Epstein Linked to Foundations of Transgender Medicine Industry

Newly released DOJ files show convicted sex offender funded research and infrastructure tied to key figures in transgender medicine

Published on Feb. 17, 2026

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Newly released Department of Justice files show that convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein funded research tied to key figures in the transgender medicine industry, encouraged academic work on 'transgender biology,' and circulated the topic among elite institutional networks during the years the field was consolidating its power.

Why it matters

This case highlights concerns about who financed, shaped, and legitimized the rapidly expanding transgender medicine industry, which has overridden informed consent, bypassed parental rights, and subjected children to irreversible procedures. The documents reveal a convicted sex offender operating at the intersection of surgical infrastructure, research production, and elite network management during the field's greatest expansion.

The details

The documents show that Epstein had a yearslong relationship with Dr. Jess Ting, the founding director of Mount Sinai's transgender surgery program. Epstein provided Ting with a $50,000 grant for breast cancer research and was solicited by Ting for funding for a documentary about the Mount Sinai program. Epstein also commissioned and financed research into 'transgender biology' from evolutionary biologist Robert Trivers, who publicly defended Epstein's sexual abuse of minors. The documents reveal Epstein actively managing the topic of transgender medicine across his elite network, including pitching it to Bill Gates through MIT and tracking its potential impact on Wall Street.

  • In March 2013, Ting visited Epstein's private island in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
  • By May 2016, Ting informed Epstein that he had been named director of Mount Sinai's new transgender surgery program.
  • In 2016, Trivers thanked Epstein for 'extra money' and said he was redirecting his work 'entirely toward the theoretical work you have urged upon me' on transgender biology.
  • In 2017 and 2018, Epstein was actively managing how the topic of transgender medicine was positioned within elite science philanthropy, finance, and government networks.

The players

Dr. Jess Ting

Plastic surgeon who became the founding surgical director of the Center for Transgender Medicine and Surgery at Mount Sinai Health System in New York.

Jeffrey Epstein

Convicted sex offender who funded research tied to key figures in the transgender medicine industry and circulated the topic among elite institutional networks.

Robert Trivers

Evolutionary biologist who accepted $40,000 from Epstein, publicly defended Epstein's sexual abuse of minors, and produced research on 'transgender biology' at Epstein's direction.

Mount Sinai Health System

New York-based academic medical center that launched the first comprehensive transgender surgery program in the United States, with Dr. Jess Ting as the founding director.

Joi Ito

Former director of the MIT Media Lab who received instructions from Epstein on how to pitch Bill Gates on science funding, including the topic of transgender.

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What they’re saying

“I was stunned and extremely happy to receive the extra money and appointment as an advisor to your Foundation.”

— Robert Trivers, Evolutionary biologist (EFTA00835004)

“I thought that you might want to focus on transgender biology. people would be interested and i would fund.”

— Jeffrey Epstein (EFTA01035762)

“By the time they're 14 or 15, they're like grown women were 60 years ago, so I don't see these acts as so heinous.”

— Robert Trivers, Evolutionary biologist (Reuters)

What’s next

Congress, HHS, and state legislatures will weigh accountability for the individuals and institutions involved in building the transgender medicine industry, and the full EFTA document archive may provide additional evidence about Epstein's central or peripheral role.

The takeaway

These documents reveal that a convicted sex offender with a history of abusing children maintained financial and professional relationships with key figures involved in the early institutional development of the transgender medicine industry, while also actively shaping the research agenda and positioning the topic within elite networks. This raises serious questions about the foundations of a medical field that has overridden informed consent and subjected children to irreversible procedures.