What is a Woman: Protecting Women and Children from Gender Ideology

On Wednesday, March 11, 2026 at 5:00-6:15pm

Member State Co-Sponsor:
United States of America

Civil Society Co-Sponsors:
Center for Family and Human Rights (C-Fam)
Family Watch International
The Heritage Foundation
United Families International

Background:

In recent years, thousands of children in America and around the world have undergone sex-rejecting procedures such as puberty-suppressing hormones, cross-sex hormones, and surgical procedures. These types of procedures are mostly based on the so-called “Dutch Protocol,” endorsed by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) and the Endocrine Society (ES). Increasingly, these protocols are coming under scrutiny.

Recent U.S. Supreme Court cases suggest that the State of California likely violated the rights of parents by allowing schools to socially transition minors without parental consent and adopting laws that deprive parents of their parental rights if they object to their minors transitioning. Despite this, powerful countries and NGOs want to suppress free debate and medical inquiry about the harmful effects of sex rejecting procedures. A Federal Court in New York also recently awarded the first ever multi-million dollar compensation against medical professionals to a girl who underwent sex-rejecting medical protocols and surgery, and later experienced regret.

On November 19, 2025, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released a peer- reviewed comprehensive review study on the evidence to identify best practices for treating pediatric gender dysphoria, including sex-rejecting procedures. The report, titled Treatment for Pediatric Gender Dysphoria: Review of Evidence and Best Practices (“the HHS Report”) shows how medical evidence does not support using sex-rejecting interventions to treat pediatric gender dysphoria. Short- and long-term adverse effects likely to result from the use of sex-rejecting procedures include infertility and sterility, sexual dysfunction, impaired bone density development, adverse cognitive effects, cardiovascular and metabolic disease, psychiatric conditions, surgical complications, and regret.

As a result of this comprehensive review, The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced a series of proposed regulatory actions to carry out President Trump’s Executive Order directing HHS to end the practice of sex-rejecting procedures on children that expose young people to irreversible harm, including a notice of proposed rulemaking to bar hospitals from performing sex-rejecting procedures on children under age 18 as a condition of participation in Medicare and Medicaid programs and prohibit federal Medicaid funding for sex-rejecting procedures on underage children.

This event will be an opportunity to hear from HHS officials, advocates for children’s and parental rights, and people who have first-hand experience of children being drawn into gender transition, the social debates surrounding parental authority in such cases, abuses by medical professionals and institutions, and the attempts to silence any debate or scientific inquiry on the issues.

Opening Remarks:
Bethany Kozma, Director, Secretary’s Office of Global Affairs, US Department of Health and Human Services

Panelists:
Natalie Dodson, Counselor to the Secretary, US Department of Health and Human Services

Andrea Picciotti-Bayer, Director of the Conscience Project

Sharon Slater, President, Family Watch International

Chris Elston, also known as Billboard Chris, is the father of two girls who decided to take a stand against gender ideology

Moderator:
Lisa Correnti, Executive Vice President, Center for Family and Human Rights, C-Fam

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