No, Wisconsin Sen. Baldwin did not give federal money to a ‘transgender-affirming clinic’ for youth

With about a month until Election Day, U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., is leading Republican challenger Eric Hovde in the most recent Marquette University Law School poll. Criticisms of one by the other are at a fever pitch. 

During a Sept. 16 appearance on the Vicki McKenna Show on WIBA (1310), Hovde dogged Baldwin for a federal earmark she requested for a Madison-area organization that serves at-risk youth. 

In doing so, Hovde claimed, Baldwin "gave our taxpayer money to a transgender clinic, affirming clinic — which is their buzzword — that does it without even telling parents." 

His remark strays from the facts. Let’s take a closer look. 

When asked for the evidence behind the claim, a Hovde spokesperson pointed to the $400,000 in federal money that Baldwin requested from a $1.2 trillion government spending package passed in March for Fitchburg-based Briarpatch Youth Services, which serves runaway and homeless youth in Dane County.

Its programs include a youth homeless shelter, employment services and help for people navigating the criminal justice system, among others. 

The money was specifically for therapeutic and clinical counseling for youth who are experiencing homelessness, according to the request posted to Baldwin’s website. 

But the move triggered Republican uproar because Briarpatch also runs a program called Teens Like Us, which supports LGBTQ+ youth ages 13 to 18. Last year, its website mentioned that youth did not need a guardian’s permission to join the program, and that gender-affirming clothing like chest binders and swimwear was also available.

Neither point appears on the page today, a move the organization told Wisconsin Watch it made to protect youth safety. Briarpatch Executive Director Jill Pfeiffer told PolitiFact Wisconsin that in most cases, parents are the ones bringing their children to the Teens Like Us program to give them a safe place to explore their identity. 

PolitiFact Wisconsin asked Hovde’s team to clarify what he meant in saying the organization "does it" without telling parents. His spokesperson declined to specifically answer the question, noting that news outlets reported the gender-affirming clothing offering and that youth can join the program without permission.

But in the multiple times Hovde has offered variations of this claim, he doesn’t mention clothing. Instead, he’s made vague claims that the organization works with children on "transgendering them," helps kids "go through the transgender process," or, in the case of the specific statement we are examining here, "does it."  

After his statement, McKenna claimed the organization would "alter children, mutilate them surgically or put them on drugs that can have a permanent impact on their quality of life" — things Hovde didn’t dispute. 

Featured Fact-check

Instagram posts

stated on October 21, 2024 in Instagram posts

Jussie Smollett is Kamala Harris’ nephew.

Taken together, this all connotes an element of gender-affirming medical care that Briarpatch does not provide. Not only does his phrase "transgender clinic" misconstrue the organization’s overall mission, law prohibits Wisconsin minors from getting medical treatment without a parent or guardian’s signature. 

Second, the taxpayer money Hovde refers to is not going to the Teens Like Us program, Baldwin’s staff told the Journal Sentinel in March and Pfeiffer confirmed to PolitiFact Wisconsin. 

Because the request came from the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration, a Baldwin spokesperson told the Journal Sentinel, the funds would be prohibited from being used for the activities described in the Teens Like Us program. Pfeiffer confirmed the money is for counseling for youth experiencing homelessness and other hardships. 

Hovde claimed that Baldwin gave taxpayer money to a transgender-affirming clinic that "does it without even telling parents." 

Baldwin did secure funds for Briarpatch Youth Services, which has a program for LGBTQ+ youth that doesn’t require parental permission to join. But Hovde’s vagueness leaves room for the idea that there’s gender-affirming medical treatment happening, which is not accurate. On top of that, and most significantly, the funds Baldwin requested went to an entirely different program, and are not being used for the purpose Hovde claimed.

We rate this claim False.