Chairman Cassidy Sounds Alarm on the University of Minnesota Indoctrinating Toddlers with Dangerous Gender Ideology

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, demanded answers from the University of Minnesota's Eli Coleman Institute for Sexual and Gender Health for using Americans' tax dollars to promote gender ideology with MyGender Dolls among children as young as four years old.

"Americans expect taxpayer-supported institutions to prioritize rigorous medical research and evidence-based care, not projects that encourage children as young as four to question the reality of biological sex," wrote Dr. Cassidy. "The use of dolls featuring interchangeable genitalia and reproductive organs with children as young as four, particularly to encourage discussions about chemical and surgical interventions to their bodies, is extremely concerning and is inconsistent with federal directives."

Reports indicate that a postdoctoral fellow at the Eli Coleman Institute and a therapist used MyGender Dolls to show children that their gender identity is fluid and they can change their own external genitalia and internal organs like they do with the dolls. Cassidy is investigating the Eli Coleman Institute for Sexual and Gender Health to determine if it is in violation of President Trump's executive order which prohibits the use of federal funds to promote gender ideology among young and developing children. There are also concerns surrounding the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA) which protects parents' rights.

As the first physician to chair the HELP Committee, Cassidy is leading efforts to stop the gender mutilation of children and hold medical groups accountable. Recently, Cassidy led a committee hearing and launched an investigation into alarming reports of federally funded health entities performing irreversible gender mutilation on children and vulnerable individuals.

Read the full letter here or below:

Dear Director Mark,

Americans expect taxpayer-supported institutions to prioritize rigorous medical research and evidence-based care, not projects that encourage children as young as four to question the reality of biological sex. As Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) and as a physician, I write to express my deep concern regarding the development, funding, and promotion of the MyGender Dolls, a recent project affiliated with the University of Minnesota Medical School's Eli Coleman Institute for Sexual and Gender Health.¹

According to the Institute's 2024 Annual Report, the project was developed in six years with "generous grant and donation support."² The report states that the project is now being expanded into broader clinical settings. The MyGender Dolls website describes the dolls as "grounded in gender-affirming clinical practices" intended as a "therapeutic" resource for "gender diverse children ages 4-10."³ The website further states that they are designed for use by mental health providers, school counselors, educators, pediatricians, and allied health professionals.⁴

The University of Minnesota previously maintained a webpage describing the MyGender Dolls project, although that page has since been removed. According to the archived webpage, the dolls are modeled after "classic paper dolls," allowing children to "select bodies, genitals, clothes, and other accessories as a way to visualize their anatomy and genders."⁵ Children can also choose external genitalia and internal reproductive organs to demonstrate "that their gender identity is valid no matter what parts they have."⁶

Although the MyGender Dolls website indicates the dolls will launch in 2026, prototype versions have already been used with children in clinical settings.⁷ In a March 2020 article published by the University of Minnesota's Discovery Magazine, therapist Elizabeth Panetta, MSW, described the dolls as a valuable tool in her work with children, stating: "We were able to explore and brainstorm not just what our bodies are able to do now but what we want our bodies to do and look like in the future."⁸

The use of dolls featuring interchangeable genitalia and reproductive organs with children as young as four, particularly to encourage discussions about chemical and surgical interventions to their bodies, is extremely concerning and is inconsistent with federal directives.

Specifically, the University of Minnesota's development and promotion of the MyGender Dolls conflicts with President Trump's Executive Order (EO) 14190, Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling,⁹ which prohibits the use of federal funds to promote gender ideology among young and developing children. Although University officials have stated that the dolls were "solely funded by private donations," the Institute acknowledges receiving millions of dollars in state and federal funding for its research.¹⁰ Moreover, the project later received awards through university commercialization programs with federal connections, raising additional questions about whether federal resources directly or indirectly supported its development.

In 2024, the project received a cash prize through the University's MIN-Corps program, which provides awards of up to $3,000 and operates as part of the Great Lakes I-Corps Hub, supported by grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF).¹¹ According to the NSF, the I-Corps program has received approximately $16 million in federal funding.¹² The project also received funding from the University's Early Innovation Fund, which provides grants of up to $10,000 to help advance early-stage innovations, including supporting the development of prototypes.¹³

The promotion of the MyGender Dolls for use by school counselors and educators also raises potential concerns under the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA).¹⁴ The PPRA protects parents' rights in federally funded educational programs involving sensitive matters, such as "sex behavior and attitudes."¹⁵ To the extent these dolls are used in educational settings by teachers, counselors, or other school personnel to facilitate discussions about physically changing children's bodies, gender identity, or related topics, their use may raise questions regarding compliance with the PPRA's parental rights protections.

Taken together, these facts raise substantial questions regarding whether federally supported resources directly or indirectly benefited the development, promotion, or commercialization of the MyGender Dolls project and whether the University complied with applicable federal requirements. The possibility that federal funding was used to promote gender ideology among children as young as four is alarming and demands full transparency. Accordingly, please respond to the following questions, on a question-by-question basis, no later than August 25, 2026.

Sincerely,

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