(DC Pundit) – New York Attorney General Letitia James has decided to play a high-stakes game of chicken with the federal government. Her weapon of choice? A strongly worded letter to hospitals, essentially telling them to keep the gender-bending train rolling for minors, federal orders be damned.
James, apparently fancying herself as the Robin Hood of gender reassignment, warned hospitals that following President Donald Trump’s executive order to halt sex change procedures for minors could violate state law. It’s a classic case of “stuck between a rock and a hard place,” with hospitals now caught in a tug-of-war between state and federal authorities.
“Regardless of the availability of federal funding, we write to further remind you of your obligations to comply with New York State laws,” the letter reportedly states. It goes on to say, “Electing to refuse services to a class of individuals based on their protected status, such as withholding the availability of services from transgender individuals based on their gender identity or their diagnosis of gender dysphoria, while offering such services to cisgender individuals, is discrimination under New York law.”
Meanwhile, Trump’s executive order, dramatically titled “Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation,” takes a decidedly different stance. It declares, “It is the policy of the United States that it will not fund, sponsor, promote, assist, or support the so-called ‘transition’ of a child from one sex to another, and it will rigorously enforce all laws that prohibit or limit these destructive and life-altering procedures.”
The order declares, “Across the country today, medical professionals are maiming and sterilizing a growing number of impressionable children under the radical and false claim that adults can change a child’s sex through a series of irreversible medical interventions. This dangerous trend will be a stain on our Nation’s history, and it must end.”
In response to this federal directive, some hospitals have already started to pump the brakes on their gender-affirming treatments for minors. NYU Langone Health, for instance, reportedly canceled appointments for two 12-year-olds who were lined up for puberty blocker implants. It’s worth noting that NYU Langone Health received a cool $815 million in awards from the National Institutes of Health in a recent year. That’s a lot of green to potentially kiss goodbye.
The situation has sparked protests, with the Democratic Socialists of America organizing a demonstration in Manhattan’s St. Vartan park. Protesters brandished signs with slogans like “Protect trans futures” and “Don’t capitulate to hate,” turning the park into a veritable billboard of progressive slogans. At least one protester decided to take an unscheduled tour of the local precinct, courtesy of the NYPD.
Trans and leftist activists have gathered outside @nyulangone in Manhattan to protest after the hospital cancelled appointments for puberty blockers for two 12-year-olds following President Trump’s executive order against child trans mutilation. pic.twitter.com/wj15JIjO3p
— Andy Ngo (@MrAndyNgo) February 4, 2025
"I am here today as a mother, of a proud trans man"
Leftist activist @CynthiaNixon speaks at the protest outside @nyulangone hospital after it cancelled appointments to give young children puberty blockers following President Trump’s executive order. pic.twitter.com/FVD8HnyGYX
— Andy Ngo (@MrAndyNgo) February 4, 2025
This standoff between state and federal authorities over gender-affirming care for minors is not just a legal quagmire; it’s a microcosm of the broader cultural and political divide in America. On one side, we have those who view these treatments as essential healthcare and a human rights issue. On the other, there are those who see them as experimental procedures being performed on children too young to fully comprehend the long-term consequences.
The debate is further complicated by the lack of long-term studies on the effects of these treatments on minors. While proponents argue that they can be life-saving for transgender youth struggling with severe dysphoria, critics point to concerns about potential irreversible physical changes and the possibility of regret later in life.
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