Access to therapy, hormones, and surgeries these past weeks has just become further restrained for
Los Angelenos. 30 years of gender-affirming care, accessible through
Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, has come to an end for 3,000 patients over the summer
in response to the sweeping budget cuts implemented by the Trump administration.
As a result, youth trans patients under 21 are confronted with the difficult task of finding
new medical providers.
Initially, CHLA initially retracted their statements mentioning their closing in February. They then doubled back on this and officially closed its door Jul. 22.
“It’s sad that they shut down,” Mira Costa Junior Lily Afify said. “They were helping a lot of people.”
As one of the oldest and largest transyouth programs in the United States,
Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) received two-thirds of its funding
from federal grants, some of which had already been terminated prior to the end of CHLA’s
Center for Transyouth Health and Development. This marks a significant success for opponents of
LGBTQ+ rights in turning back freedoms for youth, especially in a blue state such as California
that has shield laws in place protecting specific medical services.
CHLA in a statement says, “despite this deeply held commitment to supporting LA’s gender-diverse community, the hospital has been left with no viable path forward” to stay open.
The hospital’s shutdown follows suit with the Supreme Court decision that upheld Tennessee’s banning of puberty blockers and hormone treatments. Chief Justice John Roberts and the conservative majority believe that this ban will not violate the equal protection clause that requires fair treatment by the government.
“By shutting them down, it’s taking away an aspect of health care, and people will be less likely to ask for help” Afify said.
Trans youth care had always faced barriers when it comes to accessing providers: the end of CHLA
only perpetuates this problem, especially for low-income students. Private physicians, although
gender-affirming care is legal in California, are afraid providing trans youth care themselves
would make them subject to prosecution.
Following the closing of CHLA’s transyouth care, protests have ensued around Los Angeles. Local organizations, such as the Los Angeles LGBT Center and Gender Justice LA. Current and former patients spoke at rallies, claiming that the six week closing notice given to youth wouldn’t allow families to sufficiently find new providers.
“It’s positive that protests ensued about this to get people’s message across,” Afify said. “Through these protests, they showed the importance of utilizing their free speech.”
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