New York, NY: NYU Langone’s decision to deny gender-affirming care to transgender youth is an attack on the entire LGBTQIA+ community. Closing the medical department that provides care and supportive services to transgender youth is despicable.

Donald Trump and right-wing forces are manufacturing hysteria around innocent trans youth to advance a broader agenda of ripping away our healthcare. They are targeting youth care today, and if unchecked, adult care will be next. It is deeply disturbing that NYU Langone would so readily comply with that political pressure.

For more than a decade, NYU Langone has been recognized as a leader in LGBTQ+ healthcare. Today, that reputation rings hollow. 

Gender-affirming care must remain available. Regardless of federal funding threats, New York providers are bound by state law from prohibiting discrimination based on sex, gender identity or expression, and sexual orientation. Denying medically necessary care to a protected group raises serious concerns under state law, and we urge our state leaders to enforce it as necessary.

Every trans kid in this city deserves to live freely and safely. We urge every hospital and healthcare provider in this city not to follow NYU Langone’s lead.

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