American Society of Plastic Surgeons and transgender people

by Andrea James Reviewed September 19, 2026 10 min read

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) is a national professional organization of over 11,000 medical professionals. Many plastic surgeons who offer services for trans and gender diverse people are members.

Background

The organization was founded in 1931 as the American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons, the first professional association in the United States devoted to the emerging specialty of plastic surgery. Its initial meetings were held in the offices of early pioneers, and it provided a formal forum for education and collaboration among surgeons trained in reconstructive and cosmetic procedures.

In 1960, the organization became a registered nonprofit, strengthening its organizational structure and expanding its influence. Over the following decades, ASPS grew steadily as plastic surgery became more established in both reconstructive and aesthetic fields. In 1999, the society officially shortened its name to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, reflecting a broader emphasis on both reconstructive and cosmetic practice.

Throughout the late 20th and early 21st centuries, ASPS expanded its educational offerings, advocacy work, and research support, including through the Plastic Surgery Foundation, founded in 1948 to fund research and innovation.

ASPS continues to hold its annual Plastic Surgery The Meeting, bringing together surgeons for education and networking.

In 1990. ASPS founded PlastyPAC, a political action committee established to amplify the political voice of plastic surgeons and protect their professional interests at the federal level. It raises funds from ASPS members to support and educate candidates for Congress who back policies aligned with the society’s priorities.

Youth

In August 2024, anti-trans activist Leor Sapir claimed in City Journal that ASPS was the first major medical association to challenge the consensus of medical groups over gender surgery for minors. The ASPS responded to this misleading claim:

ASPS has not endorsed any organization’s practice recommendations for the treatment of adolescents with gender dysphoria. ASPS currently understands that there is considerable uncertainty as to the long-term efficacy for the use of chest and genital surgical interventions for the treatment of adolescents with gender dysphoria, and the existing evidence base is viewed as low quality/low certainty. This patient population requires specific considerations.

ASPS is reviewing and prioritizing several initiatives that best support evidence-based gender surgical care to provide guidance to plastic surgeons.

As members of the multidisciplinary care team, plastic surgeons have a responsibility to provide comprehensive patient education and maintain a robust and evidence-based informed consent process, so patients and their families can set realistic expectations in the shared decision-making context.

According to the 2024 ASPS Procedural Statistics Release, ASPS members performed over 8,000 breast reduction procedures for cisgender patients age 19 and under:

Breast reduction (aesthetic patients only): 5,325
Breast reduction in males (gynecomastia surgery): 2,942

ASPS members performed far fewer procedures on transgender patients in this age group.

2026 position statement

In February 2026, the ASPS released a position statement on gender surgery for children and adolescents which stated in part, “there is insufficient evidence demonstrating a favorable risk-benefit ratio for the pathway of gender related endocrine and surgical interventions in children and adolescents. ASPS recommends that surgeons delay gender-related breast/chest, genital, and facial surgery until a patient is at least 19 years old.”

The ASPS did not comment on the thousands of procedures done on cisgender patients. The position statement was widely reported in anti-transgender media.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a press release the same day, including quotations from Trump Administration officials HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Deputy HHS Secretary Jim O’Neill, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Administrator Mehmet Oz, and HHS General Counsel Mike Stuart praised the ASPS statement.

Former ASPS board member Kavitha Ranganathan criticized the statement in STAT: “The reality of my job today is that I can see a young girl in my clinic for breast augmentation in preparation for her sweet 16 and be prosecuted for doing the same operation on a 19-year-old.”with gender dysphoria.

ASPS Gender Surgery Task Force response

As reported by Erin Reed, this position statement was produced without the knowledge or input of the ASPS Gender Surgery Task Force, created in 2024 to address this very issue. Reed included an open letter from the Gender Surgery Task Force:

February 9, 2026

Open Letter to the Board of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons regarding the development of the ASPS position statement on adolescent gender surgery published on February 3, 2026

Dear Members of the Board,

ASPS convened a Gender Surgery Task Force in response to the Plastic Surgery Foundation President’s Panel at Plastic Surgery The Meeting (PSTM) 2024. The September 2024 PSTM panel intended to address gender-affirming surgery, most notably adolescent surgical care, however it was cancelled due to a variety of concerns expressed by ASPS members.

The Task Force was formed without a predetermined outcome or specific policy mandate, but rather as a vehicle for the Society to engage in a balanced multidisciplinary discussion, with the expectation that its work would inform future ASPS statements or policy positions. The group’s strength includes its multidisciplinary and multiperspective composition: a mix of ASPS members and external subject matter experts in adolescent psychiatry, medicine, and research methodology.

