Deborah Archer President at American Civil Liberties Union | Official website
A federal judge has granted a preliminary injunction against President Donald Trump's executive orders that threatened to withdraw federal funding from providers of gender-affirming medical care for individuals under 19. This injunction extends a temporary restraining order that was due to expire on March 5.
Brian K. Bond, CEO of PFLAG National, commented on the decision: “Again, the court has ruled to ensure hospitals, doctors, and healthcare professionals in our communities can continue the work to keep our families healthy. Transgender people and their supportive parents and families are good and decent people who deserve the freedom to be themselves and to thrive."
Alex Sheldon, Executive Director of GLMA, emphasized the significance of this ruling: “Today’s ruling is a crucial step in resisting the extremist agenda of the Trump administration and reaffirming that trans and non-binary people deserve dignity, respect, and access to the health care they need.”
Joshua Block from ACLU’s LGBTQ & HIV Project stated: “Today’s decision provides relief to transgender young people, their families, and their medical providers who have been thrown into chaos by this administration.”
Omar Gonzalez-Pagan of Lambda Legal remarked on how this decision affects medical providers: “With this decision, doctors and hospitals across the country can continue to provide evidence-based, essential, and often lifesaving gender-affirming medical care without fear of retribution.”
The executive order signed by President Trump on January 28 declared it U.S. policy not to support gender transition for those under 19. The mandates specifically targeted gender-affirming care like hormones and puberty blockers. Another order signed on January 20 required discrimination against transgender individuals within much of the federal government.
Following these orders' issuance, several hospitals halted care for transgender youth in states such as Massachusetts, New York, Washington, Colorado, and Virginia. This led to protests nationwide supporting transgender youth.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) along with Lambda Legal filed a lawsuit on February 4 challenging these orders. They were joined by PFLAG National and GLMA as plaintiffs.
Initially, a temporary restraining order was issued on February 11 prohibiting federal agencies from withholding funds based on healthcare entities providing gender-affirming care. This was extended until March 5 before today's preliminary injunction further paused enforcement as legal proceedings continue.
