Families of transgender teens and LGBTQ advocacy groups are pushing back after accusing the Trump administration of violating a federal court ruling on gender-affirming care for minors. The legal battle erupted when U.S. health agencies, despite a judge’s explicit order, continued to threaten funding for providers offering care to trans youth.
The controversy stems from Trump’s executive order blocking federal funds for any healthcare providers that offer gender-affirming treatments—including puberty blockers, hormones, or surgery—for anyone under 19. The ruling was already challenged and temporarily blocked by a Maryland judge, but that didn’t stop the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) from sending a memo warning that providers “may consider” funding cuts if they continue treating trans youth. To make matters worse, other agencies followed suit, circulating a memo using Trump’s inflammatory language about “chemical and surgical mutilation.”
LGBTQ rights groups argue that these memos are nothing more than a sneaky attempt to intimidate hospitals into compliance, despite the court’s intervention. In a motion filed Friday, plaintiffs stated that these messages are “designed to inflict precisely the same immediate harm as the Executive Orders,” by subtly threatening the revocation of federal grants. In other words, the Trump administration is playing word games while still endangering trans kids.
Meanwhile, the states of Colorado, Minnesota, Oregon, and Washington have joined the fight, suing over Trump’s orders in a separate case. A Seattle judge has already ruled in their favor, though the decision only applies to those four states. In contrast, the Maryland ruling is nationwide, giving it more weight in the broader legal battle over trans healthcare rights.
With more than half of U.S. states implementing or attempting to pass laws banning gender-affirming care for minors, the stakes couldn’t be higher. As the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to weigh in on Tennessee’s trans healthcare ban, the ultimate legal precedent could shape the future of transgender rights across the country.
For now, families and LGBTQ advocates remain in an exhausting fight against an administration determined to roll back rights. If history is any indicator, the courts may be the last line of defense against a federal government intent on erasing trans healthcare protections.