EXCLUSIVE: Whistleblower exposes hospital for performing genital sex change surgeries on minors

Kaiser Permanente, a healthcare company with hospitals across the United States, issued a mandatory training course for all Kaiser employees in Southern California. The course covered topics on “gender-affirming care,” which included information on mastectomies, hysterectomies, vaginoplasties, and phalloplasties. Internal documents indicated that these procedures are allowed to be performed on minors. The training also offered tips for proper binding and tucking. 

Kaiser Permanente’s homepage

The presentation began with an introduction on The Platinum Rule: someone is the gender they say they are when they say they are regardless of their transition process. It also emphasized that gender-affirming surgeries or hormones are not necessary for one to transition. Essentially, Kaiser Medical is instructing its nurses to follow arbitrary guidelines rather than the science itself. 

Slide from mandatory staff training

Nurses were also given information on which Kaiser hospitals perform gender-affirming surgeries and issue hormone therapy. Adolescents can get hysterectomies, orchiectomies and hormone therapy at all Kaiser locations. Genital and chest surgeries are offered at some of Kaiser’s medical centers across California and Hawaii.

Slide from mandatory staff training

The criteria for Mastectomies is minimal. Girls under the age of eighteen are eligible for the surgery, as long as they receive parental consent and one letter within twelve months. Hormone therapy is not required to undergo the procedure, but it is required for hysterectomies (removal of the uterus), and orchiectomies (removal of the testicles). Adolescents can also receive “gender-affirming” estrogen and testosterone therapy, which can affect fertility and sexual function, and might lead to health problems.

Slide from mandatory training

Slide from mandatory training

Slide from mandatory training

Boys under eighteen years old are eligible to receive vaginoplasties if they have parental consent and have been on hormones for at least one year. Girls can get phalloplasties under the same guidelines. Many medical organizations, such as the Endocrine Society, advise against genital surgeries for minors, due to the irreversible nature of the procedure. Kaiser Medical believes minors are capable of making life-altering decisions, contrary to the belief of many medical professionals. 

Slide from mandatory training

Health advisors also warn against the side effects of binding and tucking. Binding is the practice where tissues on the chest are compressed to create a flatter appearance. Binding for long periods of time can cause damage to the chest and restrict breathing. In one slide, the hospital offers tips on how to properly bind one’s chest and what materials to use for it. They also presented methods for safe tucking. This practice requires maneuvering the testicles, penis and scrotum to create a smoother crotch area. UTIs and skin irritation are common side effects of tucking, yet Kaiser Medical encourages this practice amongst its patients. 

Slide from mandatory training

Slide from mandatory training

Dr. Holly Hyokyung Kim is a transgender care physician at Kaiser Permanente’s West Los Angeles Medical Center. Although she specialized in infectious disease care, Dr. Kim is now in charge of transgender care and has no background in general surgery, urology or endocrinology. In a discussion featured on Kaiser Permanente's Instagram page, Dr. Kim admits she received no training for transgender care while in medical school but “jumped at the chance” to join Kaiser Permanente’s transgender care program when it first opened. She feels it is “truly an honor” to be alongside patients who choose to medically transition. Dr. Kim also believes that society has the responsibility to bring transgender people to the center of culture. “We as a culture, as a society have now only started to acknowledge that gender diversity, sexual diversity, is just part of the beautiful mosaic that makes up human kind,” she said. 

Dr. Holly Kim in conversation with Kaiser Medical of Southern California

Dr. Kim thanked Kaiser Permanente’s executive leadership for its support in helping the  institution lead the charge in providing gender-affirming care and “show there is value” in providing such services. Leaked internal documents reveal Dr. Kim authored patient instructions on various procedures, such as chest surgery, genital surgery and hormone therapy. She also provided instructional documents on vaginoplasties, valvuloplasties, penile prosthetics, and phalloplasties. More screenshots show internal communications on puberty blockers and “how to support your TGD (transgender and gender-diverse) child” 

Internal documents show transgender procedures

Internal documents show transgender procedures

Many staff members at Kaiser Medical admit they are horrified at the surgeries performed on children, but have no choice but to keep quiet or risk losing their jobs. Some fear that they would be labeled bigots if they brought up the amount of transgender complications they have witnessed over the years. Libs of TikTok reached out to Kaiser Permanente to inquire about the mandatory training and gain clarity on why Kaiser Medical performs life-altering surgeries on children, contrary to the recommendation of many medical professionals. We did not receive a response to our request for comment.