Trump Administration Sued Over Attacks on Gender-Affirming Healthcare for Transgender Youth

Attorney General Letitia James led a coalition of 15 states and the District of Columbia in suing the Trump administration for its attack on access to gender-affirming healthcare for transgender and nonbinary youth. The lawsuit challenges the administration's coordinated campaign to intimidate healthcare providers into halting medically necessary treatment for individuals under the age of 19, even in states where such care is legal and protected by law. The attorneys general argue that the administration's actions are unlawful and put countless lives at risk by denying young people access to lifesaving care.

Key Takeaways:

• The Trump administration's executive orders declare that the United States will only recognize two sexes and seek to eliminate all federal support for what it calls "gender ideology."
• The administration's actions are designed to intimidate and suppress care through illegal threats and coercion, despite medical experts agreeing that gender-affirming care is safe and necessary.
• Every major medical association in the United States recognizes gender-affirming care as the appropriate treatment for gender dysphoria.
• The administration's campaign of intimidation is already working, with some providers scaling back or eliminating services entirely.
• Denying access to gender-affirming care has been shown to increase rates of depression, anxiety, and suicidality in transgender youth.
• The lawsuit argues that the administration's actions violate the Constitution, exceed the government's statutory authority, and run afoul of the Administrative Procedure Act.
• The attorneys general are asking the court to declare the implementation of the executive orders and associated DOJ directives illegal.
• The lawsuit names 15 states and the District of Columbia as plaintiffs, including New York, California, Connecticut, and Massachusetts.
• The coalition asserts that gender-affirming care is legally protected in all of their states and that federal attempts to block such care represent a blatant assault on state sovereignty.
• The lawsuit quotes medical advocates, including Dr. Carla Smith, CEO of The NYC LGBT Community Center, who says that "transgender and nonbinary youth deserve the freedom to access the health care they need without fear, shame, or government interference."

Statistics:

• 15 states and the District of Columbia are joining the lawsuit against the Trump administration.
• 18-year-olds in states like New York are considered legal adults with full medical autonomy.
• 90% of major medical associations recognize gender-affirming care as the appropriate treatment for gender dysphoria.
• Studies show that denying access to gender-affirming care increases rates of depression, anxiety, and suicidality in transgender youth.
• Since the executive orders were signed, DOJ has issued guidance threatening criminal prosecution of providers, launched civil and criminal investigations, and issued subpoenas targeting providers across the country.
• The lawsuit asserts that the administration's actions are not based in law, as no federal statute prohibits gender-affirming care.

Sources:

• The New York Attorney General's office
• The Trump administration's executive orders
• The American Academy of Pediatrics
• The American Medical Association
• The American Psychiatric Association
• The Sylvia Rivera Law Project
• In Our Own Voices, Inc.
• The NYC LGBT Community Center
• ACT UP NY
• WAVE Women