The Protocol

The New York Times
The New York Times

A six-part podcast exploring the story of medical treatment for transgender young people — how the care began, the lives it changed, and the legal and political fights that could end it in the United States.

Season 1

  1. Episode 1

    The Beginning

    The story of youth gender medicine starts in The Netherlands, with a clinical psychologist and a 16 year-old who was determined to go through life as the gender he long felt he was.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    The Beginning

  2. Episode 2

    The Gender Kids

    The new treatment is codified into a protocol, and the Dutch publish a landmark study that launches the field of youth gender medicine. A former patient describes the benefit of early treatment in a society that is still hostile to trans people. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    The Gender Kids

  3. Episode 3

    The American Approach

    In Boston, a psychologist helps set up the first youth gender clinic in the U.S., adapting the Dutch approach. Across the country, a rising star in the field questions their methods. Meanwhile, demand increases worldwide as the types of patients seeking care change. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    The American Approach

  4. Episode 4

    The Whistleblower

    A small Midwestern gender clinic gets consumed by a growing political fight when a whistleblower goes public. She had begun to see the treatments as harmful, and decided the political route was the only way to fix it. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    The Whistleblower

  5. Episode 5

    The Review

    The heated debate is not limited to the U.S. In England, a pediatrician tasked with figuring out how the country’s health care system should provide the care finds that the evidence is “remarkably weak.” One major medical group argues that’s missing the point — and repeating history. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    The Review

  6. Episode 6

    The Now

    State bans are enacted. The Supreme Court is poised to weigh in. President Trump declares that there are only two genders and threatens to withhold federal funds from hospitals that provide pediatric gender treatments. We hear from kids, parents and providers caught in the middle about the complicated decisions they are making. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    The Now

  7. Season 1 Trailer

    Introducing ‘The Protocol’

    Since 2021, nearly half the states in the U.S. have passed bans on medical treatments for transgender minors. The Trump administration is now targeting the care, and in the coming weeks, the Supreme Court is expected to weigh in. “The Protocol” is the story of youth gender medicine — where it came from, who it was meant to help, and what may come next in the legal and political fights over its future. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Trailer

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About

A six-part podcast exploring the story of medical treatment for transgender young people — how the care began, the lives it changed, and the legal and political fights that could end it in the United States.

Information

  • Channel
    The New York Times
  • Creator
    The New York Times
  • Episodes
    7
  • Seasons
    1
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025 The New York Times Company
  • Show Website
    The Protocol
  • Provider
    The New York Times Company

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