A group of former patients are suing a Pittsburgh children's hospital for "unlawfully" denying gender-affirming care to patients under the age of 19.
The lawsuit, which is sealed and will remain confidential, was filed by the Women's Law Project on behalf of five former patients — including three minors being represented by their parents and two 18-year-old patients. The complaint alleges UPMC Children's Hospital illegally refused to provide puberty blockers and hormone therapy to transgender children despite continuing to provide the same treatment to cisgender children — which constitutes discrimination based on sex and disability.
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"The complaint asserts that UPMC Children's Hospital's actions discriminate against transgender patients under the age of 19 based on their sex, which includes gender identity and expression under state law," said Elizabeth Lester-Abdalla, attorney for the Women's Law Project. "We also assert discrimination based on disability under state law, due to the targeted denial of care to patients diagnosed with gender dysphoria."
Gender-affirming care for adults and minors is currently legal in Pennsylvania. The lawsuit, however, cites recent pressure from the Trump administration as a reason why UPMC Children's Hospital has allegedly refused to provide gender-affirming care to patients under the age of 19.
Earlier this year, the FBI encouraged the public to report health care professionals who provide this type of care to minors. In a post on X, the agency said, "As the Attorney General has made clear, we will protect our children and hold accountable those who mutilate them under the guise of gender-affirming care.
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Gender-affirming care includes mental health care, treatments like puberty blockers or hormone therapy, and, in rare instances, surgery for those diagnosed with gender dysphoria. But it's something that is rarely done with children and handled on a case-by-case basis.
"Thanks to UPMC's cowardice and willingness to pre-comply with the Trump administration's bullying and cruelty, my child was forced off of medically necessary, safe, evidence-based, life-saving care," one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit said in a statement. "This is just the tip of the iceberg. Who will be next to have their care ripped from them?"
According to the Women's Law Project, plaintiffs are demanding that UPMC Children's Hospital immediately reverse its decision to stop providing gender-affirming care for transgender patients under the age of 19. They also seek to be reimbursed for medical expenses, emotional distress, and attorneys' fees.
