{"id":7935,"date":"2026-07-16T20:06:05","date_gmt":"2026-07-16T15:06:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=7935"},"modified":"2026-07-16T20:06:05","modified_gmt":"2026-07-16T15:06:05","slug":"democrats-get-backlash-for-calling-testosterone-screening-gender-care","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=7935","title":{"rendered":"Democrats get backlash for calling testosterone screening gender care"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div data-layout-index=\"4\" class=\"featured featured-video video-ct\" data-v-7b1896ea=\"\"><!----> <\/p>\n<div class=\"contain\" data-v-7b1896ea=\"\">  <!----> <\/p>\n<div class=\"info\" data-v-7b1896ea=\"\">\n<div class=\"caption\" data-v-7b1896ea=\"\">\n<h4 class=\"title\" data-v-7b1896ea=\"\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/video\/6401296376112\" data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_featured-video_5_1\" data-v-7b1896ea=\"\">Hegseth shifting military from &#8216;T-word&#8217; to &#8216;High-T&#8217;<\/a><\/h4>\n<p data-v-7b1896ea=\"\">Jesse Watters and Jimmy Failla react to a new military policy under the Biden administration. Pete Hegseth proposes a testosterone screening program for service members, aiming to optimize natural capabilities rather than artificial enhancements.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"beyondwords-wrapper\" data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"beyondwords-wrapper\">\n<p><span class=\"label-bg\">NEW<\/span>You can now listen to Fox News articles!\n  <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"speakable\">Democrats, including Sens. Adam Schiff of California and Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, are being mocked online for likening the <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_15063\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/politics\/defense\/pentagon\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Pentagon\u2019s new testosterone testing<\/a> and treatment plan to cross-sex &#8220;gender-affirming care.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"speakable\">Following Secretary of War <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_15064\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/person\/pete-hegseth\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Pete <\/a><a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_15065\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/person\/pete-hegseth\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Hegseth\u2019s<\/a> 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 &#8220;gender-affirming care.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;Pete Hegseth comes out in favor of gender-affirming care\u2026,&#8221; wrote <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_15066\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/person\/adam-schiff\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Schiff<\/a>, while Hirono wrote, &#8220;So the Pentagon is promoting gender-affirming care now?&#8221; Several other Democrats piled on with similar posts.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Their posts, however, were met with immediate pushback.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_15067\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/med-school-deans-come-up-empty-tense-hearing-asked-point-blank-men-can-have-babies-ridiculous\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>MED SCHOOL DEANS COME UP EMPTY IN TENSE HEARING WHEN ASKED POINT BLANK IF MEN CAN HAVE BABIES: &#8216;RIDICULOUS&#8217;<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<div data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"image-ct inline\">\n<div class=\"m\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/343\/192\/schiff-hegseth-hirono.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/686\/384\/schiff-hegseth-hirono.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"192\" width=\"343\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/672\/378\/schiff-hegseth-hirono.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1344\/756\/schiff-hegseth-hirono.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"378\" width=\"672\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/931\/523\/schiff-hegseth-hirono.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1862\/1046\/schiff-hegseth-hirono.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"523\" width=\"931\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1280px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/720\/405\/schiff-hegseth-hirono.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1440\/810\/schiff-hegseth-hirono.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"405\" width=\"720\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1200\/675\/schiff-hegseth-hirono.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1\" alt=\"Adam Schiff, Pete Hegseth and Mazie Hirono side by side\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<div class=\"info\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><span>Democrats, including Sens. Adam Schiff of California (left) and Mazie Hirono of Hawaii (right), are being mocked online for likening the War Secretary Pete Hegseth&#8217;s (center) new testosterone testing and treatment plan to cross-sex &#8220;gender-affirming care.&#8221;<\/span> <span>(Anna Moneymaker\/Getty Images; Tom Brenner\/Bloomberg via Getty Images; Anna Moneymaker\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Commenting on Schiff\u2019s post, one user wrote, &#8220;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.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">In response to a post by Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., saying, &#8220;Sounds like gender-affirming care to me,&#8221; conservative influencer &#8220;Just a Bama Gal&#8221; shot back, &#8220;Not even close.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., even brought up the program during a House hearing, bashing it as &#8220;absurd&#8221; and suggesting that the government could begin testing whether representatives are &#8220;male enough to be in <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_15068\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/us\/congress\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Congress<\/a>.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;The Secretary of Forever Wars, Pete Hegseth, just announced they are going to provide hormone therapy to male service members who don\u2019t have enough testosterone,&#8221; Jayapal wrote on X. &#8220;Let\u2019s be clear: This is gender-affirming care, and it completely debunks all of Republicans\u2019 attacks on trans people.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">In response, one user who goes by the name Ellie May wrote, &#8220;Let\u2019s 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.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_15069\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/democrats-revolt-over-biological-wording-womens-history-museum-bill\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>DEMOCRATS REVOLT OVER &#8216;BIOLOGICAL&#8217; WORDING IN WOMEN&#8217;S HISTORY MUSEUM BILL<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<div data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"image-ct inline\">\n<div class=\"m\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/343\/192\/trump-defense-innovation-summit.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/686\/384\/trump-defense-innovation-summit.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"192\" width=\"343\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/672\/378\/trump-defense-innovation-summit.