Democrats get backlash for calling testosterone screening gender care

Democrats, including Sens. Adam Schiff of California and Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, are being mocked online for likening the Pentagon’s new testosterone testing and treatment plan to cross-sex “gender-affirming care.”

Following Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s announcement that the military would begin screening for testosterone deficiency, Democratic leaders quickly took to social media to mock the program as a return to “gender-affirming care.”

“Pete Hegseth comes out in favor of gender-affirming care…,” wrote Schiff, while Hirono wrote, “So the Pentagon is promoting gender-affirming care now?” Several other Democrats piled on with similar posts.

Their posts, however, were met with immediate pushback.

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Commenting on Schiff’s post, one user wrote, “Giving testosterone to men is gender-affirming and not harmful. Chemically castrating a boy or a double mastectomy on a girl is gender-denying, irreversible and harmful. [Schiff] is not only a liar, he is stupid.”

In response to a post by Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., saying, “Sounds like gender-affirming care to me,” conservative influencer “Just a Bama Gal” shot back, “Not even close.”

Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., even brought up the program during a House hearing, bashing it as “absurd” and suggesting that the government could begin testing whether representatives are “male enough to be in Congress.”

“The Secretary of Forever Wars, Pete Hegseth, just announced they are going to provide hormone therapy to male service members who don’t have enough testosterone,” Jayapal wrote on X. “Let’s be clear: This is gender-affirming care, and it completely debunks all of Republicans’ attacks on trans people.”

In response, one user who goes by the name Ellie May wrote, “Let’s be clear your ignorance is showing. Giving your body more of something that it naturally produces is not the equivalent of giving your body the exact opposite it needs to thrive and survive.”

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“Are you crazy???” responded another user named Leah Babcock, “When a woman goes through menopause and gets hormone replacement she’s not suddenly a trans person.”

Hegseth announced the program in a post on Wednesday. He explained the military would begin testosterone screening for service members over 30 and optional screening for those under 30 as part of its annual health assessment.

Hegseth said that if treatment is recommended, service members will have the choice of undergoing testosterone replacement therapy. He clarified, “This is not about artificial enhancement; it’s about restoring and optimizing your natural capabilities, protecting your longevity and ensuring you have the biological foundation required to sustain the fight.”

In an X post, he labeled his announcement “the High-T Department of War.”

Meaghan Mobbs, a former Army paratrooper and president of the nonprofit the R.T. Weatherman Foundation, posted on X, “If you are one of the people melting down because the Department of War wants to screen men over 30 for testosterone deficiency, I am begging you to spend ten minutes reading the science before letting Hegseth Derangement Syndrome rob you of common sense.”

“Testosterone is not some cosmetic ‘masculinity’ metric,” Mobbs explained. “It is a major endocrine signal tied to muscle mass, bone density, red blood cell production, metabolism, sexual function, energy, concentration, mood, recovery, and physical performance. Clinically low testosterone can present as exhaustion, loss of strength and muscle, impaired concentration, irritability, depressed mood, reduced motivation, and diminished sexual function.”

She said that “for years, veterans, clinicians, and military families have begged the system to [take] endocrine health more seriously,” adding, “Now someone finally is. Thank God.”

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Likewise, Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services Admiral Brian Christine wrote, “I fully support Secretary Hegseth’s initiative at the Department of War in recognizing the importance of healthy testosterone levels in its warfighting men!”

“Optimizing testosterone supports strength, endurance, healthy body composition, cognitive performance, mission readiness, and overall well-being—ensuring America’s fighting force is prepared to perform at its highest level,” wrote Christine.