A new federal lawsuit targeting the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) includes a declaration from detransitioner Jonni Skinner, who alleges he experienced serious medical complications while taking puberty blockers as a teenager and says a pediatric urologist dismissed concerns about whether the medication was responsible.
The declaration was filed Wednesday as part of a lawsuit brought by the Federal Trade Commission and the states of Alaska, Iowa, Nebraska, and Texas. The plaintiffs allege WPATH made false or misleading statements about the safety, effectiveness, and medical necessity of gender-transition treatments for minors. WPATH has not prevailed or lost on these allegations; the claims are now before the court.
In his sworn declaration, Skinner recounts receiving gender-related medical care beginning in 2018, when he was 15 years old. After being referred to pediatric urologist Dr. Bryan Sack by an endocrinologist at a gender clinic, Skinner says he sought treatment for a series of troubling symptoms he experienced while taking the puberty blocker histrelin.
According to the declaration, his urine became “strawberry colored” and appeared to contain what he described as “flakes of skin.” He also reported urinary incontinence at school, loss of appetite, hot flashes, night sweats, genital pain, and severe muscle cramps that he says made riding a bicycle impossible.
Skinner states that he and his mother asked Sack whether the puberty blocker or other transition-related medications could be responsible for the symptoms.
“My mother asked him if there were any connection between transition drugs and hematuria or incontinence,” Skinner wrote. “Dr. Sack insisted the answer was no. He said that these drugs had been used for decades.”
Skinner alleges that he received no meaningful treatment or explanation for the symptoms during that appointment.
According to the declaration, Sack instead attributed the urinary problems to what he described in the medical chart as “dysfunctional social voiding / holding onto urine” related to bathroom use at school. Skinner also states that the physician referred to him using female pronouns in his medical records.
Skinner says the diagnosis had consequences beyond the doctor’s office. He alleges that after the appointment, his school directed him to use the girls’ restroom and no longer allowed him to use the nurse’s office bathroom.
He ultimately had the puberty blocker removed later that year.
“Finally I got the puberty blocker removed from my arm in late 2018 when I was almost 16,” Skinner wrote. “Within a few months I stopped urinating blood.”
The Mayo Clinic lists bloody or dark urine among the potential adverse effects associated with histrelin, along with numerous other possible side effects. However, the declaration does not establish that the medication caused Skinner’s symptoms, and that question is not resolved by the court filing.
Skinner also notes that Sack was later charged in an unrelated criminal case. Federal authorities arrested the physician earlier this year, and he has pleaded not guilty to charges alleging receipt and possession of child sexual abuse material involving minors under the age of 12, according to local news reports. Following his arrest, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, where he had been employed, terminated his employment. The criminal case remains pending.
Beyond his medical experiences, Skinner reflects in the declaration on how he now views his childhood.
He describes himself as an autistic gay man who grew up in rural Michigan and says he now believes his childhood gender nonconformity reflected his personality rather than a different gender identity.
“In hindsight I think of my effeminacy as natural — lots of gay men like me have similar childhood memories,” Skinner wrote. “But at the time I understood from adults that my gender-nonconformity was a symptom of autism… They said I was confused about being a boy.”
Skinner has become one of the more prominent public detransitioners in recent years. In April, he testified before the California Senate Judiciary Committee while criticizing legislation concerning conversion therapy and describing his own medical transition as harmful.
“The medical and mental health providers didn’t bother to ask why I felt the way I did,” Skinner told lawmakers. “They poisoned my body with blockers and hormones, arresting my puberty and messing with my development. The result? I’m a 23-year-old gay man who’s never had an orgasm and may never experience one.”
The lawsuit itself goes well beyond Skinner’s individual experience. The FTC and the four states allege WPATH promoted standards of care that overstated the evidence supporting pediatric gender-transition interventions while minimizing risks.
“WPATH’s professional members have profited immensely from the organization’s work. But this profit has come at the expense of children and their parents,” the complaint alleges. It further claims WPATH made “false, misleading, or unsubstantiated statements” regarding medical consensus, medical necessity, and the safety and efficacy of medical transition.
Those allegations remain contested, and the litigation is in its early stages.
