a lifetime. Meanwhile, gender-affirming care is an evidence-based and medically necessary form of care that includes a diverse array of interventions to align one’s identity with their sexual characteristics; such care is only provided with the consent of the individual. Research shows that gender-affirming care leads to decreased rates of depression, improvement in psychosocial functioning, and minimal long-term side effects. 

The STOP FGM Act is one of the few bills that received full bipartisan support in both houses of Congress before it was signed into law by President Trump in 2020. With U.S. support, the national and global movement to end FGM/C and protect girls from this specific violence has grown rapidly. Discussions on FGM/C must remain accurate and rooted in legal and human rights frameworks. Conflating a non-consensual, harmful practice with essential medical care risks undermining efforts to effectively address both issues. 

We believe in approaching ending FGM/C with understanding, empathy, and sensitivity to prevent discrimination, targeting, blame, and shaming. We call on the federal government and all states to refrain from falsely equating FGM/C and gender-affirming care and to focus instead on the prevention of FGM/C, thus promoting the protection of human rights for all.

About the signers:

The U.S. End FGM/C Network is a collaborative group of around 200 members, including FGM/C survivors, civil society organizations, foundations, activists, policymakers,  researchers, healthcare providers, and others committed to promoting the abandonment of FGM/C in the U.S. and globally. To learn more about our work, please visit endfgmnetwork.org.

Caitlin LeMay
Executive Director
caitlin@endfgmnetwork.org

Sahiyo is a survivor-centered nonprofit working at the intersection of gender justice, bodily autonomy, and cultural change. Our mission is to empower Asian and other communities to end female genital cutting (FGC) and foster positive social change through dialogue, education, and collaboration. By centering community involvement, we ensure that those most impacted by FGC—also known as female genital mutilation—lead the movement to end this harmful practice in a way that is informed, inclusive, and culturally nuanced. To learn more about our work, visit sahiyo.org. 

Marya Taher
Executive Director
mariya@sahiyo.org

Equality Now is an international human rights organization founded in 1992 to protect and advance the rights of all women and girls around the world. Its campaigns focus on four programmatic areas: achieving legal equality, ending sexual violence, ending harmful practices, and ending sexual exploitation, with a cross-cutting focus on the unique needs of adolescent girls and other vulnerable groups. To learn more about our work, please visit https://equalitynow.org/. 

Mona Sinha
Executive Director
msinha@equalitynow.org 

WPATH is a non-profit, interdisciplinary professional and educational organization dedicated to advancing the health and well-being of transgender and gender-diverse people worldwide. Our membership includes professionals, students, and supporters who are actively engaged in research, clinical practice, and advocacy to promote evidence-based care. WPATH’s mission is to promote evidence-based care, education, research, public policy, and respect in transgender health. To learn more, please visit https://WPATH.org 

Leo Lewis
Executive Director
llewis@wpath.org