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Dr. Katherine Gast

Comprehensive Gender-Affirming Surgical Care in Wisconsin

Dr. Katherine Gast, MD, MS is a fellowship-trained plastic surgeon who specializes in Gender Affirmation Surgery. Dr. Gast is an Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin and is the Department of Surgery Medical Director for the UW Health Comprehensive Gender Services Program. She performs gender-affirming procedures such as Vaginoplasty, Phalloplasty, and Top Surgery.

Education & Training

• MS, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI, 2009
• MD, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, 2010
• Integrated Residency, Plastic Surgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 2016
• Sub-specialty Fellowship in Gender Affirming Surgery and Microsurgical Breast Reconstruction, University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium, 2017

Recent Publications

Dr. Gast’s research is focused on patient reported outcomes in gender-affirming surgery:

• Creation of Clitoral Hood and Labia Minora in Penile Inversion Vaginoplasty in Circumcised and Uncircumcised Transwomen.
• Female-to-Male Gender-Affirming Chest Reconstruction Surgery.
• Exclusion of Medically Necessary Gender-Affirming Surgery for America’s Armed Services Veterans.
• Clinicopathological findings in female-to-male gender-affirming breast surgery.
• Discussion: Surgical Outcome after Penile Inversion Vaginoplasty: A Retrospective Study of 475 Transgender Women.

Gender-Affirming Surgery in Wisconsin

• Top Surgery – Double Incision with Nipple Grafts, Peri-Areolar, Keyhole
• Phalloplasty: RFF, ALT, with Urethroplasty, Glansplasty, Penile Implant
• Scrotoplasty and Testicular Implants
• Body Masculinization
• Vaginoplasty – Penile Inversion with Clitoroplasty, Labiaplasty; Peritoneal Pull-Through Vaginoplasty.
• Vulvoplasty – aka Zero Depth Vaginoplasty
• Breast Augmentation
• Body Feminization

The UW Health Comprehensive Gender Services Program helps transgender, gender expansive and non-binary adults access and obtain the highest quality gender-affirming medical care. The team of medical providers includes physicians from Plastic Surgery as well as OB/GYN, Family Medicine, Endocrinology, Internal Medicine, Otolaryngology, Voice Therapy and Urology.

All staff in Dr. Gast’s office have received training in providing gender-affirming care.

Surgery Requirements Dr. Gast is a member of WPATH and follows WPATH guidelines for surgery:

• You will need to provide two referrals from qualified mental health professionals for genital procedures; one referral for other procedures unless otherwise specified by insurance.
• A letter from your hormone specialist stating you have been on 12 months of continuous hormones for genital procedures, unless clinically contraindicated.

Financing & Insurance Dr. Gast accepts cash, credit cards and insurance, including but not limited to: Title 19, BadgerCare Plus, Wisconsin Medicaid, Medicare, private insurance.

Booking a Consultation Dr. Gast is available for in-person and phone consultations.

Detailed information about this provider is not yet available.

More Surgeons in Wisconsin

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Dr. Joseph Benacci

Practice Details

Contact info.

Address: University of Wisconsin, UW Health Comprehensive Gender Services Program, 600 Highland Ave., Madison, WI, 53792, US

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Did a Tony Evers veto allow Wisconsin children to choose gender reassignment surgery paid for by Medicaid?

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Wisconsin Watch partners with  Gigafact  to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims.

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers vetoed a part of the 2023-25 state budget that would have prohibited people from using Medicaid to pay for some transgender health services.

The veto allows Medicaid payment for gender reassignment surgery, and for puberty-blocking medicine used for the purposes of gender dysphoria or gender transition.

Medicaid is state-federal program that provides health services for low-income adults and others, such as people with disabilities.

Neither the budget provision, approved by the Republican-controlled Legislature, nor the Democratic governor’s veto addressed minors choosing gender reassignment surgery.

The Associated Press reported that nationally, such surgeries aren’t offered until a patient becomes a legal adult, though exceptions are made for minor teens who meet certain criteria.

See a full discussion of this at Wisconsin Watch

This Fact Brief is responsive to conversations such as  this one .

Wisconsin Department of Administration  Gov. Tony Evers veto message

Wisconsin State Legislature  Department of Health Services Omnibus Motion

AP News  Toddlers can’t get gender-affirming surgeries, despite claims

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Wisconsin Senate gives final approval to bill banning gender-affirming care for minors

FILE - Maddy Niebauer and her 10-year-old transgender son, Julian, from Middleton, Wis., take part in a rally for transgender rights Wednesday, May 26, 2021, at the Capitol in Madison, Wis. Gender-affirming surgery for minors would be banned in Wisconsin under a Republican-sponsored bill up for final approval in the GOP-controlled Legislature. Democratic Gov. Tony Evers has vowed to veto the measure. (Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel via AP, File)

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MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Gender-affirming surgery and other care for minors would be banned in Wisconsin under a Republican-sponsored bill that won final approval in the GOP-controlled Legislature on Tuesday.

Democratic Gov. Tony Evers has vowed to veto the measure that drew dozens of people in opposition to a hearing at the Capitol earlier this month. The Assembly passed the rapidly moving bill last week and the Senate passed it Tuesday.

Democrats were united against it in both the Assembly and Senate, but didn’t have the votes to stop it.

The bill would ban gender-affirming surgeries, which are rare, as well as all forms of gender-affirming care for minors in Wisconsin, including puberty blockers and hormone treatment using estrogen and testosterone.

“This bill is nothing short of cruel,” Democratic Sen. Mark Spreitzer said during debate. He questioned why the Senate was taking it up given Evers’ vow to veto it. “Stop hurting LGBTQ kids.”

