Gender-Affirming Child Abuse Prevention Act

This proposed legislation, named the "Gender-Affirming Child Abuse Prevention Act," establishes a federal civil right of action for individuals who underwent specific gender-related medical treatments when they were minors. An individual can bring a lawsuit against any person who performed such care, seeking either actual damages sustained or liquidated damages of $250,000 for each instance of treatment, along with reasonable attorney's fees and litigation costs. If the individual is a minor, incapacitated, or deceased, a legal guardian, estate representative, or other court-appointed person may assume their rights under this section. For a lawsuit to proceed, the circumstances must involve an interstate or foreign commerce nexus, such as travel, use of interstate facilities, payments, communications, or instruments that have traveled in commerce, or if the conduct otherwise affected interstate commerce. The bill provides extensive definitions for "gender-related medical treatment," including various surgical procedures, exogenous hormones like testosterone or estrogen, and puberty blockers for both female and male individuals. However, it explicitly excludes treatments for diagnosed disorders of sex development, irresolvably ambiguous biological sex characteristics, or complications arising from prior gender-related medical treatment. The legislation also defines terms like "sex," "gender," "female," "male," and "minor" to clarify its scope.