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1344\/756\/trump-defense-innovation-summit.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"378\" width=\"672\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/931\/523\/trump-defense-innovation-summit.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1862\/1046\/trump-defense-innovation-summit.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"523\" width=\"931\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1280px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/720\/405\/trump-defense-innovation-summit.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1440\/810\/trump-defense-innovation-summit.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"405\" width=\"720\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1200\/675\/trump-defense-innovation-summit.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1\" alt=\"President Donald Trump speaks with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth upon arrival at the US Army War College Field Landing Zone, on his way to the Pennsylvania Defense and Innovation Summit at the US Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, on July 15, 2026.\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<div class=\"info\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><span>President Donald Trump speaks with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth upon arrival at the U.S. Army War College Field Landing Zone on his way to the Pennsylvania Defense and Innovation Summit at the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, Pa., on July 15, 2026.<\/span> <span>(Saul Loeb\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;Are you crazy???&#8221; responded another user named Leah Babcock, &#8220;When a woman goes through menopause and gets hormone replacement she\u2019s not suddenly a trans person.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">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.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Hegseth said that if treatment is recommended, service members will have the choice of undergoing testosterone replacement therapy. He clarified, &#8220;This is not about artificial enhancement; it\u2019s about restoring and optimizing your natural capabilities, protecting your longevity and ensuring you have the biological foundation required to sustain the fight.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">In an X post, he labeled his announcement &#8220;the High-T <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_15070\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/politics\/defense\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Department of War<\/a>.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Meaghan Mobbs, a former Army paratrooper and president of the nonprofit the R.T. Weatherman Foundation, posted on X, &#8220;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.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;Testosterone is not some cosmetic \u2018masculinity\u2019 metric,&#8221; Mobbs explained. &#8220;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.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">She said that &#8220;for years, veterans, clinicians, and military families have begged the system to [take] endocrine health more seriously,&#8221; adding, &#8220;Now someone finally is. Thank God.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_15071\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/video\/6401234366112\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>TRUMP SAYS US IS \u2018BOOMING,\u2019 PREDICTS IRAN WILL BE \u2018DEFEATED VERY SOON\u2019<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<div data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"image-ct inline\">\n<div class=\"m\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/343\/192\/pentagon-aerial-image.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/686\/384\/pentagon-aerial-image.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"192\" width=\"343\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/672\/378\/pentagon-aerial-image.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1344\/756\/pentagon-aerial-image.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"378\" width=\"672\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/931\/523\/pentagon-aerial-image.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1862\/1046\/pentagon-aerial-image.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"523\" width=\"931\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1280px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/720\/405\/pentagon-aerial-image.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1440\/810\/pentagon-aerial-image.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"405\" width=\"720\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1200\/675\/pentagon-aerial-image.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1\" alt=\"Pentagon aerial image\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<div class=\"info\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><span>Aerial view of the Pentagon building in Arlington, Va., on Oct. 22, 2025.<\/span> <span>(Bill Clark\/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a href=\"https:\/\/foxnews.onelink.me\/xLDS?pid=AppArticleLink&amp;af_dp=foxnewsaf%3A%2F%2F&amp;af_web_dp=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxnews.com%2Fapps-products\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Likewise, Assistant Secretary of <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_15073\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/health\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Health and Human Services<\/a> Admiral Brian Christine wrote, &#8220;I fully support Secretary Hegseth\u2019s initiative at the Department of War in recognizing the importance of healthy testosterone levels in its warfighting men!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;Optimizing testosterone supports strength, endurance, healthy body composition, cognitive performance, mission readiness, and overall well-being\u2014ensuring America\u2019s fighting force is prepared to perform at its highest level,&#8221; wrote Christine.<\/p>\n<p> <!----> <!----> <\/p>\n<div class=\"article-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-bio\">\n<p>Peter Pinedo is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hegseth shifting military from &#8216;T-word&#8217; to &#8216;High-T&#8217; Jesse Watters and Jimmy Failla react to a new military policy under the Biden administration. Pete Hegseth proposes a testosterone screening program for service members, aiming to optimize natural capabilities rather than artificial enhancements. NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Democrats, including Sens. Adam Schiff of&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7936,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/schiff-hegseth-hirono.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7935","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-political-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7935","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7935"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7935\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7936"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7935"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7935"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7935"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}