A US jury has awarded a 22-year-old detransitioner $2 million in damages, ruling her psychologist and surgeon liable for malpractice over a double mastectomy she underwent at age 16.
The verdict, issued on 30 January 2026 in New York’s Westchester County Supreme Court, is being called a major blow to rushed gender-affirming surgeries on minors.
Fox Varian, who no longer identifies as transgender, had the irreversible “top surgery” in 2019 for gender dysphoria.
She sued psychologist Kenneth Einhorn and surgeon Simon H. Chin, claiming they rushed the process with poor evaluations, ignored other options, lacked proper communication, and failed on informed consent.
After a three-week trial, the jury gave her $1.6 million for pain and suffering from lasting physical and mental harm, plus $400,000 for future medical costs.
Varian was seen crying and hugging her mother as the decision came down.
Critics of youth gender care see this as proof of deep problems in the “affirmation-only” approach, which they slam as prioritising trends over safety.
“This is the barbaric truth of mutilating kids’ bodies for ideology,” tweeted US commentator Matt Walsh, behind the film What Is a Woman?.
He and others argue these procedures on teens – whose brains aren’t fully developed – often lead to regret and should be seen as “medical abuse.”
Author Abigail Shrier, who wrote Irreversible Damage, added: “Rushed transitions are experiments on kids, and this verdict demands real accountability.”
This is the first US detransitioner case to win at trial, with dozens more in the pipeline.
It follows European moves in places like the UK and Sweden to limit or ban such treatments for under-18s due to weak evidence and growing realisation of irreparable harm being done to young people.
In New Zealand, the case hits home amid debates on similar care. The Government paused new puberty blockers for gender issues from December 2025, waiting on a UK trial ending around 2031.
But conservatives say it’s not enough.
“If US courts label this malpractice, we must call it child abuse here,” said Family First NZ’s Bob McCoskrie, pushing for bans on surgeries and hormones for minors and favouring therapy instead.
With more detransition stories emerging, critics warn New Zealand could face its own sea of medical misadventure claims.
Health leaders are tracking global shifts, but voices like McCoskrie urge: “Protect our kids from harm dressed up as help.”
This ruling highlights risks in letting teens make permanent choices amid what some call a “gender identity fad.”
