Detransitioner testifies to FTC alleging harm from gender-affirming care; agency seeks public input

A detransitioner testified before the Federal Trade Commission on Tuesday, alleging doctors harmed her with gender-affirming care she received as a teenager and arguing that health-care providers used deceptive practices. Prisha Mosley, an Independent Women ambassador and detransitioner, told the FTC that she was steered toward puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and surgery, a path she says was presented as necessary to align her body with a gender identity but amounted to deception. The FTC said it is seeking comments from people harmed by gender-affirming care as part of a broader inquiry into unfair or deceptive trade practices in health-related products and services.

Prisha Mosley described starting testosterone at age 17, a dosage she says was inappropriate for someone assigned female at birth. She said the hormone damaged her endocrine system and that the effects persist years after stopping testosterone, including vaginal atrophy, sexual dysfunction, chronic pain and a voice she can no longer use to sing. She said puberty would have progressed differently if not for the treatment, with hips developing smaller than they might have otherwise, contributing to delivery complications that led to a cesarean section when she became pregnant.

She also described a double mastectomy she underwent, saying doctors removed healthy breast tissue and nipples and repositioned them in a way that she says hindered breastfeeding and caused ongoing physical and aesthetic harm. Mosley tied these outcomes to mental-health diagnoses she carried since childhood, including anorexia, obsessive-compulsive disorder and suicidal ideation, and said doctors proceeded with irreversible changes despite concerns about her wellbeing. She framed the medical pathway as driven by institutional incentives, not just patient care, and argued that the same system will continue to charge for hormones and surgeries while also billing for the ongoing treatment of side effects. She said the treatment was marketed as compassionate care, but she described it as harm she now must manage for life, including medical costs and ongoing health issues.

The testimony comes as federal and state actions around gender-affirming care have intensified. The FTC hearing is part of a broader push to examine consumer protections in health services, with the agency inviting additional stories from people who say they were harmed. In parallel, headlines and lawsuits cited by the notes reference efforts by legal groups to obtain FDA records related to puberty blockers and other treatments and a state measure that proponents say expands accountability for clinicians who provide such care.

Context for the debate includes dissenting voices about the long-term harms and benefits of gender-affirming care. Medical groups have varied positions on the safety and efficacy of puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and related surgeries for minors, and outcomes data remain the subject of ongoing research. The FTC has not issued guidance or taken action against specific clinicians based on Mosley’s account alone; rather, the agency is collecting perspectives to inform possible consumer-protection considerations.

The testimony also highlights a broader national conversation about patient safety, medical decision-making, and the economics of gender-affirming care. Mosley argued that there is a financial motive among providers, noting that patients may be charged for hormones and surgeries and then for treatment of subsequent side effects. Supporters of gender-affirming care say guidelines are designed to address severe distress and improve quality of life for some patients, but advocates for detransitioners say more robust long-term data and safeguards are needed. The FTC’s request for comments signals that consumer protections regarding health services are a topic of growing public interest, even as medical guidelines and policies continue to evolve.

As this discussion unfolds, Mosley and others who have experienced detransition emphasize the importance of patient autonomy, informed consent, and the availability of pathways to reverse or alter treatment in a timely and safe manner. Critics of detransitioner-focused narratives caution against conflating individual experiences with broad policy conclusions, urging careful interpretation of scientific evidence and balanced regulatory action. The FTC’s process for collecting input will be a component of how policymakers weigh consumer protection considerations in health care markets, including those involving gender-affirming treatments.

The second image below shows Mosley at the FTC hearing as part of broader coverage of detransitioners’ experiences in public policy forums.