Democrats and other bill opponents, including those representing the LGBTQ+ community, argue that introducing the ban adds to mental health challenges that transgender and nonbinary youth already face.

“We’re talking about kids,” Spreitzer said before debate. “Kids are just trying to live their lives, do well in school — and yes, receive the medical care they need.”

Republican supporters have suggested that the opinions of medical experts will change on the importance of gender-affirming care, though it has been available in the United States for more than a decade and is endorsed by major medical associations.

“Protecting children from invasive and irreversible medical interventions is the right thing to do from a scientific and ethical standpoint,” the bill’s lead Republican sponsor, Sen. Duey Stroebel, said during debate.

Republican lawmakers across the country want to limit the rights of transgender youths, sparking fierce pushback from the transgender community and triggering discrimination lawsuits along the way.

At least 22 states have enacted laws restricting or banning gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors, and most of those states face lawsuits . Gender-affirming surgery for minors is rare, with fewer than 3,700 performed in the U.S. on patients ages 12 to 18 from 2016 through 2019, according to a study published in August.

The Wisconsin bill is one of several in the state targeting transgender people that Evers has vowed to veto. Republicans don’t have enough votes to override the vetoes.

The Wisconsin Assembly last week also passed three bills limiting transgender youth participation on sports teams. The Senate has yet to schedule those for final votes.

Nearly two dozen states have passed legislation limiting athletes to playing on teams that match the gender they were assigned at birth.

In Wisconsin, only the Wisconsin Catholic Conference and the conservative group Wisconsin Family Action have registered in support of the bill banning gender-affirming surgeries. More than two dozen groups have registered against it, including Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin and other healthcare providers, the Medical College of Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Council of Churches and the Wisconsin School Social Workers Association.

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Lawsuit alleges UW Hospital surgeons performed gender-affirming surgeries without informed consent

A lawsuit filed in Dane County Circuit Court alleges two UW Hospital surgeons performed gender-affirming surgeries on a young woman without informed consent.

According to the lawsuit , filed Wednesday, Dr. Jay Lick performed a hysterectomy on the patient when she was 19, and Dr. Katherine Gast performed a double mastectomy on the patient when she was 21.

While in her late teens, the woman diagnosed herself with gender dysphoria, a clinical symptom defined by the American Academy of Pediatrics as "a sense of alienation to some or all of the physical characteristics or social roles of one's assigned gender." Gender dysphoria is also recognized in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the guide used by mental health professionals in the United States.

The suit alleges malpractice and failure to obtain informed consent by both doctors, negligence by the hospital, discrimination under the Affordable Care Act against the doctors and the hospital, and the denial of benefits and care that would have been provided to a non-transgender woman, according to the Wisconsin State Journal, which first reported the lawsuit.

Eckland & Blando filed the case on behalf of the woman, now 23. Daniel Cragg, speaking to the Journal Sentinel from the firm's Minneapolis office, said Friday the complaint was under a temporary seal to protect the woman's identity. Cragg is lead attorney on the case. A hearing is set for Wednesday for a permanent protective order to conceal the woman's identity.

The case also names University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics Authority, the organization that owns UW Hospital, and the Injured Patients and Families Compensation Fund, which compensates patients who are injured, or the family of those who die, as a result of medical malpractice cases.

The hospital declined to comment on specifics of the pending case but said in a statement Friday that "its providers care deeply for the health and well-being of patients and work hard every day to ensure patients receive the best possible care."

The World Professional Association for Transgender Health recommends that health care professionals assess whether a patient has had a persistent childhood history of gender dysphoria, especially emerging at the onset of puberty, to determine whether gender-affirming care is appropriate.

Any course of action, must include a team of health care professionals, mental health and medical professionals, to reach the best decision, according to the transgender health association.

The lawsuit comes as bills to ban or limit the activities of transgender individuals are increasingly popping up in state legislatures across the country.

A recent effort under way in Wisconsin would bar health care providers from conducting or making referrals for certain medical practices for youth under age 18 "if done for the purpose of changing the minor's body to correspond to a sex that is discordant with the minor's biological sex," according to a summary from the nonpartisan Legislative Reference Bureau.

The bill, "Help not Harm," passed both houses of the state Legislature last month. Gov. Tony Evers has said he will veto the bill.

Jessica Van Egeren is the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's enterprise health care reporter. She can be reached at [email protected]. Natalie Eilbert contributed to this report.

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Surgeons Who Perform Gender-Affirming Surgery

Trans feminine Gender Affirming Surgery is becoming more and more common, but it can still be tough to find the right surgeon. The surgeons listed below are highly qualified plastic, reconstructive, urological and cosmetic surgeons who regularly perform gender-affirming procedures for those on the trans feminine spectrum. When choosing a surgeon, look for board certification, experience with transgender surgery, and a someone you feel confident and comfortable with.

Also see: Vaginoplasty Surgeons , Orchiectomy Surgeons

Featured Surgeons

Dr. Kathy Rumer

Dr. Kathy Rumer is an expert in transgender surgery, performing 200-250 MTF gender reassignment surgeries per year. Dr. Rumer also directs a 1-year gender surgery fellowship program. She offers the full range of male to female surgery procedures, including Vaginoplasty, Facial Feminization Surgery and Breast Augmentation. Read more »

Dr. Scott Mosser

Dr. Scott W. Mosser is a board certified and award-winning surgeon based in San Francisco who specializes in MTF/N Breast Augmentation and Body Feminization. He has worked with the transgender community for more than 10 years. Dr. Mosser is co-founder of the American Society of Gender Surgeons (ASGS), and Medical Director of the Gender Institute at Saint Francis Memorial Hospital. Read more »

