Senator Kristen Gonzalez and Manhattan Electeds Stand Up for Trans Youth at NYU Langone

Following NYU Langone’s decision to halt gender affirming care for New Yorkers under the age of 19 to collude with the Trump administration’s discriminatory agenda towards the trans community, medical advocates and elected officials join together to demand that NYU Langone follow the NY Attorney General’s directives and NY law to provide gender affirming care for all. 

Midtown Manhattan – On Thursday afternoon, New York State Senator Kristen Gonzalez hosted a press conference in a public plaza right outside NYU Langone alongside elected officials, community advocates, medical professionals, and affected New Yorkers in response to the private hospital’s decision to halt gender affirming care for those under 19 years old. 

This policy change came as a response to a January 28 executive order signed by President Trump that threatens to freeze federal funding for institutions that provide gender affirming care for trans youth and end public insurance coverage for such care. 

Similar decisions to halt gender affirming care are occurring at hospital systems across the state including Mount Sinai and New York Presbyterian. New York Attorney General Letitia James has since denounced these decisions, as have many other elected officials and trans rights activists. 

New York City has long been a safe haven for trans people and their families and NYU Langone has been a leader in providing healthcare access to trans and non-binary youth. Just two years ago, the City established protections guaranteeing people’s right to access gender affirming care, and until this week, NYU Langone has been a historical resource and healthcare provider for trans youth.

Today, the participants of this press conference demand that NYU Langone resume gender affirming care for trans youth and stand up for New Yorkers against executive orders that endanger their rights and lives. 

“Abiding by the Trump administration’s discrimination and fear tactics against the trans community is a violation of state law and undermines the work Attorney General James, legislators, and activists are doing to combat this fascist regime,” said State Senator Kristen Gonzalez. “NYU Langone and other hospitals are setting an extremely dangerous precedent by halting gender affirmative care to some of our most vulnerable youth. In a time where we’re seeing so many marginalized communities being targeted by this administration, our institutions must stand up and be a voice for those who are under attack.”

“NYU Lagone canceling Dr.’s appointments for those under 19 seeking gender-affirming care in response to Trump’s Executive Order is deeply disturbing. Transgender New Yorkers have legal statutory and constitutional rights against discrimination and accessing care. This dangerous decision must be reversed,” said Assemblymember Harvey Epstein.

“President Trump’s executive order banning gender affirming care for minors takes critical health care decision making away from doctors and patients, putting it in the hands of Republican politicians,” said Congressman Jerry Nadler. “Access to this lifesaving care is critical for kids in New York and their families — which is why I am disappointed to see NYU Langone turning away new patients because of President Trump’s cruel executive order. I am grateful to have partners in Attorney General James and State Senator Gonzalez to join me in pushing back against Trump’s destructive agenda.”

“Doctors and nurses are afraid to do their jobs and give trans New Yorkers the medical care they deserve. As Attorney General Tish James has made clear, the Trump administration stoking hate and fear can’t be allowed to interfere with our laws,” said Councilmember Keith Powers. 

“I am extremely disturbed that NYU Langone has paused providing gender affirming care to new patients under the age of 19. This decision sends a dangerous and confusing message to patients, families, physicians, and the entire LGBTQ community. While I understand NYU Langone is responding to the outrageous Executive Order from the Trump Administration, I would hope that in this time of uncertainty, all New York hospitals and healthcare providers would prioritize the health and well-being of the patients in their care above all else. It is imperative that all New Yorkers, including those under the age of 19, are able to receive the necessary and life-preserving gender affirming care to which they are legally entitled in the State of New York. I join Senator Gonzalez, Assembly Member Epstein, and my elected colleagues from across Manhattan in calling on NYU Langone to immediately reverse their dangerous decision,” said State Senator Brad Hoylman Sigal.

“ Healthcare decisions should be made by a patient and their doctor, not the government, whether it's about reproductive choices or gender-affirming care or anything else.,” said State Senator Liz Krueger. “Gender expression is protected under state law and the state constitution - NYU Langone and all other New York hospitals should bear that in mind before participating in President Trump's dangerous culture war obsessions."

