(NewsNation) — During the 2024 presidential debate on Tuesday, Republican nominee Donald Trump claimed that Democrat Kamala Harris wants to perform “transgender operations on illegal aliens that are in prison.”
Trump’s statement, which was mocked by social media users, appears to be based on Harris’ answer to a 2019 candidate questionnaire from the American Civil Liberties Union. It resurfaced after CNN reported on it earlier this week.
Harris’ campaign communications director Michael Taylor said in an interview on Fox News before the debate, however, that this questionnaire, is “not what she is proposing” or running on.
In the ACLU questionnaire, Harris was asked whether if as president she would “use her 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?”
Harris wrote in her answer 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.”
“I support policies ensuring that federal prisoners and detainees are able to obtain medically necessary care for gender transition, including surgical care, while incarcerated or detained,” Harris wrote. “Transition treatment is a medical necessity, and I will direct all federal agencies responsible for providing essential medical care to deliver transition treatment.”
What Trump meant when he said “transgender operations” isn’t clear. Gender-affirming care encompasses a wide range of services provided to transgender and cisgender people. Transitioning, in particular, can include both social and physical changes.
When asked about the questionnaire by CNN, Harris’ campaign did not say whether she continued to support these positions, saying in a statement that “the Vice President’s positions have been shaped by three years of effective governance as part of the Biden-Harris Administration.”
