Closure of Pediatric Gender Clinic Raises Concerns

Jesse Thorne felt a deep sense of loss when Children’s Hospital Los Angeles announced last month the closure of its pediatric gender clinic. Initially, he thought he might quickly find another local healthcare option for his child.

However, by the time the Transyouth Health and Development center officially shut down on Tuesday, he and two other fathers were already contemplating leaving the country.

“They’re going after the ones who can,” Thorne expressed. “I worry that I took my child to the doctor and then the police show up at my door.”

Until recently, this clinic was among the largest and longest-running pediatric gender clinics in the United States, offering essential services like blockers, hormones, and surgeries for transgender youth covered by public insurance.

Experts suggest that the closure of such significant programs highlights a national trend affecting the availability of care. This issue extends to previously safe havens like California, New York, and Illinois, where protections for transgender healthcare are eroding under political pressure.

Last week, the University of Chicago’s Medicine Institute announced it would either end or significantly reduce its services for transgender youth, following similar actions by institutions like Stanford Medicine and Orange County Children’s Hospital.

Alejandro Carabaro, a civil rights lawyer and Harvard law instructor, noted, “This delivery of care is collapsing in Blue States. By the end of 2025, much of it may be effectively banned.”

In Los Angeles, some parents are now fearful that the Department of Justice might misuse private medical information from the state’s largest pediatric safety net hospital to separate families.

“That’s absolutely horrifying,” said Maxine, a mother of a pediatric patient, who preferred to remain anonymous due to fears for her son’s safety.

“I’m extremely concerned that the DOJ and this acting Attorney General will come after parents using laws related to female genital mutilation,” she added.

On July 9, Attorney General Pam Bondy announced that the Department of Justice sought medical records from over 20 clinics and doctors.

“The medical professionals and organizations responsible for harming children under the guise of a distorted ideology will be held accountable,” Bondy stated in a news release.

It’s unclear if patient records were obtained or are being delivered based on government requests.

The Justice Department has already investigated pediatric specialists for various alleged crimes, including fraud. They’ve threatened to cut funding to agencies that continue providing affirmative care.

An internal email from a children’s hospital executive on June 12 warned staff that “these threats are no longer theoretical.” They pose a serious risk to the hospital’s ability to care for hundreds of thousands of patients who depend on CHLA for essential services.

Advocates assert that gender-affirming care can save lives, citing contested statistics showing alarmingly high suicide rates among transgender youth.

The announcement of the clinic’s closure was widely condemned in June. Many advocates accused LA of neglecting state law and abandoning transgender children.

“Unless hospitals offer care for trans individuals, we might see kids with serious conditions missing out on necessary treatments,” Carabaro warned. “If one of the largest children’s hospitals struggles, it’s likely others will too.”

Others shared similar sentiments.

“Regardless of state efforts, they’ll say, ‘We want to protect these kids,’ and yet programs are shutting down,” noted Dara E. Purvis, a law professor at Temple University.

Thus far, the Trump administration has characterized parents as victims of “radical gender ideology.”

Some experts warned that as the government tightens regulations on medical providers, transgender teens and their families might turn to underground or unregulated sources for hormones.

“We witnessed this with abortion,” Carabalo remarked. “People will find ways to obtain what they need.”

Like the criminal charges against mothers who secured abortion pills for their teenagers, there’s a growing anxiety that families might face prosecution as they seek necessary medications.

“We will work with Congress regarding laws on female genital mutilation to better protect children,” Attorney General Chad Mizzel said recently.

At present, numerous hospitals in California continue to provide gender-affirming care, including hormone therapy and surgical options.

However, the status of these services changes frequently.

“Even programs that were operating a month ago might not be today,” said Terra Russell Slavin, Chief Impact Officer of the Los Angeles LGBT Center. “There are significant concerns that these agencies could face targeting for providing care.”

With children feeling vulnerable and little assurance of national support, some families are anxious about the uncertain future.

One father from Orange County, who wished to remain unnamed to protect his transgender son, shared the struggle: his son lacks matching identification documents, which complicates their ability to travel.

“He can’t leave the country due to an unmatched passport,” the father explained.

For Maxine, balancing the routine pressures of everyday life with these stark realities is quite the challenge.

“My kids just want to live their lives. They want to enjoy concerts, go back to school, maybe shop a little. They aren’t conscious of all this turmoil,” she said. “We’re grappling with profound fear while trying to maintain normalcy in our home.”