New York’s attorney general is ordering a major hospital to restart gender-affirming care for transgender youth, citing state nondiscrimination laws. Letitia James has directed NYU Langone Health to resume its Transgender Youth Health Program, which the hospital closed in February. The Manhattan-based health system ended the program weeks after Donald Trump threatened last December to revoke federal funding for hospitals providing gender-affirming care to minors.
James’s office sent the hospital a formal order on February 25, which became public this week. The letter states that transgender youth are a protected class under state law. According to reports, the attorney general’s office warned that providing treatments such as puberty blockers or hormone therapy only to non-transgender youth may violate New York’s nondiscrimination laws. The office also warned of possible further action if the hospital fails to comply.
Darsana Srinivasan (Dar-sa-naa-Shree-Neeva-son), health care bureau chief for the attorney general’s office, emphasized the risks of cutting off care. She said, “The sudden discontinuation of medically necessary transgender healthcare can have severe, negative health outcomes..The Attorney General is extremely concerned by your institution’s decision to cease the provision of care to this vulnerable, minority population.”