Dr. Angela Rodriguez

Dr. Rodriguez is a board-certified plastic surgeon in San Francisco who is dedicated full time to providing surgical care for transgender patients. She is highly proficient in gender-affirming Vaginoplasty and has a special interest in Facial Feminization. Her commitment to transforming lives and passion for social justice drove her pursuance to master transgender surgery, but it's Dr. Rodriguez's surgical skills, bedside manner and results that patients love. More »

Dr. Scott W. Mosser is a board certified and award-winning surgeon based in San Francisco who specializes in MTF/N Breast Augmentation and Body Feminization. He has worked with the transgender community for more than 10 years. Dr. Mosser is co-founder of the American Society of Gender Surgeons (ASGS), and Medical Director of the Gender Institute at Saint Francis Memorial Hospital. More »

Dr. Danny Hanna

Dr. Hanna is a fellowship-trained Gender Surgeon based in Dallas, Texas. At the Hanna Gender Center, Dr. Hanna works exclusively with transgender and non-binary patients, offering gender-affirming genital surgeries as well as Breast Augmentation, Body Sculpting and Hair Grafting. More »

Newly Added Surgeons

Dr. Kenan Celtik

Dr. Celtik is a Reconstructive Urologist who specializes in gender-affirming Vaginoplasty. He is fellowship-trained in Gender Surgery and has completed 15 years of advanced medical education, including rigorous training in female pelvic reconstruction, robotic surgery and neurourology. Dr. Celtik's deep expertise and commitment to providing exceptional care and surgical outcomes make him a great choice of Vaginoplasty surgeon. He joined the Crane Center for Transgender Surgery in 2023 and is based in the San Francisco area. More »

Dr. Drew Marano

Dr. Marano is a fellowship-trained plastic and reconstructive surgeon in New York City who has deep expertise in Gender Affirmation Surgery. Dr. Marano is fellowship-trained in the full spectrum of gender-affirming procedures and is particularly passionate about Robotic Vaginoplasty and Facial Feminization Surgery. Dr. Marano's extensive training and dedication to provide the highest level of care make him a sound choice of surgeon in the New York metropolitan area. More »

Dr. Aneesh Gupta

Dr. Gupta is a triple board-certified cosmetic surgeon in Philadelphia who offers Breast Augmentation and Body Feminization surgery. Dr. Gupta's experience with gender-affirming care has informed how Jazzi Cosmetic Surgery has created a welcoming environment for all patients. Throughout your surgical journey, you can expect everyone you interact with at Jazzi to be friendly and professional. More »

Facial Feminization Experts

Dr. Joel Beck

Dr. Beck is a board certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon who has been offering gender-affirming facial surgery since 2003. Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, Dr. Beck is one of only a few FFS Surgeons in the Southeast. He also offers Breast Augmentation, Body Sculpting and Hair Grafting. More »

Dr. Gerhard Mundinger

Dr. Mundinger is a board-certified plastic surgeon with broad training and expertise in craniofacial and gender-affirming surgery. Dr. Mundinger joined the Austin branch of the Crane Center for Transgender Surgery in 2021, where he offers Facial Feminization Surgery, Vaginoplasty and Breast Augmentation. More »

Dr. Drew Schnitt

Dr. Schnitt is a board certified cosmetic, plastic, reconstructive and craniofacial surgeon based in South Florida. In practice since 2002, Dr. Schnitt's extensive experience in cosmetic and craniofacial surgery make him a great choice for Facial Feminization Surgery, as well as gender-affirming Breast Augmentation and Body Sculpting. More »

Dr. Josef Hadeed

Dr. Hadeed is a board certified, Duke University-trained surgeon who offers gender-affirming feminizing surgery in Beverly Hills, California and Miami, Florida. Dr. Hadeed's surgical offerings include Orchiectomy, Facial Feminization, Breast Augmentation and Body Sculpting. More »

Dr. Alexander Facque

Dr. Facque is a board-certified plastic surgeon in San Francisco, California who joined the Gender Confirmation Center's team in September 2020 as a full-time Associate Surgeon with deep expertise in Facial Gender Confirmation Surgery, Breast Augmentation and Body Sculpting. Dr. Facque was introduced to gender-affirming care in 2012 and now works exclusively with transgender and non-binary patients. More »

Dr. Thomas Satterwhite

Dr. Satterwhite is a Plastic Surgeon in San Francisco works exclusively with transgender and non-binary patients. Dr. Satterwhite performs Facial Feminization Surgery, Vaginoplasty, Breast and Buttock Augmentation, and Body Sculpting. More »

Dr. Toby Meltzer

Dr. Meltzer is a plastic and reconstructive surgeon who is widely recognized as one of the leading surgeons in the field of Gender Reassignment Surgery. Dr. Meltzer has been performing MTF Surgery since 1993 and has completed over 4000 gender affirming surgeries. He performs about 200 gender reassignment surgery cases per year in Scottsdale, Arizona. More »

Dr. Christopher Salgado

Dr. Salgado is a board-certified plastic surgeon in Florida who has deep expertise in Gender Affirming Surgery. In practice for more than 20 years, Dr. Salgado performs all aspects of male-to-female surgery, from Facial Feminization and Breast Augmentation to Vaginoplasty, giving patients the opportunity to experience a continuity of care throughout their surgical transition. After many years in academic practice, Dr. Salgado opened his private practice in Miami in 2019. More »

Dr. Eric Bensimon

Dr. Bensimon has dedicated his career to helping trans women seeking FFS. With over 15 years experience in FFS, Dr. Eric Bensimon is one of the world's most experienced surgeons practicing Facial Feminization Surgery. Dr. Bensimon is based in Montreal, Canada. More »

