A look at Donald Trump's 'transgender operations on illegal aliens' debate claim

During the presidential debate Tuesday, former President Donald Trump criticized Vice President Kamala Harris on her support for taxpayer-funded medical care for transgender individuals.

"Now she wants to do transgender operations on illegal aliens that are in prison," Trump said. "This is a radical left liberal that would do this."

The comment was the only mention of the LGBTQ+ community on the debate stage.

Trump's comments appear to refer to a 2019 American Civil Liberties Union questionnaire filled out by then-Sen. Harris during her first presidential bid.

The questionnaire asked: "As President, will you use your executive authority to ensure that transgender and nonbinary people who rely on the state for medical care - including those in prison and immigration detention - will have access to comprehensive treatment associated with gender transition, including all necessary surgical care? If yes, how will you do so?"

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She responded yes, adding that "it is important that transgender individuals who rely on the state for care receive the treatment they need, which includes access to treatment associated with gender transition."

She noted that as the California state attorney general, she backed the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation decision to provide gender transition surgery to state inmates.

In 2015, while Harris was the attorney general, California and the Transgender Law Center reached a historic settlement to move a transgender woman inmate to a women's correctional facility and provide her with transgender medical care that had been deemed medically necessary by several medical and mental health clinicians, according to the settlement agreement.

The case was hailed by LGBTQ activists, who said it would impact incarcerated trans people nationwide.

Harris' response in the ACLU questionnaire continued, adding that she supported policies to allow federal inmates to obtain "medically necessary care for gender transition" while incarcerated.

"I will direct all federal agencies responsible for providing essential medical care to deliver transition treatment," she wrote.

The Harris campaign communications director Michael Tyler told Fox News that the 2019 questionnaire is not what the vice president is proposing or part of her platform. They did not offer new details on where she currently stands on the issue.

ABC News has reached out to the Harris campaign for further comment.

Harris and Trump policies on gender-affirming care

The Harris-Walz campaign has not officially released any policy proposals or promises concerning gender-affirming care so far. However, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz signed an executive order in May protecting and supporting access to gender-affirming health care for LGBTQ people in the state.

In his order, Walz notes that numerous medical organizations, including the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have said that access to gender-affirming care is essential to the health and wellness of gender diverse people.

Studies by researchers at Boston Children Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, and published by the American Psychological Association have shown that gender-affirming care can be life-saving for transgender and nonbinary children and adolescents, promoting positive mental and physical health and well-being.

The order came amid a wave of legislation from conservative lawmakers that has led to at least 26 states implementing policies that restrict gender-affirming care for transgender youth.

Supporters of trans care bans argue that children and their families should wait until they're older to make decisions about their gender and health.

The Biden-Harris administration has also signaled support for transgender Americans, reversing a Trump-era ban on transgender military service and revising Title IX to include protections for gender identity.

In one statement to nonprofit news organization The 19th, the White House said that gender-affirming surgeries should be limited to adults -- as is typically the case -- but supports gender-affirming care for minors.

Trump has said that he plans to ban taxpayer funding for sex-change surgeries -- which would include gender-affirming care for detainees -- and bar schools from "promoting gender transition."

He also stated that he would reverse the Title IX revisions concerning gender identity.

LGBTQ issues have been front and center on both national and state political arenas. More than 500 bills impacting the LGBTQ community have been considered in the U.S. this year, according to the ACLU.

LGBTQ advocacy group GLAAD criticized the lack of attention on LGBTQ issues on the debate stage.

"The debate included only one mention of LGBTQ Americans, a smear against transgender people that went unchallenged," said GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis in a statement. "As Americans begin returning ballots and line up for early voting, reporters must remember that the next President of the United States will have a profound impact on the LGBTQ community and all marginalized people. We urge reporters to ask leaders for specific ways they will ensure we are always welcome and safe."

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