The Task Force convened for the first time in May 2025 and met on a regular basis over the course of the year. An anonymized submission process was conducted in which Task Force members provided written statements to identify areas of agreement, uncertainty, and disagreement. This approach was intended to facilitate candid input and to identify possible gaps in interpretation of the evidence. Through this process, areas of emerging consensus were recognized, and a pathway towards an ethical and evidence-informed statement became increasingly apparent. The Task Force was actively working towards a summary intended to inform Board-level deliberation regarding any Society position or policy statement.

Task Force members were unaware that a separate ASPS position statement addressing adolescent gender surgical care was being developed outside of the Task Force. On February 3, 2026, ASPS publicly released a position statement without input from the Task Force. To date, the Task Force is unaware of the statement’s authors and what methodology was used to arrive at the statement’s position.

As reported by NBC, Dr. Scot Glasberg, Co-Chair of the Task Force, was involved in drafting the statement. Dr. Glasberg is quoted on CNN Health stating: “This was an iterative process that took time, with no outside pressure.” During the February 3, 2026 Task Force meeting, the Task Force learned that drafting of the statement began in 2024 (well before the initial meeting of the Task Force). This stands in stark contrast to a communication sent to the Task Force by Michael Costelloe, Executive Vice President of ASPS, on February 2, 2026 stating: “Over the past several weeks, ASPS, along with a small number of other national medical societies, has been participating in an urgent, time-limited process initiated by a federal agency seeking clarification of medical society positions on this topic.”

Following the release of the ASPS position statement, Task Force members became aware that Dr. Glasberg and two ASPS administrators (who attend Task Force meetings) participated in discussions with a federal agency. The Task Force members were told that Dr. Glasberg did not represent ASPS at this meeting, but rather attended the meeting as an invited guest on behalf of the agency. In other words, no ASPS surgeon represented the organization.

Clarification of the process used in developing this position statement is necessary to ensure transparency, accountability, and confidence in ASPS governance. We kindly request the ASPS Board to provide the following:

the identity and role of the authors of the ASPS position statement;

the process, including timing and methodology, by which the statement was developed;

the extent to which the Board was informed of the Task Force’s ongoing work, and by whom, including discussions held by the Task Force that may have influenced the outcome of the position statement;

whether the Board reviewed the Task Force’s anonymized submissions or areas of emerging consensus

We submit this letter in the interest of societal integrity, transparent governance, and the responsible engagement of ASPS membership in matters of significant professional and public importance.

Respectfully,

Concerned members of the ASPS Gender Surgery Task Force

Jens Berli, MD, MBA
Rachel Bluebond-Langner, MD
Scott Leibowitz, MD
Steven Montante, MD
Melissa Poh, MD
Asa Radix, MD, PhD
Loren Schechter, MD (Co-Chair)

2026 open letter supporting Gender Surgery Task Force response

Over 300 additional professionals signed a separate open letter in support of the Gender Surgery Task Force response.

“As plastic surgery leaders and ASPS members from across the country, we add our voices to the call for transparency regarding the process and development of this position statement. We affirm the request that the ASPS Board provide the following:

The identity and role of the authors of the ASPS position statement;

The process, including timing and methodology, by which the statement was developed;

The extent to which the Board was informed of the Task Force’s ongoing work, and by whom, including any discussions held by the Task Force that may have influenced the outcome of the position statement;

Whether the Board reviewed the Task Force’s anonymized submissions or areas of emerging consensus.”

References

~312 signatories (undated, 2026). In Support of the Open Letter Submitted by Members of the ASPS Gender Surgery Task Force to the Board of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons Regarding the Development of the ASPS Position Statement on Adolescent Gender Surgery. https://docs.google.com/document/u/0/d/1UT1hf-bnRVktIX2NOZ6CPxaru5iO3VvzPdU-N_qCEBA/mobilebasic

Ranganathan, Kavitha (June 29, 2026). Banning gender-affirming care doesn’t protect children — it makes it harder to help them. STAT https://www.statnews.com/2026/06/29/gender-affirming-care-trans-youth-plastic-surgeons-statement/

Reed, Erin (February 5, 2026). The Cowardice Of American Medicine On Trans Youth Care. Erin In The Morning https://www.erininthemorning.com/p/the-cowardice-of-american-medicine

