Dr. Johanna Olson-Kennedy, medical director of the Center for Transyouth Health and Development at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, has withheld the publication of her study on the impact of puberty blockers on transgender youth, fearing the data could be “weaponized” against gender-transition treatments for minors. Her study, launched in 2015 with $9.7 million from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), tracked 95 adolescents over two years but revealed little mental health improvement, contrary to her initial hypothesis.

The study was designed to align with the 2006 Dutch Protocol, which suggested that puberty blockers benefited transgender youth’s mental health. However, Dr. Olson-Kennedy’s findings indicated unchanged rates of depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts among the children receiving treatment. Although she asserts the delay is due to funding issues, the NIH refuted these claims, saying it encourages researchers to publish their results.

With debates over “gender-affirming care” continuing and 22 states enacting bans on gender-transition procedures for minors, Dr. Olson-Kennedy’s unpublished data has fueled criticisms of prioritizing activism over evidence.