Dr. Praful Ramineni

Dr. Ramineni is a highly experienced, board-certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon who specializes in gender-affirming top and bottom surgeries. Dr. Ramineni has more than 15 years of experience as a surgeon and performs at least 600 procedures a year. He's known for not just his exceptional surgical skills and natural-looking results, but also for his caring bedside manner and great communication style. More »

Dr. Daniel J. Freet

Dr. Freet is a board certified Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon who offers the full spectrum of MTF Surgery procedures at the University of Texas in Houston. Leading a multidisciplinary gender surgery team, Dr. Freet performs Gender Reassignment Surgery (Vaginoplasty), as well as Facial Feminization and Breast Augmentation. More »

Dr. Gabriel Del Corral

Dr. Del Corral is a double board-certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon who offers Vaginoplasty and other gender-affirming procedures at the Medstar Center for Gender Affirmation in Washington D.C. and Baltimore, Maryland. Fellowship trained in microsurgery, Dr. Del Corral also has expertise in reconstructive surgery, maxillofacial surgery and cosmetic surgery. He specializes in Gender Affirmation Surgery and has a particular interest in Vaginoplasty and Facial Feminization. More »

Dr. Heidi Wittenberg

Dr. Wittenberg is an experienced Urogynecologist in San Francisco who works exclusively with trans and non-binary patients. Dr. Wittenberg is the director of MoZaic Care, which specializes in gender affirming genital and pelvic surgeries, and a Founder Surgeon and Co-Director for the first SRC accredited Center of Excellence in Gender Confirmation Surgery, at Greenbrae Surgery Center. More »

Dr. Adam Bonnington

Dr. Bonnington is a Gender Surgeon in San Francisco who has focused his career on working with underrepresented patient populations. He joined Dr. Heidi Wittenberg at MoZaic Care as a Surgical Associate in 2020 where he works exclusively with transgender and non-binary individuals. Dr. Bonnington performs Orchiectomy and Vaginoplasty. More »

Dr. Loren Schechter

Dr. Schechter is one of the country's foremost experts on gender-affirming surgery. He is the Medical Director of the Gender Affirmation Surgery Program at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. Dr. Schechter's outstanding surgical skills and more than 20 years experience with transgender surgery have made him an in-demand surgeon. He offers the full spectrum MTF Gender Confirmation procedures, including Breast Augmentation, single-stage Vaginoplasty, and FFS. More »

Dr. Curtis Crane

Dr. Crane is a board-certified plastic surgeon in Austin, Texas who has deep experience with the full spectrum of male-to-female Gender Reassignment Surgery procedures. Dr. Crane and his team perform approximately 130 Vaginoplasty surgeries every year, as well as Vulvoplasty, Facial Feminization and Breast Augmentation. More »

Dr. Richard Santucci

Dr. Santucci, who spent 18 years as one of the nation's most distinguished academic Reconstructive Urologists, hasn't looked back since turning his focus to Gender Affirming Surgery. Before joining the Crane Center for Transgender Surgery, Dr. Santucci served as the Director of the Center for Urologic Reconstruction and the Specialist-in-Chief for Urology at the Detroit Medical Center. Dr. Santucci's years of experience with complex genitourinary surgery uniquely qualifies him to excel at gender-affirming genital reconstruction. More »

Dr. Ashley DeLeon

Dr. DeLeon is a board-certified surgeon who specializes exclusively in Gender Affirmation Surgery. Dr. DeLeon was fellowship trained in gender-affirming procedures by Dr. Curtis Crane. Dr. DeLeon practices in Austin, Texas at the Crane Center for Transgender Surgery, one of the busiest gender surgery practices in the world. Dr. DeLeon's special focus is on male-to-female bottom surgery procedures: Orchiectomy, Vulvoplasty and Vaginoplasty. More »

Dr. Dev Gurjala

Dr. Gurjala is a board-certified plastic surgeon in San Francisco who offers the full array of male-to-female surgery. Prior to joining Align Surgical Associates in 2019, Dr. Gurjala performed gender surgery, microsurgery, and general reconstructive and aesthetic surgery for five years in the Kaiser Permanente system in California. More »

Dr. Michael Safir

Dr. Safir is a board-certified urologist in Los Angeles who specializes exclusively in gender-affirming bottom surgery procedures. With sub-specialty certification in Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery (FPM-RS), Dr. Safir is one of a handful of urologists in the world with individual fellowship training and experience in both male and female genital reconstruction. He gained signicant experience performing gender-affirming genital procedures for five years at one of the highest volume gender surgery centers in the world. More »

Dr. John Henry Pang

Dr. Pang is a double board-certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon who has also completed fellowship training in Gender Affirming Surgery. Before joining Align Surgical Associates in San Francisco, Dr. Pang completed the Transgender Surgery training program at Mount Sinai in New York City. His practice is dedicated to providing the highest level of care for his transgender and non-binary patients. More »

Dr. Ellie Zara Ley

Dr. Ley is a board-certified plastic surgeon who had over 15 years of training and experience in plastic surgery, craniofacial surgery and microsurgery before completing Gender Surgery training. Now based in San Francisco, Dr. Ley provides superb surgical care for those seeking Vaginoplasty, Facial Feminization and other feminizing surgeries. More »

Dr. Kathy Rumer is an expert in transgender surgery, performing 200-250 MTF gender reassignment surgeries per year. Dr. Rumer also directs a 1-year gender surgery fellowship program. She offers the full range of male to female surgery procedures, including Vaginoplasty, Facial Feminization Surgery and Breast Augmentation. More »

