New York AG Tells Hospitals To Defy Trump Order, Continue Trans Procedures On Minors

New York Democratic Attorney General Letitia James warned hospitals in the state against canceling appointments for transgender procedures on minors after President Donald Trump signed an executive order to protect children from irreversible surgeries and hormone therapy.

In a letter sent to New York health care providers on Monday, James said that hospitals have “obligations to comply with New York state laws,” adding that refusing service to “transgender individuals” goes against anti-discrimination laws.

“Electing to refuse services to a class of individuals based on their protected status, such as withholding the availability of services from transgender individuals based on their gender identity or their diagnosis of gender dysphoria, while offering such services to cisgender individuals, is discrimination under New York law,” the letter stated.

Hospitals across the U.S. began canceling appointments for life-altering gender procedures on children after Trump signed an order on “Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation,” Daily Wire White House Correspondent Mary Margaret Olohan reported on Monday.

“It’s already having its intended effect — preventing children from being maimed and sterilized by adults perpetuating a radical, false claim that they can somehow change a child’s sex,” the White House said. “Hospitals around the country are taking action to downsize or eliminate their so-called ‘gender-affirming care’ programs.”

Trump’s order threatens to withhold federal funding from any hospital that continues to conduct gender procedures on children. According to The New York Times, NYU Langone, one of the top hospitals in NYC, canceled appointments for transgender procedures on minors within days of Trump’s order. Reports of the cancellations led to a protest — attended by hundreds of people — outside of NYU Langone on Monday evening. Some of the protesters waved transgender pride flags and carried signs that called on the hospital to continue the irreversible procedures on children.

“This is the last thing that we need to be worried about, a political system attacking our family,” said one father at the demonstration. The man told the Times that his 12-year-old child identifies as “gender-fluid,” and they were seeking doctors’ opinions on whether to have the child undergo hormone therapy.

Dozens of states have taken action to protect children from gender procedures, and more federal action could be on the horizon with a Republican-controlled House and Senate. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told The Daily Wire last week that the president would also support Congressional action to shield gender-confused minors from transgender surgeries, puberty blockers, and hormone therapy.

“As for congressional legislation to support the president’s agenda in this space, and certainly ending the mutilation of young children, the chemical castration of young children, which is a barbaric practice that the vast majority of Americans do not support, for young, minor children, certainly, the president would support Congress’ efforts, as he has already made that very clear this week,” Leavitt said.