First U.S. detransition clinic opens in Texas after lawsuit

Vanessa Sivadge, a former nurse at Texas Children’s Hospital, on Monday said the hospital’s detransition clinic had officially opened for patients. The move came after the hospital in August finalized a legal settlement with Sivadge, the state of Texas, and the Justice Department. As part of the settlement, the hospital agreed to provide free care for five years to any patients who previously received interventions that altered their sexual characteristics. In return, the state and federal governments closed an investigation into allegations that the hospital illegally used Medicaid funding to provide gender transition procedures for minors. Sivadge offered whistleblower testimony in the case and lost her job after coming forward.

Sivadge said the new detransition clinic offers wide-ranging services, including endocrinology, surgery, primary care, fertility counseling, mental health services, social work, and speech pathology. She thanked the hospital for what she described as an admirable effort to fund and launch America’s first detransition clinic. She said she hoped it would be the first of many.

WORLD has contacted Texas Children’s for comment and will update this story with any response received. The hospital’s website now includes an appointment request form for those wishing to receive detransition care. Multidisciplinary experts will create individualized plans for patients, according to the website.

Dig deeper: Listen to Les Sillars’ interview with Sivadge about the settlement.