Dr. John Whitehead

Dr. Whitehead offers gender affirming male-to-female surgery in Florida. Dr. Whitehead was trained in the art of gender reassignment surgery by Dr. Harold Reed, the now-retired urologist who practiced at The Reed Center for decades. Dr. Whitehead offers Orchiectomy, Vaginoplasty and Vulvoplasty. More »

Dr. Dmitriy Nikolavsky

Dr. Nikolavsky is a highly regarded Reconstructive Urologist and Gender Surgeon at SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse NY. In addition to offering primary Vaginoplasty surgery, Dr. Nikolavsky is also an expert at treating post-operative urinary complications and provides long term follow-up care for patients who have had Vaginoplasty. Read more »

Dr. Jonathan Keith

Dr. Keith is a fellowship-trained Plastic Surgeon in New Jersey with expertise in Gender Reassignment Surgery. In 2018, Dr. Keith co-founded the first multidisciplinary clinical program for transgender patients in New Jersey. He is the first surgeon in New Jersey to offer the full range of gender-affirming procedures, including Facial Surgery, Vaginoplasty and Breast Augmentation. More »

Dr. Nick Esmonde

Dr. Esmonde is a Gender Surgeon in Portland, Oregon who has impeccable training in Gender Affirmation Surgery and whose practice is almost exclusively focused on helping transgender and non-binary patients. Dr. Esmonde offers the full spectrum of feminizing surgeries, from Facial Feminization to Vaginoplasty. More »

Dr. Christopher McClung

Dr. McClung is a board-certified urologist in Columbus, Ohio who specializes in gender-affirming Vaginoplasty. Dr. McClung's deep experience with complex urological reconstructions provided an ideal background for becoming a Gender Surgeon. He has now performed over 200 feminizing bottom surgeries and his practice is fully dedicated to providing gender-affirming surgical care. In addition to his urology and reconstructive expertise, Dr. McClung's patients also appreciate his gentle bedside manner. More »

Dr. Min Jun

Dr. Min Jun is an exceptionally trained Reconstructive Urologist and Gender Surgeon in San Francisco who specializes in Robotic Peritoneal Flap Vaginoplasty. Dr. Jun has completed fellowship training in both Reconstructive Urology and Gender Affirming Surgery. He worked with the Crane Center for Transgender Surgery in 2020-2023 and now has his own practice in San Francisco. More »

Surgeons in Thailand

Dr. Pichet Rodchareon

Dr. Pichet Rodchareon is a board-certified plastic surgeon in Bangkok who has extensive experience performing male-to-female Gender Reassignment Surgery. Dr. Pichet is considered one of top SRS surgeons in Thailand. His training includes plastic surgery, hand surgery, craniofacial and maxillofacial surgery. More »

Dr. Kamol Pansritum

Dr. Kamol Pansritum is recognized as one of the most experienced GRS Surgeons in the world, having completed over 5,000 gender reassignment surgeries, and more than 10,000 related surgical procedures for trans women since 1997. Dr. Kamol currently performs more than 200 MTF reassignment surgeries a year at his private hospital in Bangkok, Thailand. More »

More MTF Surgeons

Dr. Michelle Lee

Dr. Lee is a board-certified and fellowship-trained plastic surgeon with high proficiency in aesthetic and reconstructive procedures for the breast and face. Widely regarded as being one of the finest plastic surgeons in the Los Angeles area, Dr. Lee possesses the perfect combination of skill, artistry, experience and compassion, which makes her ideally suited to performing gender-affirming surgery. More »

Dr. Alvina Won

Dr. Won is a board-certified Cosmetic Surgeon who is committed to providing the highest level of compassionate care in a welcoming environment for all patients. Dr. Won gained significant experience with gender-affirming surgery during a year-long cosmetic surgery fellowship with Dr. Tony Mangubat, a 20+ year veteran of transgender surgery. Based in the Seattle area, just north of Seattle, Dr. Won now devotes part of her practice to performing MTF Breast Augmentation, Buttock Augmentation and Body Sculpting. More »

Dr. Laurel Chandler

Dr. Chandler is a Harvard fellowship-trained plastic surgeon who has received specialty training in gender-affirming breast surgery. During both her residency and fellowship training, Dr. Chandler worked with established gender surgeons to learn the aesthetic nuances of transgender Breast Augmentation. Dr. Chandler provides individualized care for a diverse range of patients, up to 90% of whom are transgender and non-binary. More »

Dr. Javad Sajan

Voted #1 Best Surgeon in Seattle in 2016 and 2017, Dr. Sajan is an internationally recognized Cosmetic & Reconstructive Plastic Surgeon whose specializations include Facial Feminization and Breast Augmentation. Dr. Sajan enjoys providing gender-affirming surgical care and is honored to play a role in his patients' transitions. More »

Dr. Daniel Jacobs

Dr. Jacobs is a board-certified plastic surgeon in San Francisco, California who joined the Gender Confirmation Center in July 2022. With more than 30 years of plastic experience and a practice that's dedicated to gender-affirming care, Dr. Jacobs is a sound choice for transfeminine and non-binary individuals seeking Breast Augmentation surgery. More »

Dr. Daniel Crane

Dr. Crane is a plastic surgeon in the Miami area who has expertise in breast, body and facial surgeries. He was one of only 30 residents selected from across the country to participate in a highly specialized aesthetic fellowship training program. In 2022, Dr. Crane joined Dr. Drew Schnitt's Inspire Aesthetics. His unique training in plastic and aesthetic surgery provides him with the knowledge and experience to help you achieve your surgery goals. More »

Dr. E. Antonio Mangubat

Dr. E. Antonio Mangubat is the Pacific Northwest's most sought-after surgeon for transgender surgery, with more than 20 years of experience performing procedures for trans women, including Facial Feminization, MTF Breast Augmentation, Body Sculpting and Hair Restoration. More »