Villareal, Daniel (February 4, 2026). Plastic surgeon association defies other medical associations by opposing trans health care. LGBTQ Nation https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2026/02/plastic-surgeon-association-defies-other-medical-associations-by-opposing-trans-health-care/

Staff report (February 4, 2026). In A First, Plastic Surgeon Group Sides Against Youth Gender Care Surgeries. KFF Health News https://kffhealthnews.org/morning-breakout/in-a-first-plastic-surgeon-group-sides-against-youth-gender-care-surgeries/

Santhosh, Christy (February 3, 2026). US plastic surgeons group advises delaying gender surgery until age 19 due to insufficient evidence. Reuters https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/us-plastic-surgeons-group-advises-delaying-gender-surgery-until-age-19-due-2026-02-03/

Bettelheim, Adriel (February 3, 2026). Plastic surgeons urge against surgeries for trans youths. Axios https://www.axios.com/2026/02/03/plastic-surgeon-surgery-trans-youths

Anti-trans coverage

Ryan, Benjamin (Febuary 4, 2026). Plastic surgeons ditch gender ideology: New guidelines rule out medical transition for kids. UnHerd https://unherd.com/2026/02/plastic-surgeons-ditch-gender-ideology/

Parks, Molly (February 3, 2026). RFK Jr. hails plastic surgeon group disavowing transgender surgery for those under 19. Washington Examiner https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/healthcare/4444847/rfk-jr-plastic-surgeon-group-transgender-surgery/

Miller, Ian (February 3, 2026). In Win For Science & Sanity, First Medical Association Comes Out Against Trans Surgeries For Children. OutKick https://www.outkick.com/analysis/american-society-plastic-surgeons-opposes-transgender-surgeries-children-under-19

Nava, Victor (February 3, 2026). Plastic surgeons recommend delaying transgender surgeries until 19 years old: ‘Potential long-term harms.’ New York Post https://nypost.com/2026/02/03/us-news/plastic-surgeons-recommend-delaying-transgender-surgeries-until-adulthood/

Do No Harm (February 3, 2026). Do No Harm Applauds ASPS for Rejecting Sex-Denying Surgeries for Children. https://donoharmmedicine.org/2026/02/03/asps-rejecting-sex-surgeries-for-children/

Strack, Haley (February 3, 2026). First Major Medical Org Comes Out Against Trans Surgeries for Minors. National Review https://www.nationalreview.com/news/first-major-medical-org-comes-out-against-trans-surgeries-for-minors/

US Department of Health and Human Services (February 3, 2026). HHS Leaders Commend the American Society of Plastic Surgeons for Disavowing Pediatric Sex-Rejecting Procedures. https://www.hhs.gov/press-room/asps-gender-dysphoria-statement.html

Jacobs, Andrew (February 3, 2026). Plastic Surgeons’ Group Advises Delaying Gender-Affirming Procedures Until Age 19. New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/03/health/plastic-surgery-gender-affirming-procedures.html

Choi, Joseph (February 3, 2026). Plastic surgeons organization recommends delaying gender-affirming surgery until 19; Trump admin applauds position. The Hill https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/5721308-asps-recommends-age-19-surgery/

Cunningham, Paige Winfield (February 3, 2026). First major medical group opposes gender transition surgeries for youth. Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/02/03/plastic-surgeons-youth-gender-surgeries-guidance/

Sapir, Leor (February 3, 2026). It’s Official: No Consensus Among Medical Groups on “Gender-Affirming Care” for Minors. City Journal https://www.city-journal.org/article/american-society-plastic-surgeons-gender-affirming-care-minors

Sapir, Leor (August 12, 2024). A Consensus No Longer: The American Society of Plastic Surgeons becomes the first major medical association to challenge the consensus of medical groups over “gender-affirming care” for minors. City Journal https://www.city-journal.org/article/a-consensus-no-longer

Selected ASPS publications

American Society of Plastic Surgeons (February 3, 2026). Position Statement on Gender Surgery for Children and Adolescents. https://www.plasticsurgery.org/documents/health-policy/positions/2026-gender-surgery-children-adolescents.pdf

American Society of Plastic Surgeons (August 14, 2024). ASPS statement to press regarding gender surgery for adolescents. https://www.plasticsurgery.org/for-medical-professionals/publications/psn-extra/news/asps-statement-to-press-regarding-gender-surgery-for-adolescents

American Society of Plastic Surgeons (2024). 2024 ASPS Procedural Statistics Release. https://www.plasticsurgery.org/documents/news/statistics/2024/plastic-surgery-statistics-report-2024.pdf