On Tuesday, New York City's Health Department announced it would be setting aside $9 million in funds for "gender-affirming" care for minors as part of a larger $15 million initiative that was announced in June. The announcement comes in the wake of hospitals like Mount Sinai and NYU Langone announcing agreements with the Trump administration to cease providing "affirming" interventions to dysphoric minors. In return, the admin will end its investigations into fraudulent billing practices related to these treatments. Gothamist suggested that Callen-Lorde and the Nonprofit Organization for Philanthropic Initiatives are potential contractors, with contracts set to begin in 2027 and to run through 2029.
In City Journal, January Littlejohn spotlights two different family experiences to help readers understand the way different state policies impact parental rights when it comes to their trans-identified children. Both stories start with a child being secretly socially transitioned without parental consent, but they end in very different ways. Whereas in Florida the Littlejohn family was able to get their daughter mental health treatment for underlying comorbidities, the Kotzke family in Massachusetts lost custody of their daughter for refusing to affirm her cross-sex identity. Since then, Florida has passed several parental rights bills. “Massachusetts has no such protections for families. Nor do other blue states like New York and Illinois. Families in those states are at risk of enduring what the Kutzkos are reportedly going through. Many families already have. You just haven’t heard of them, in no small part because parents are often put under gag orders,” Littlejohn warns.
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has announced that a large healthcare provider has agreed to pay $650,000 to a former employee to resolve a religious discrimination complaint. The complaint alleged that the provider refused to provide the employee with a religious accommodation for objections to youth gender medicine, in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. The complaint also alleged that the employee was let go shortly after requesting the accommodation. The hospital also agreed to review and update its Title VII policies. “An employer must show a substantial burden — not mere inconvenience — before denying a religious accommodation, including accommodation requests arising from religious beliefs about biological sex,” said EEOC Chair Andrea Lucas.
The EEOC also resolved a complaint with the city of O’Fallon, Illinois after a city employee accused the city of sex discrimination and retaliation after she requested a single-sex locker room. “Title VII has long required employers to respect the privacy interests that arise from the biological reality of sex,” said EEOC Chair Andrea Lucas. “Women should not have to sacrifice their privacy, dignity, or safety in intimate workplace spaces for a paycheck. Failing to provide women with sex-designated facilities can constitute unlawful sex discrimination and expose employees to harassment. The EEOC will continue to vigorously enforce these longstanding protections and hold employers accountable when they violate the law.”
In November, Colorado residents will have an opportunity to vote on proposition 135, a ballot initiative which would prohibit sex-distressed minors from receiving surgical interventions for the purpose of medical transition. The initiative only needs a majority vote to pass and would not prohibit minors from accessing hormonal interventions or psychotherapy. The ballot initiative also includes carve outs for male circumcision, disorders of sexual development, and acquired disorders or abnormalities. Last February, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons released a position statement opposing surgical interventions for dysphoric minors.
The New York Times analyzes the evolving rhetorical strategies used by Democrats to discuss transgender issues before the midterms. Democratic strategists have recognized the success of Republican ads highlighting transgender issues and have warned Democrats that they need to respond to the attack ads and not allow Republicans to set the terms of the debate. The article explains the difficult situation Democrats find themselves in, however, where the recent party platform on issues like sports and youth gender medicine is generally unpopular with voters. At the same time, however, candidates also want to avoid angering their base.
As part of parliamentary hearings connected to three proposed bills which would regulate youth gender medicine in Portugal, the Society for Evidence-Based Gender Medicine (SEGM) has analyzed and rebutted several claims put forth in submissions aiming to undercut the bills. SEGM's analysis is worth reading in full, as it dismantles many of the scientific "myths" that are used to prop up this controversial field of medicine, including the claims that puberty blockers are "safe" and "reversible."
Joseph Figliolia
Policy Analyst
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