NYS Senator Kristen Gonzalez, Assemblymember Harvey Epstein, and 1199 SEIU's Letter to NYU Langone demanding the resumption of gender-affirming care for youth under the age of 19

Dear Dean & CEO, Robert L. Grossman of NYU Langone:

We write to you as representatives of hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers who receive care at NYU Langone (NYU), as well as thousands of workers who provide this care. Together, we are demanding you comply with the law. 

NYU has long been a premier provider of gender-affirming healthcare services for New Yorkers, which is why we were deeply disturbed by NYU’s decision last month to cancel gender-affirming care appointments in response to Trump’s Executive Orders halting federal funding for providers of such care to those under 19. Hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers have relied, and continue to rely, on NYU for their care, and as a hospital system, your primary obligation is to your patients. 

On March 4, 2025, U.S. District Judge Brendan Hurson in Baltimore issued a nationwide injunction barring the implementation of the relevant Trump Executive Orders (EOs) in question. This means that such care can be provided while litigation regarding the orders proceeds. 

Not only has the implementation of the EOs been temporarily enjoined, your decision to stop providing such care might be in violation of New York City and New York State Human Rights Laws, which prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity and expression - and which cannot be simply suspended by an Executive Order from the White House. Indeed, a letter sent to New York hospitals by Attorney General Letitia James in February notes that: “Regardless of the availability of federal funding, we write to further remind you of your obligations to comply with New York state laws.” 

It is therefore our expectation that NYU will continue to provide gender-affirming care to those under 19 - and do so in its entirety. As of today, it is our understanding that this is not the case.

Though NYU has purportedly taken steps to reschedule previously cancelled appointments for gender-affirming care for those under 19, we have received no confirmation that the full spectrum of care initially being sought is being offered. In addition, it is our understanding the new appointments for such care might not be offered at all.  

LGBTQ+ youth, and especially trans youth, already face significantly higher risks of serious mental health challenges and suicide. Hospitals are meant to save lives, not endanger them.

We call on you to provide gender-affirming care to all your patients who seek it, whether they be youth or adults, whether they are existing or new — and we call on you to do so immediately.   

We recognize that the many actions and orders coming from the White House have created unprecedented chaos - we are all contending with it, and it is monumentally challenging. As consuming as it’s designed to be, this chaos is not, ultimately, the law. In New York State and City, our laws protect our residents from discrimination on the basis of gender identity. Like any other institution, we expect NYU to be in compliance. 

Please respond to this letter by March 20, 2025 detailing your plan to provide the full suite of gender-affirming care to those seeking it by emailing the Office of State Senator Kristen Gonzalez at: gonzalez@nysenate.gov. 

Sincerely,

State Senator Kristen Gonzalez, Assemblymember Harvey Epstein, and 1199 SEIU