12/23/2025
Over the past week, the federal government has taken dramatic steps to limit access to gender-affirming care for transgender young people. New actions from the Department of Health and Human Services would cut federal funding and bar hospitals that offer gender-affirming services to minors from participating in Medicare and Medicaid — a move that threatens care in states where it’s still legal. These proposals go far beyond policy and put deeply personal medical decisions into the hands of politicians. 
At the same time, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 3492, a bill that could make healthcare providers — and in some interpretations, even parents — criminally liable for supporting medically guided gender-affirming care for their children. This legislation would impose felony penalties on doctors who provide puberty blockers, hormones, and other related care to transgender adolescents. 
We reject the idea that lawmakers with no medical training should dictate healthcare decisions that belong to families and licensed professionals. Evidence from major medical organizations shows that gender-affirming care is grounded in science and can be lifesaving for many trans youth. 
We strongly oppose any laws that would criminalize doctors for practicing evidence-based medicine or punish parents for advocating for their children’s health and well-being.
To transgender youth everywhere
We see you.
We love you.
We will keep fighting for you.
And to be clear: surgical procedures like phalloplasty are not performed on minors as part of standard gender-affirming care. Such surgeries are only considered for adults after extensive evaluation and after living for a significant time in their affirmed gender — none of which applies to children. The vast majority of gender-affirming care before adulthood involves social support and, when medically appropriate, reversible treatments like puberty blockers. 