Dr. Dustin Reid

Dr. Dustin Reid is a double board-certified plastic surgeon in Austin who offers Breast Augmentation, Body Feminization and Hair Restoration. Dr. Reid is committed to providing expert surgical care and guidance throughout your surgery experience. More »

Dr. Daniel Medalie

Dr. Daniel Medalie is a board certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon who has been performing gender-affirming surgeries since 1996. Based in the Cleveland area, he offers Breast Augmentation and Tracheal Shave procedures for transfeminine individuals. More »

Dr. Russell Sassani

Dr. Russell Sassani is a board certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon who has quickly become one of the most popular surgeons in the Southeastern United States for trans women. He performs Breast Augmentation, Facial Feminization and Body Sculpting in the Mami/Fort Lauderdale area. More »

Dr. Mark Youssef

Dr. Mark Youssef, Director of the Transgender Surgery Institute of Southern California, is a Cosmetic Surgeon in Santa Monica who helps clients on the trans feminine spectrum with Breast Augmentation, Body Feminization and Facial Feminization surgeries. He operates at his private surgery center, Younique Surgery Center in Santa Monica. More »

Dr. Hope Sherie

Dr. Hope Sherie is a board-certified cosmetic surgeon who has extensive training in MTF surgery procedures. Dr. Sherie offers trans women the highest level of surgical care at her practice in Charlotte, North Carolina. Procedures available include Orchiectomy and Breast Augmentation. More »

Dr. Charles Lee

Dr. Charles Lee is a board-certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon who has deep expertise in microsurgery and breast surgery. In practice since 2003, Dr. Lee offers MTF Top Surgery at Crane Center for Transgender Surgery in San Francisco. More »

Dr. Alan Dulin

Dr. Alan Dulin is a board-certified surgeon who has many years of experience performing Male-to-Female Surgery in the Dallas area. Dr. Dulin offers transgender women Breast Augmentation & Body Contouring, Facial Feminization Surgery and Orchiectomy. More »

Dr. Scott Harris

Dr. Scott Harris is a board-certified Surgeon with years of experience performing Male to Female Surgery in Texas. Known for his meticulous attention to detail, Dr. Harris offers a number of feminizing surgeries for trans women, including Facial Feminization Surgery, Breast Augmentation and Body Sculpting procedures. More »

Dr. Cassie Nghiem

Dr. Nghiem is an Ivy League-educated, fellowship-trained plastic surgeon in Washington, D.C. who specializes in Gender-Affirming Surgery, including Breast Augmentation and Facial Feminization. She works closely with her patients to deliver the best quality care that is aligned with their goals. Known for her advanced surgical skills, Dr. Nghiem's patients also love her friendly personality and kind demeanor. More »

Dr. Manish Champaneria

Dr. Manish Champaneria is a board-certified surgeon with extensive training and experience in plastic surgery and a special focus on reconstructive breast procedures and Facial Feminization. Dr. Champaneria practices in San Diego, California. More »

Dr. Walter Lin

Dr. Walter Lin is a fellowship-trained Plastic Surgeon in San Francisco who performs Breast Augmentation for transfeminine individuals. Dr. Lin's expertise in the areas of microsurgical reconstruction of the extremities, breast, and lymphatic systems has greatly contributed to his skill with gender-affirming Breast Augmentation. Dr. Lin joined the staff of Buncke Clinic and the San Francisco Transgender Institute in 2017. More »

Dr. Jeffrey Marvel

Dr. Marvel is a board-certified cosmetic surgeon who has developed a great reputation in Nashville and Central Tennessee for his technical skills, attention to detail and natural-looking results. Since 1997, Dr. Marvel and Marvel Cosmetic Surgery's dedicated staff have offered top-notch hospitality and care for patients seeking a wide range of cosmetic procedures, including Facial Feminization, Breast Augmentation and Hair Grafting. More »

Dr. Eric Emerson

Dr. Eric Emerson is a Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon with over 20 years experience specializing in breast surgery, body contouring and facial surgery. Dr. Emerson is a sound choice for trans women seeking breast augmentation and body and facial feminization surgery in the Carolinas and eastern United States. More »

Dr. Gregory Swank

Dr. Gregory Swank a board-certified, Duke University-trained surgeon who offers male-to-female surgery in North Carolina. Dr. Swank's surgical offerings for trans women include Breast Augmentation, and Body and Facial Feminization. More »

Dr. Michael Beckenstein

Dr. Michael Beckenstein is a double-board-certified Plastic Surgeon in Birmingham who is pleased to offer his expertise and skills in cosmetic and reconstructive surgery to the MTF community in Alabama and throughout the Southeast. Dr. Beckenstein specializes in Breast Augmentation as well as Hair Restoration. More »

Dr. Helena Guarda

Dr. Helena Guarda is a board-certified Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon who is committed to offering Breast Augmentation and Feminization Surgeries as part of her LGBT-friendly practice in Suffolk, Virginia. Dr. Guarda is excited to work with patients from all parts of Virginia, as well as those coming from nearby states such as North Carolina, Maryland, West Virginia, Tennessee, and Kentucky. More »

Dr. Elliot Jacobs

Dr. Jacobs is a nationally-recognized, board-certified plastic surgeon in Boca Raton, Florida with more than 30 years of experience in breast and facial surgeries. Dr. Jacobs offers MTF Surgery procedures at his private, modern and fully accredited surgical suite. More »

Dr. Rex Moulton-Barrett

Dr. Rex Moulton-Barrett is a double board certified cosmetic, plastic and reconstructive surgeon in the San Francisco Bay Area who has been performing MTF Breast Augmentation surgery since 2010. Read more »

Dr. Vartan Mardirossian

Dr. Vartan Mardirossian is a surgeon in South Florida who specializes in Facial Feminization Surgery. Dr. Mardirossian has extensive training and experience performing Facial Feminization procedures, including 7 years of training under renowned FFS surgeon Dr. Jeffrey Spiegel . Read more »

Last updated: 04/03/24

• Nation & World

Wisconsin ordered to pay for gender reassignment surgeries

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MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A federal judge has ordered Wisconsin to pay for the gender reassignment surgery for two transgender Medicaid recipients.

