It was a weekend of contrasts for Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the 71-year-old Secretary of Health and Human Services, who found himself at the center of both a glamorous party in Aspen and a fierce national debate over children’s healthcare policy. As the snow fell in Colorado, Kennedy was spotted at DJ Diplo’s après-ski concert at the Snow Lodge at the St. Regis, surrounded by family, celebrities, and a quietly vigilant team of U.S. Marshals in plain clothes, according to Page Six. But back in Washington, D.C., Kennedy was making headlines of a very different kind, unveiling a sweeping new regulatory effort to bar taxpayer-funded sex-change procedures for minors—a move that has ignited passionate responses across the political spectrum.
On Saturday, December 20, 2025, Kennedy cut a relaxed figure in ski pants and a sweater as he mingled among concertgoers in Aspen. The crowd was a who’s-who of winter revelers: Olympic snowboarder Shaun White (fresh off a breakup with actress Nina Dobrev), model Sailor Brinkley Cook, makeup artist Patrick Ta, and influencer Tinx. Even Kennedy’s daughter, Kyra, got in on the action, hopping on stage during Diplo’s set, while his close friendship with the 47-year-old DJ was evident to onlookers. The event, which also saw a surprise appearance by singer Santigold, was a vivid reminder of Kennedy’s ability to straddle the worlds of politics and pop culture. As Page Six noted, Kennedy was surrounded by U.S. Marshals “dressed in regular clothes and not noticeable at all,” underscoring the security that now follows the high-profile health chief wherever he goes.
The Kennedy family’s Aspen ties run deep—and not without a little drama. Kennedy’s son, Conor, now 31 and once known for his romance with pop superstar Taylor Swift, made headlines in 2016 after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor stemming from a bar fight in Aspen. The incident, which reportedly began after a homophobic insult was hurled at a friend, ended with Conor paying a $500 fine and penning a letter of apology. Yet, on this snowy December night, the Kennedy clan appeared united and upbeat, soaking in the après-ski vibes and the thrum of Diplo’s music.
But even as Kennedy’s family enjoyed the Colorado festivities, his actions in Washington were sending shockwaves through the nation’s healthcare and political landscape. On December 21, 2025, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), under Kennedy’s leadership, announced a major regulatory push to prohibit hospitals from receiving Medicare and Medicaid funding if they perform “sex-rejecting” surgeries on minors. According to The Center Square, the proposed rule is part of a broader effort to end taxpayer-funded sex-change procedures for children, a move that supporters say is meant to protect kids from what they call harmful gender ideology and irreversible medical interventions.
The response from advocacy groups was swift and emphatic. Terry Schilling, president of the American Principles Project, praised the decision, telling The Center Square, “President [Donald] Trump and Secretary [Robert F.] Kennedy are providing long overdue protections to families across the country. For too long, families have been left at the mercy of a medical establishment that seeks to disfigure vulnerable children for profit.”
Dr. Jay Richards, director at the Heritage Foundation’s DeVos Center for Human Flourishing, echoed this sentiment, stating, “We’re delighted that Secretary Kennedy and HHS are taking such bold action to protect children who are struggling with the sexual aspects of their bodies.” Richards argued that the evidence for benefits of what he called “sex-rejecting procedures” is “now well known” to be lacking, citing a recent HHS umbrella review. “Taxpayers should not have to pay for these ghoulish procedures, nor support hospitals that continue to perform them,” Richards added. He expressed hope that the new rules would mean “fewer parents will be emotionally blackmailed by therapists or medical professionals [into] allowing their children to be subjected to these medical interventions, which can lead to permanent physical harm and sterilization.”
Medical professionals weighed in as well. Dr. Stanley Goldfarb, chairman of Do No Harm, a group focused on keeping identity politics out of medicine, called the proposal “common sense, evidence-based, and morally imperative.” Goldfarb noted, “Many so-called gender clinics have already begun to close as the truth about the risks and long-term harms about these drugs and surgeries on minors have been exposed. Now, hospitals that receive taxpayer funds from these federal programs must follow suit.” Goldfarb described the move as “just the beginning” but a “major step toward delivering a crippling blow to the child transgender industry.”
Yet, not everyone was celebrating. LGBTQ advocacy group Human Rights Campaign, through its president Kelley Robinson, pushed back strongly, telling The Center Square that “these rules are proposals, not binding law,” and pledging to fight alongside allies. “Families deserve the freedom to go to the doctor and get the care that they need and to have agency over the health and wellbeing of their children,” Robinson said. “These rules aim to completely cut off medically necessary care from children no matter where in this country they live.”
The debate over Kennedy’s policies wasn’t limited to think tanks and advocacy groups. Letters to the editor published in The Dallas Morning News on December 22, 2025, reflected the growing anxiety among some medical professionals and parents. One letter, penned by Charles R. Rosenfeld of Dallas, accused Kennedy of “removing funding for seven federal grants” related to pediatric health, warning that the changes could lead to a resurgence of diseases “not seen in children for years” such as infant hepatitis B, measles, and Hemophilus influenza. Rosenfeld wrote, “The changes made by Health and Human Services under the leadership of Kennedy have the potential to make diseases not seen in children for years reappear and those that were infrequent, become common.” He urged the public to “stand up and fight this ignorance and unscientific approach to children’s health care!”
The new HHS rule is not happening in isolation. This week, the House passed the Protecting Children’s Innocence Act, which would ban child sex changes nationwide, according to the American Principles Project. Schilling, the group’s president, told The Center Square, “The American people gave Republicans a clear mandate in 2024 to end child mutilation. Republicans in Congress and the White House are delivering on that promise while Democrats have been relentless in their defense of a multi-billion-dollar industry that preys on children.”
Supporters of the HHS move point to recent reports, including one by Do No Harm, arguing that the evidence behind sex trait modifications is “extremely weak,” and that popular beliefs about “gender-affirming care” improving mental health or reducing suicide among minors have been debunked. Richards, of the Heritage Foundation, described the medical transition pathway from puberty blockers to surgery as “always an experiment in search of confirming evidence,” claiming that the latest HHS report now points “strongly against this.”
But for many families and advocates, the fight is far from over. As Robinson of the Human Rights Campaign emphasized, “These rules are proposals, not binding law,” and the organization plans to marshal resources to oppose what they see as a dangerous rollback of essential healthcare rights for transgender youth.
As the holidays approach, Kennedy’s dual roles—as a public figure navigating the glitz of Aspen’s après-ski scene and as a policymaker reshaping the nation’s approach to one of the most contentious issues in medicine—seem more pronounced than ever. Whether cheered for his boldness or criticized for the risks his policies may pose, Kennedy’s actions are sure to reverberate well beyond the ski slopes of Colorado and the halls of the Department of Health and Human Services.
