Protect Access to Gender-Affirming Healthcare for Youth and Adults

I am writing to urge you to take immediate action to protect access to gender-affirming healthcare in our state. A dangerous trend is accelerating nationwide, with at least 42 hospitals ending care for transgender youth as of early February 2025, including nine closures in just the first few weeks of this year. NYU Langone ended all care for minors last Tuesday, and the University of Utah abandoned patients whose care had been grandfathered in under state bans. This crisis is now expanding beyond youth care. Vanderbilt Hospital in Tennessee announced last Friday the end of gender-affirming surgeries for adults. UMass Memorial reportedly canceled adult surgery appointments in early February, and Primary Health Care in Iowa ended all transition-related care, including hormone therapy for adults. Kevin Roberts, president of the Heritage Foundation, has publicly spoken in favor of adult care bans, and Oklahoma legislators are considering a bill to ban medical transition for adults this year. Families affected by these closures report that their only alternatives are indefinite psychiatric hospitalization, which causes known permanent harms, or death by suicide. Only families living close to remaining clinics or those wealthy enough to travel great distances or leave the country can still access evidence-based treatment for gender dysphoria. These mounting closures create a de-facto ban on treating gender dysphoria, forcing vulnerable patients to choose between their health and their safety. The situation has become even more concerning with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's lawsuit against Lola Olivia, a company selling chest binders for transmasculine youth, seeking one million dollars in penalties. This lawsuit misrepresents guidance from both WPATH and the FDA, escalating attacks on basic healthcare access. I urge you to introduce or support legislation that explicitly protects the right of both youth and adults to access gender-affirming healthcare, and to publicly oppose any efforts to restrict this evidence-based medical care. Our constituents deserve access to healthcare that can save their lives.