Cody Flack, 30, and Sara Ann Makenzie, 41, filed a lawsuit in April, saying a state rule denying coverage for surgeries to treat gender dysphoria violates the Affordable Care Act and their right to equal protection, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported. The state rule that excludes coverage for undefined “transsexual surgery” was adopted in 1996.

U.S. District Judge William Conley granted a preliminary injunction Wednesday barring enforcement of the rule. He suggested the injunction could be expanded to include any transgender Medicaid patient whose doctor recommends the surgery.

“The likelihood of ongoing, irreparable harm facing these two individual plaintiffs outweighs any marginal impacts on the defendants’ stated concerns regarding public health or limiting costs,” Conley said in the 39-page order.

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Flack could get his surgery in two or three weeks, said Attorney Rock Pledl. He said Makenzie may have to wait a few months because of her status on the paperwork process with an HMO.

Flack, who has cerebral palsy, uses a motorized wheelchair and relies on Supplemental Security Income for the disabled as his sole support. He first identified as a boy at age 5, according the lawsuit. Makenzie is also is disabled and relies on Supplemental Security Income. She has been living as a woman since 2012.

“This is tremendous,” Pledl said of the ruling.

The state’s Medicaid has a budget of approximately $9.7 billion to cover about 1.2 million eligible residents. An estimated 5,000 of enrollees are transgender.

Information from: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, http://www.jsonline.com

Wisconsin Inmate Wins Federal Sexual Reassignment Surgery Case

Judge Rules State Violated Inmate's 8th Amendment Rights In Refusing Procedure

A transgender inmate at the Racine Correctional Institution has won a federal case and will be allowed to undergo sexual reassignment surgery.

U.S. District Judge James Peterson ruled earlier this month that Nicole Campbell’s Eight Amendment rights under the U.S. Constitution had been violated by the Wisconsin Department of Corrections when she was denied the surgery.

The Eighth Amendment prohibits the federal government from imposing excessive bail, excessive fines, or cruel and unusual punishments.

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During Campbell’s trial in March, the court found she has gender dysphoria. In his ruling , Peterson wrote the condition causes Campbell “anguish and puts her at risk of self-harm or suicide.”

According to the American Psychiatric Association, gender dysphoria is “a strong desire to be of another gender, which may include desire to change primary and/or secondary sex characteristics. Not all transgender or gender diverse people experience dysphoria.”

In his ruling, Peterson acknowledged sexual reassignment surgery may be viewed as controversial, even outside a prison context, but said the surgery is no more expensive or difficult than other treatments DOC routinely provides.

“And some members of the public are outraged at any effort to improve the health and well-being of inmates. But the true public interest lies in alleviating needless suffering by those who are dependent on the government for their care,” Peterson said in his ruling.

Campbell’s requests for breast augmentation, voice therapy, and electrolysis were denied by Peterson.

The DOC declined to comment on the ruling when reached by Wisconsin Public Radio Wednesday.

Milwaukee-based law firm Husch Blackwell represented Campbell pro bono. Attorney Tom Heneghan, a partner at the firm, said he has gotten to know Nicole and realized how much she is suffering and how much she needs this treatment.

“She has done everything she can within the confines of the male prison.” Heneghan said. “She was allowed to purchase feminine eyewear, she could wear feminine undergarments, they provided her with hormone therapy. But they drew the line and said, ‘No prisoner in Wisconsin will ever be allowed this kind of surgery.’ It wasn’t even an assessment of her situation.”

In a brief filed in March, the Wisconsin Department of Justice argued sexual reassignment surgery was not medically necessary in Campbell’s case because there was a dispute among experts whether it is appropriate for her.

The brief also argued that Campbell has not had real life experience living among women. But in Peterson’s ruling, he said Campbell will likely have to wait at least a year for the surgery, since there is only one qualified surgeon in Wisconsin able to perform the procedure. In the meantime, the DOC has the option to move her from the men’s prison in Racine to a facility for women, Taycheedah Correctional Institution in Fond du Lac County.

Heneghan said Campbell prefers to be at Taycheedah.

“She assumes, and probably correctly, her life will be easier there, because she will be with other women,” Heneghan said.

Campbell has been in prison since 2008 after she was found guilty as Mark Alan Campbell of first-degree sexual assault of a child without great bodily harm. Her release date is March 2041.

The DOC’s Gender Dysphoria Committee first denied Campbell sexual reassignment surgery in 2013. According to a lawsuit filed then, the denial caused Campbell to suffer “cruel and unusual punishment.”

Heneghan said he hopes the ruling changes how DOC treats inmates in need of health care.

“The DOC medical director was respectful of Nicole, but they had this policy, and they were just never going to consider (sexual reassignment surgery) ever,” Heneghan said. “And that’s deliberate indifference. That’s refusal to exercise medical judgement, which is what they are obligated to do. What if she had cancer? No one would have said that’s not necessary.”

Wisconsin Public Radio, © Copyright 2024, Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System and Wisconsin Educational Communications Board.

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Appeals Court Finds a Constitutional Right to Gender Reassignment Surgery

The 14th Amendment to the Constitution is truly a magical amendment. It was used to justify attempts to kick Donald Trump off the 2024 ballot. Through the decades, judges who want to play at social engineering have used it frequently to justify questionable law. 

