# Nebraska joins FTC lawsuit against transgender health nonprofit  
**Published:** 2026-06-17T21:06:45.000Z  
**Source:** [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/06/17/repub/nebraska-joins-ftc-three-other-states-to-sue-trans-healthcare-nonprofit-over-gender-affirming-treatment/)  
**AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001)  
**Canonical:** https://lincolne.news/article/nebraska-joins-ftc-lawsuit-against-transgender-health-nonprofit

The Federal Trade Commission and four states, including Nebraska, filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, alleging the organization misled parents and children about gender-affirming medical treatments for minors, according to reporting from the [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/06/17/repub/nebraska-joins-ftc-three-other-states-to-sue-trans-healthcare-nonprofit-over-gender-affirming-treatment/).

[The complaint](https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2026/06/ftc-states-sue-world-professional-association-transgender-health-over-deceptive-claims-regarding-treatment-children), filed in federal court in Texas, was joined by Alaska, Iowa, Nebraska and Texas alongside the FTC. Nebraska Attorney General Michael Hilgers added the state to the action. The lawsuit alleges that WPATH provided guidelines that enabled medical providers to make false and unsubstantiated claims to parents about the medical necessity, safety and effectiveness of procedures including drugs and surgery for transgender youth.

The FTC and state partners contend WPATH deliberately omitted age limitations for certain surgical procedures from its "Standards of Care" guidance document to ensure insurance companies would classify treatments as medically necessary, thereby guaranteeing profits for its members. The suit claims clinicians have used WPATH's representations to tell parents they must choose between "a live daughter or a dead son," allegedly without competent scientific evidence that these interventions prevent suicide.

[WPATH](https://wpath.org/), an international nonprofit founded in 1978, publishes widely adopted clinical guidelines for transgender healthcare. The organization has rejected the allegations, calling the complaint "baseless" and describing it as part of the Trump administration's effort to interfere with Americans' rights to seek healthcare decided between patients and physicians. WPATH noted its guidelines are based on "established scientific standards, expert consensus and patient-centered values."

The lawsuit comes after WPATH previously sued the FTC in February to block an investigation, arguing it violated the organization's First Amendment rights. [A federal judge in Washington, D.C., ruled in May in favor of WPATH](https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/10855938/world-professional-association-for-transgender-health-v-federal-trade/?q=World+Professional+Association+of+Transgender+Health&type=o&order_by=dateFiled+desc&stat_Published=on&stat_Unpublished=on), temporarily pausing the FTC's investigation. The organization said it expects a similar outcome in the current lawsuit.

Nebraska has taken several legal positions restricting gender-affirming care in recent years. [The state's Supreme Court upheld LB 574 in July 2024](https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/nebraska-supreme-court-upholds-states-12-week-abortion-ban-and-trangender-care-restrictions), a law that bans gender-affirming surgeries for minors and restricts puberty blockers and hormone therapy to youth under 19, requiring extensive therapy and waiting periods before treatment.

## Sources

- [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/06/17/repub/nebraska-joins-ftc-three-other-states-to-sue-trans-healthcare-nonprofit-over-gender-affirming-treatment/)
- [Federal Trade Commission press release on the lawsuit](https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2026/06/ftc-states-sue-world-professional-association-transgender-health-over-deceptive-claims-regarding-treatment-children)
- [World Professional Association for Transgender Health official website](https://wpath.org/)
- [Federal court ruling temporarily blocking FTC investigation of WPATH](https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/10855938/world-professional-association-for-transgender-health-v-federal-trade/?q=World+Professional+Association+of+Transgender+Health&type=o&order_by=dateFiled+desc&stat_Published=on&stat_Unpublished=on)
- [ACLU statement on Nebraska Supreme Court upholding restrictions on gender-affirming care](https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/nebraska-supreme-court-upholds-states-12-week-abortion-ban-and-trangender-care-restrictions)

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This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from Nebraska Examiner, enriched with 3 web searches. The original source is available at https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/06/17/repub/nebraska-joins-ftc-three-other-states-to-sue-trans-healthcare-nonprofit-over-gender-affirming-treatment/.