NYU Langone Health, one of New York City’s major hospital networks, announced this week that it is closing its gender-affirming care program for minors, as the Trump administration escalates threats to strip federal funding from providers that treat trans youth.
In a statement to the Guardian, spokesman Steve Ritea said, “Due to the recent departure of our medical director, coupled with the current regulatory environment, we have made the difficult decision to discontinue our transgender youth health program.” Children’s mental health services will continue at the hospital, he added.
The move comes after months of sustained pressure from the administration, including an executive order Trump signed shortly after returning to office saying the federal government “will not fund, sponsor, encourage, or assist in so-called ‘transition’ from one gender to another.”
NYU Langone began revoking minors’ appointments soon after the report was issued. New York’s attorney general, Letitia James, ordered the hospital to reopen, warning that the network risked violating state anti-discrimination laws. A federal judge later issued a temporary restraining order preventing the administration’s order from going into effect.
In December, the Department of Health and Human Services proposed a rule that would withhold Medicare and Medicaid funding from hospitals that offer “sex-refusal procedures for children under 18.”
Major US and international medical associations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, endorse gender-confirmation care. Treatments such as puberty blockers are reversible, and surgery for minors is rare. Providers emphasized that care plans follow extensive assessments and include families throughout.
Local officials and advocacy groups condemned NYU Langone’s decision, arguing that the hospital was bowing to threats to cut federal funding. Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Siegal said the closure “puts the lives and well-being of their patients at risk.”
“Studies show that terminating gender-affirming care after initiation without patient consent carries significant physical and mental health risks,” he said. “For these young patients, gender-affirming care is life-affirming care.” A rally in support of trans youth is planned for Wednesday evening outside the Stonewall National Monument in Manhattan.
STAT News reported earlier this month that 40 hospitals across the country have suspended or stopped offering some form of gender-confirmation care to young adults since Trump’s return to office. The White House has not yet responded to the Guardian’s request for comment.