“NYU Langone’s decision to deny gender-affirming care to individuals under 19 is a disheartening act of discrimination that contradicts both medical consensus and New York’s commitment to protecting the rights of transgender individuals. Denying this essential healthcare puts transgender and nonbinary youth at increased risk of depression, anxiety, and suicide, harms that are well documented and preventable. This policy is not about safety or science, and transgender youth and their families should not be forced to suffer due to political pressure and misinformation. New Yorkers believe in equality, in science, and in protecting our most vulnerable communities, and we demand that NYU Langone reverse this discriminatory policy immediately and uphold its duty to provide comprehensive, affirming healthcare to all who need it,” said Councilmember Carlina Rivera.

“NYU Langone has chosen to grovel to Donald Trump by spinelessly and unnecessarily submitting to an executive order that is at odds with the very Hippocratic Oath they have pledged to uphold ,” said Assemblymember Tony Simone. "NYU Langone has complied with Donald Trump's continued invasion from the oval office into your doctors office. Instead of standing for the medically necessary care of their patients, NYU Langone has sided with Donald Trump over doctors and their patients as the hospital started canceling gender-affirming care appointments for anyone under 19. No other provider has acted in this way, revealing the submission of NYU Langone Health to the whims of Donald Trump. This is blatant discrimination that puts kids and their parents in danger."

“I'm shocked and deeply disappointed by NYU Langone Health’s willingness to immediately bow to this transphobic, anti-science order. The medical consensus has long been that gender-affirming care offers little to no physical risk to minor patients under the supervision of a doctor, and access to gender-affirming care is in fact a significant protective factor for transgender minors’ mental health. It does not bode well for our healthcare systems or democracy that in the face of the administration’s bigotry, one of New York City’s largest and most well-resourced health systems quietly began enforcing that bigotry rather than put up a fight on behalf of its patients. I urge NYU Langone to change course quickly, continue to offer gender-affirming care and leverage their significant power to advocate for our vulnerable young people,” said Assemblymember Deborah Glick

“New York needs to stand up to the Trump administration's attacks on marginalized people, not aid and abet them. Donald Trump is weaponizing the whole of the federal government and conservative movement to demonize a group in dire need of support,” said Public Advocate Jumaane Williams. “LGBTQ youth are more likely to be homeless, more likely to attempt suicide, and more likely to face these hardships if they are denied basic gender-affirming care and compassion. While some leaders still refuse to stand up against the hate, we will be here to protect our fellow New Yorkers in need.”

“NYU Langone’s decision is a betrayal of its duty as a leading healthcare institution in New York City,” said Assemblymember Grace Lee. “I stand firmly with Attorney General Letitia James and my colleagues in city and state government to uphold the basic rights of all New Yorkers. All people deserve access to healthcare regardless of their gender identity, and we cannot allow political fear-mongering to dictate healthcare policy in our city. I join them in urging NYU Langone and other New York hospitals to reverse their harmful decision to deny care. Trans New Yorkers deserve better.”

“When trans youth are denied healthcare, our elders are deeply concerned because they know that if these attacks can come for our youth, it’s only a matter of time before they come for the rest of us. Elders who fought for our rights are watching as the very healthcare they depend on is under threat, and they fear that their dignity and access to care could be the next target. Our community’s strength comes from standing together. An attack on one of us is an attack on all of us, and we will not let them divide us. Together, we will fight back, protect each other, and ensure that all LGBTQ+ people can live with dignity and security at every age,” said Bryan Ellicott-Cook, Director of Government Relations for SAGE.

“For medical institutions in a city where queer resistance and history runs as deep as New York to capitulate to directives that deny our very existence is nothing less than a disgrace. Unfortunately for the President, New York law and the state Constitution does not disappear at the stroke of a pen, us transgender New Yorkers will continue to thrive, and our medical facilities must be held accountable for discriminatory policy,” said Hunter College Student and Trans Rights Advocate, Maeve Andersen.