USAID’s $2 Million Grant to Guatemala: Clarifying the Facts
The U.S. government awarded a $2 million grant to fund gender-affirming operations in Guatemala.
In 2024, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) awarded a $2 million grant to an LGBTQ+ rights organization in Guatemala called Asociación Lambda. This grant was aimed at supporting "trans-led organizations to deliver gender-affirming health care, advocate for improved quality and access to services, and provide economic empowerment opportunities."
The claim that the grant was specifically for gender-affirming operations is misleading. While the funding is intended to support gender-affirming health care, it includes more than just surgeries. Gender-affirming care covers a range of services beyond surgeries, such as hormone therapies, puberty blockers, mental health care, and speech therapy. As of this writing, only $350,000 of the allocated $2 million had been distributed to Asociación Lambda.
The grant description indicates that the money was also aimed at improving the quality and access to gender-affirming health care and providing economic empowerment for the transgender community, not exclusively funding surgical procedures.
The Larger Context: The $2 million grant has become a point of contention among Republican officials, with claims that USAID funding is being spent on "sex changes" in Guatemala. This narrative was amplified by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, Senator Marsha Blackburn, and others, who criticized the spending.
However, when examining the details of the grant on USASpending.gov, it becomes clear that the funds are intended to address broader issues related to gender-affirming care and economic opportunities for the transgender community, not just surgical procedures.
The broad characterization of the grant by critics overlooks the full scope of gender-affirming health care, which includes treatments and services that are also used in the general population. For example, hormone therapies, often seen in gender-affirming care, are also prescribed to cisgender women during menopause. Similarly, puberty blockers are sometimes used to delay early-onset puberty in children, not exclusively for gender-related reasons.
While it’s true that USAID provided a $2 million grant to Asociación Lambda for gender-affirming care in Guatemala, the grant's purpose extends beyond surgical procedures. The funding aims to improve the quality and access to gender-affirming health care and to provide economic empowerment for the transgender community in the country.
