Kayla Lovdahl, a detransitioner, is suing Permanente Medical Group, Kaiser Foundation Hospitals, and the doctors responsible for pushing her–then a twelve-year-old girl–to receive an unalterable sex change operation. The Center for American Liberty, Dhillon Law Group, and LiMandri & Jonna LLP filed the lawsuit on Lovdahl’s behalf, alleging that she was subjected to puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and a double mastectomy by the age of 13.
The lawsuit accuses the medical practitioners of ignoring Lovdahl’s mental health co-morbidities and accelerating her towards sex changes. The lawsuit states, “This case is about a team of doctors who decided to perform a damaging, imitation sex change experiment on Kayla, then a twelve-year-old vulnerable girl struggling with complex mental health co-morbidities.”
The claim adds that Lovdahl was not transgender, and was wrongly classified and treated as such by her doctors.
The lawsuit presents “three critical facts,” arguing the practitioners “breached the standard of care.” It cites several studies showing a high rate of self-resolution in cases of adolescent gender dysphoria, suggesting that puberty suppression increases the likelihood of patients receiving hormonal treatments and surgeries. Lovdahl detransitioned at 17 and underwent psychotherapy to deal with her mental health.
The lawsuit further argues that youths with mental health co-morbidities are particularly prone to dissatisfaction and complications. If treated with appropriate psychological therapies, the lawsuit alleges, most adolescents like Lovdahl would cease reporting feelings of gender incongruence.
The claim also refutes the purported mental health benefits of gender transition, referencing a National Institutes of Health (NIH) study published in January 2023. The study claimed positive impacts of cross-sex treatments on adolescents’ mental health, despite multiple patient suicides and an increase in suicidal ideation.
The lawsuit accuses the defendants of concealing critical information about conflicting studies, poor mental health outcomes, low-quality studies endorsing hormonal interventions, and the likelihood of unfulfilled desired outcomes. It alleges that the defendants failed to provide a complete picture of the possible risks of transitioning, including the potential for desistence, detransition, and regret.
Lovdahl, having detransitioned, now suffers from “deep physical and emotional wounds,” including body mutilation and fertility risks, as stated in the lawsuit. This case marks the second lawsuit against Permanente Medical Group and Kaiser Foundation Hospitals by a detransitioner; Chloe Cole filed a similar lawsuit against them earlier this year.
