Children’s Hospital L.A. lifts recent limits on hormonal therapy for transgender youth

Children’s Hospital Los Angeles said Friday that it is easing its recent restrictions on hormonal treatment for transgender youth, reversing a move that had set off weekly protests outside the hospital.

The hospital earlier this month had paused the initiation of hormonal therapy for “gender affirming care patients” under the age of 19 as hospital officials assessed an executive order issued by President Trump.

In a statement Friday, CHLA said it was lifting that pause after reviewing recent decisions by federal judges surrounding Trump’s executive order and commitments by California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta to “seek additional protections for CHLA and its patients.”

“CHLA had briefly paused beginning these therapies to allow time to assess the potential impact of recent federal policy changes,” the hospital said in its statement.

The L.A. hospital previously said it had also paused gender-affirming surgeries for minors before its recent restrictions on hormonal therapy. Hospital officials have not announced any resumption of gender-affirming surgical procedures for young patients.

Trump’s executive order targeted the use of puberty blockers, hormones and other medical procedures for transgender youth under 19 — medical care that the president has referred to as “chemical and surgical mutilation.” Groups such as the California Family Council cheered the executive order, calling such care harmful to youth, and urged other hospitals to follow suit when CHLA limited its use.

Hundreds of protesters gathered outside CHLA in recent weeks to decry the decision to stop initiating the treatments for transgender youth, saying it was an unnecessary step that defied the guidance of major medical organizations and put transgender youth at risk.

“This is supposed to be a safe place for these kids,” said Juan Carlos Pérez, the parent of an 18-year-old patient at CHLA. “It felt like a really cowardly betrayal that the administrations for these hospitals were capitulating to something that wasn’t even legal.”

Bonta’s office cautioned the L.A. hospital that withholding gender-affirming care could violate state law. Last week, federal judges put parts of Trump’s executive order on hold amid legal challenges from families of transgender youth and attorneys general from Washington state, Oregon and Minnesota.

CHLA officials told hospital staff last week that they were assessing the implications of those court decisions, but cautioned that one of them appeared to only apply to three states — not including California — and the other only blocked a specific section of the executive order about federal agencies withholding funds.

Trump’s order directs the head of the Department of Health and Human Services to take “all appropriate actions” to prevent youth from receiving gender-affirming care, which could include changing federal rules for medical providers to be eligible to access Medicare or Medicaid funding.

CHLA said in its statement Friday that “as the largest pediatric safety net provider in California, with over 70% of our patients insured through Medicaid, CHLA must carefully consider the implications of state and federal policies on our ability to provide care to our patients.”

Bonta said in a statement that he appreciated CHLA’s “continued partnership and support in ensuring every kid has access to essential healthcare services and support.” The California attorney general joined more than a dozen attorneys general in filing an amicus brief Friday backing a legal challenge to Trump’s executive order.

Trying to terminate gender-affirming care for youth imposes physical and psychological harm and “is contrary to medical standards of care, unjustified, and cruel,” the amicus brief stated.

The Center for American Liberty, whose founder was nominated by Trump to lead the Department of Justice civil rights division, called the Friday announcement by CHLA “pure absurdity.” Its executive director Mark Trammell said whether it took an executive order or lawsuits from detransitioners, “we are confident that CHLA will soon cancel its programs administering puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones to minors.”

LGBTQ+ advocates said that restricting gender-affirming care was unnecessary even before the decisions by the federal judges, pointing out that much of the executive order is dependent on federal rulemaking that has yet to occur.

“If institutions are complying with these executive orders that are not law, it gives a signal to the presidential administration that they can really do whatever they want,” said Maebe A. Girl, a former congressional candidate and spokesperson for LGBTQ+ people and allies who protested outside CHLA.

“I feel confident saying that there’s no way this would have happened had the community not showed up,” they added Friday after the hospital announced its decision.

“We do plan on continuing to protest until they reinstate all gender-affirming healthcare.”