OpED|Why New York must act now to protect gender-affirming care | Opinion

Source: Star-Gazette

When NYU Langone — one of the nation’s most respected hospital systems — stopped providing gender-affirming care to minors earlier this year, it sent a shockwave through New York.

For many young people and their families, the message was chilling. If care can disappear at a world-class hospital in New York City, it can disappear anywhere.

That decision didn’t happen in a vacuum. Across the country, transgender people are facing an unprecedented wave of political attacks. Federal officials have increasingly threatened to strip hospitals of federal funding, singling out transgender youth and attempting to intimidate health care providers.

We see this pattern play out every day. The Trump administration has chosen to target vulnerable communities, whether it’s transgender people, immigrants, or victims of trafficking and assault, to distract from their own failures.

What is the fight for gender-affirming care in NY?

New Yorkers expect health care decisions to be guided by evidence and medical expertise. Gender-affirming care follows the same approach used throughout modern medicine: counseling and mental health support first, with any medical treatment carefully evaluated and tailored to each patient under established clinical guidelines. At a time when people are already struggling to access affordable care, politicizing medical treatment only makes it harder for doctors to do their jobs, and for patients to get the care they need. 

At its core, this fight is about the fundamental freedom to make decisions about one’s own body, health and future. When politicians decide that they — not patients, their families and their providers — should be the ones making medical decisions for others, it sets an extremely dangerous precedent.

The consequences of denying care are well documented. When transgender youth access appropriate care, their health improves. Studies show that youth who receive gender-affirming treatment experience 60% lower odds of depression and 73% lower odds of suicidality within a year. These outcomes are not about ideology or politics. They reflect what happens when young people receive the care recommended by doctors and supported by evidence. The same is true for adults who are denied access to gender-affirming care.

That’s why New York must act decisively.

How Albany can make a difference

At a moment when federal attacks on bodily autonomy are escalating, our state has a responsibility to strengthen access to care. Understanding the threat, Assembly Member Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas and state Sen. Kristin Gonzalez introduced a bill to create the Gender-Affirming Care Access Program.  

The state budget presents a critical opportunity. By passing this legislation and providing $8 million in funding, New York can help providers continue offering care that state law already protects. 

New York has already taken important steps to protect transgender people through strong anti-discrimination laws. Attorney General Letitia James has made clear that hospitals must follow those protections, and successfully sued to temporarily block the Trump administration’s pressure campaign against hospitals who offer the care. Additionally, Gov. Kathy Hochul took action last year by enacting Shield Law 2.0, protecting patients and providers of gender-affirming and reproductive care from out-of-state investigations. But in the face of coordinated federal pressure and political intimidation, we must go further.

Creating and funding the Gender-Affirming Care Access Program would send a clear message: New York believes that access to essential healthcare is a matter of dignity, freedom and justice—and we will not allow political intimidation to strip people of that right. Generations of advocates have fought hard to make this state a place where all people are welcome, including transgender New Yorkers. 

Now is the moment to prove that leadership once again. Lawmakers negotiating the state budget must seize it.

They can ensure that New York remains not just a safe haven in name, but a place where everyone can access the care they need to live healthy and authentic lives.