It's even been invoked to bypass Congress to raise the debt limit.

Now, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals has decided that the amendment's "equal protection" clause means that state Medicaid programs have to cover gender reassignment surgeries.

The appeals court ruled that West Virginia's Medicaid rules on mastectomies are unconstitutional because they violate the "equal protection standard" by not covering mastectomies for gender dysphoria.

Yes, really.

The ruling also includes a North Carolina Medicaid case that the state government won't cover "sex changes." The Fourth Circuit nullified the state ban on gender change surgeries, citing the 14th Amendment’s guarantee of “equal protection of the laws.”

This was a court looking for an excuse to make law.

Judge Roger Gregory who wrote the majority opinion in Kadel v. Folwell (8-6) asked, “Is removing a patient’s breasts to treat cancer the same procedure as removing a patient’s breasts to treat gender dysphoria?” He continued, “There is no case law to ground this discussion nor obvious first principles.”

Wall Street Journal:

He is undeterred, and he concludes that gender dysphoria and transgender status are intertwined, so that such insurance exclusions are nothing more than a proxy for discriminating against gender identity. Then he goes further, finding that West Virginia’s and North Carolina’s policies also unconstitutionally discriminate based on sex. How so? Imagine, Judge Gregory says, an unidentified patient seeking a vaginoplasty. Is this a biological female with a rare birth defect? Is it a transgender patient? “By virtue of the fact that they are seeking a vaginoplasty, we know that they were born without a vagina,” he writes. “But we do not know what sex they were assigned at birth. Without that information, we cannot say whether the Plan or Program will cover the surgery.” Ergo, sex discrimination.

Gregory gets even nuttier.

The differences in coverage "is rooted in a gender stereotype: the assumption that people who have been assigned female at birth are supposed to have breasts, and that people assigned male at birth are not."

It's not a "gender stereotype." It's a biological fact. 

"No doubt, the majority of those assigned female at birth have breasts, and the majority of those assigned male at birth do not. But we cannot mistake what is for what must be.”

Not just a "majority." It's a universal biological fact with a tiny number of exceptions.

Treating different things differently doesn’t violate the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause, and jurists aren’t supposed to ignore the obvious. Writing in dissent at the Fourth Circuit, Judge Julius Richardson struggles to contain his exasperation. “The states,” he says, “have chosen to cover alterations of a person’s breasts or genitalia only if the person experiences physical injury, disease, or (in West Virginia) congenital absence of genitalia.” That determination does not turn on the patient’s sex or gender. “Christopher Fain—one of the plaintiffs below—received coverage for a hysterectomy based on a diagnosis unrelated to Fain’s transgender status,” the dissent says. Likewise, males with gynecomastia qualify for surgery coverage in West Virginia only “if they have physical symptoms, like breast pain,” meaning that isn’t a procedure done merely “to affirm a patient’s biological sex.”

The ruling that opened this can of worms was Bostock v. Clayton County, a case that "held that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects employees against discrimination because of  sexuality or gender identity." Now, as a dissenting judge in Kadel v. Folwell,  Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson III is saying that this ruling could be a Roe v Wade  ruling for the transgender community.

“This is imperial judging at its least defensible,” he says, “What plaintiffs propose is nothing less than to use the Constitution to establish a nationwide mandate that States pay for emerging gender dysphoria treatments.”

He's not wrong. But getting the ruling past this Supreme Court would be a stretch. 

Rick Moran has been writing for PJ Media for 18 years. His work has appeared in dozens of media outlets including the Washington Times  and ABC News. He was an editor at American Thinker for 14 years. His own blog is Right Wing Nut House . For media inquiries, please contact [email protected] .

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As SC legislature winds down, bill banning transgender youth medical care returns to House

South Carolina’s state Senate voted to approve a House bill outlawing gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth. Now, it heads back to the House after the Senate designated amendments to the bill.

After a lengthy debate last week, state senators voted 28-8 to forward the bill to the House in the last days before the legislative session ends on May 9.

The bill would eliminate the use of puberty-blocking drugs, hormone therapy, and gender reassignment surgery for those under 18. It would allow puberty-blocking drugs for minors diagnosed with conditions like precocious puberty or endometriosis who use puberty blockers as treatment.

It would also ban the South Carolina Medicaid Program from providing coverage for minors and adults.

One of the largest changes from the Senate’s amendments was a provision requiring public school principals and vice principals to inform parents if a child reported identifying as a different gender from their assigned sex or using different pronouns.

More: UMC Thursday updates: United Methodists strike down 52-year-old statement on homosexuality and Christianity

Opponents of this bill argued this would be a forced outing and could cause problems for a child at home. Sen. Tameika Devine (D-19), for example, had an issue with the bill that it only addressed public schools and not private schools. She also argued that the bill revokes medical freedom.

“This bill isn’t showing love, it’s not showing compassion. It is actually malicious and is showing that we are not caring for all citizens,” Devine said.

Supporters of the bill argued that the goal of the bill was to protect children. Those against the bill argue that the bill would harm transgender children.

“The main reason for this bill is to protect minors from making life-changing decisions that can have harmful and irreversible effects,” Sen. Richard Cash, a Republican representing Anderson County, said last week.

But, a study from the New England Journal of Medicine shows transgender and non-binary youth who use hormones and puberty blockers show lowered signs of depression and anxiety.

If passed by the House, South Carolina would join 25 states to outlaw medical care for transgender youth, according to the Human Rights Campaign.

Savannah Moss covers Greenville County politics and growth/development. Reach her at [email protected] or follow her on X @Savmoss.