New York Attorney General Letitia James and 22 other attorneys...

New York Attorney General Letitia James and 22 other attorneys general sued to stop an order from the new administration that would have restricted funds. Credit: AP/Mary Altaffer

New York providers cannot hold back services for transgender patients — including gender-affirming care for minors — despite President Donald Trump's efforts to freeze federal funding, state Attorney General Letitia James said Monday.

A policy announced by the Office of Management and Budget Jan. 27 would have halted federal grants and aid to certain programs, including those that assisted with "transgenderism." But it was stopped by a federal court Friday when it granted a temporary restraining order requested by James and 22 attorneys general.

James on Monday sent out letters to "hundreds of recipients of federal funding" including health care providers, to inform them the federal funding freeze has been temporarily blocked in court. She added that providers must comply with state laws that protect individuals from discrimination, including sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation or membership in other protected classes, according to the letter.

In a response to the temporary restraining order, the Trump administration filed a notice of compliance with the federal court, saying the language of the order is vague and could "constitute significant intrusions on the Executive Branch’s lawful authorities." They also argued the temporary restraining order does not stop the president from discussing federal funding priorities with agencies and does not halt his executive orders.

The White House did not respond to a request for comment Monday.

Advocates and members of the LGBTQ+ community said they were heartened by James’ letter but still deeply worried about the future.

Trump has signed executive orders that would only allow male and female genders to be recognized and end gender-affirming treatments for people under the age of 19.

"This is such a scary time, I feel for other parents," said Miriam Fein of Plainview, whose 16-year-old child is nonbinary and had previously received hormone treatments she described as "life-changing."

"It's heartbreaking to see [the government] talking about withdrawing care," she said. "Medical care should never be decided by politicians."

NYU Langone Health canceled appointments for two transgender children set to receive puberty-blocking treatments, according to a Feb. 1 report in The New York Times. The move came after Trump said he would hold back funding to hospitals that provide gender-affirming treatments, according to the article.

Officials for NYU Langone Health said Monday they had no comment on James' letter.

Not knowing what the future may hold has many people anxious and on edge, said Kerry Thomas, a social worker and executive director of Thursday’s Child in Patchogue, a nonprofit HIV/AIDS service provider, who transitioned over 20 years ago.

"There’s a lot of stress and hypervigilance that a lot of folks have to have to just get through their day," he said.

Juli Grey-Owens, executive director of Gender Equality New York, said even adults are worried they may not have access to hormone treatments they need.

"Our community is just in total fear at this point," she said. "Every time we see a news article about the transgender community in Oklahoma, or Walmart stopping their DEI [diversity, equity and inclusion] plan — it’s just another blow at our feeling of security, even if we are in New York."

Gender-affirming care covers a wide array of services for trans and non-gender conforming people. It could mean regular checkups and screenings for people who identify other than their gender at birth, receiving hormone blockers during puberty and surgery to complete the physical transition from one gender to another.

It is unclear how many treatments have taken place in New York, since some people may pay out of pocket for plastic surgery and other services. But a 2023 study shows that gender-affirming surgery nearly tripled in the United States between 2016 to 2019. The most common surgeries were breast and chest surgery. 

Gender-affirming procedures among the patients studied increased from 4,552 in 2016 to 13,011 in 2019 and then dipped to 12,818 in 2020, which the study said was likely because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Of the patient records examined by researchers, 7.7% were age 12 to 18, 52.3% 19 to 30, and 21.8% 31 to 40.

New York providers cannot hold back services for transgender patients — including gender-affirming care for minors — despite President Donald Trump's efforts to freeze federal funding, state Attorney General Letitia James said Monday.

A policy announced by the Office of Management and Budget Jan. 27 would have halted federal grants and aid to certain programs, including those that assisted with "transgenderism." But it was stopped by a federal court Friday when it granted a temporary restraining order requested by James and 22 attorneys general.

James on Monday sent out letters to "hundreds of recipients of federal funding" including health care providers, to inform them the federal funding freeze has been temporarily blocked in court. She added that providers must comply with state laws that protect individuals from discrimination, including sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation or membership in other protected classes, according to the letter.

In a response to the temporary restraining order, the Trump administration filed a notice of compliance with the federal court, saying the language of the order is vague and could "constitute significant intrusions on the Executive Branch’s lawful authorities." They also argued the temporary restraining order does not stop the president from discussing federal funding priorities with agencies and does not halt his executive orders.

WHAT NEWSDAY FOUND

  • On Monday, state Attorney General Letitia James wrote a letter to groups that receive federal funding saying the freeze that President Donald Trump wanted on certain federal grants was on hold and they could not deny gender-affirming care to minors.
  • James and 22 other attorneys general had sued to block the freeze which could have impacted federally funded programs at the state and local level.
  • James noted that withholding services from an individual because they are transgender is discrimination under state law.

The White House did not respond to a request for comment Monday.

Advocates and members of the LGBTQ+ community said they were heartened by James’ letter but still deeply worried about the future.

Trump has signed executive orders that would only allow male and female genders to be recognized and end gender-affirming treatments for people under the age of 19.

"This is such a scary time, I feel for other parents," said Miriam Fein of Plainview, whose 16-year-old child is nonbinary and had previously received hormone treatments she described as "life-changing."

"It's heartbreaking to see [the government] talking about withdrawing care," she said. "Medical care should never be decided by politicians."

NYU Langone Health canceled appointments for two transgender children set to receive puberty-blocking treatments, according to a Feb. 1 report in The New York Times. The move came after Trump said he would hold back funding to hospitals that provide gender-affirming treatments, according to the article.

Officials for NYU Langone Health said Monday they had no comment on James' letter.

Not knowing what the future may hold has many people anxious and on edge, said Kerry Thomas, a social worker and executive director of Thursday’s Child in Patchogue, a nonprofit HIV/AIDS service provider, who transitioned over 20 years ago.

"There’s a lot of stress and hypervigilance that a lot of folks have to have to just get through their day," he said.

Juli Grey-Owens, executive director of Gender Equality New York, said even adults are worried they may not have access to hormone treatments they need.

"Our community is just in total fear at this point," she said. "Every time we see a news article about the transgender community in Oklahoma, or Walmart stopping their DEI [diversity, equity and inclusion] plan — it’s just another blow at our feeling of security, even if we are in New York."

Gender-affirming care covers a wide array of services for trans and non-gender conforming people. It could mean regular checkups and screenings for people who identify other than their gender at birth, receiving hormone blockers during puberty and surgery to complete the physical transition from one gender to another.

It is unclear how many treatments have taken place in New York, since some people may pay out of pocket for plastic surgery and other services. But a 2023 study shows that gender-affirming surgery nearly tripled in the United States between 2016 to 2019. The most common surgeries were breast and chest surgery. 

Gender-affirming procedures among the patients studied increased from 4,552 in 2016 to 13,011 in 2019 and then dipped to 12,818 in 2020, which the study said was likely because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Of the patient records examined by researchers, 7.7% were age 12 to 18, 52.3% 19 to 30, and 21.8% 31 to 40.

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