A group of over a dozen Democratic-led states is taking legal action against the Trump administration to halt federal initiatives aimed at restricting transgender medical treatments for minors.
The lawsuit, submitted on Friday in a Boston federal court, challenges a January executive order from President Trump titled “Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Amputations.” This order instructs the Department of Justice (DOJ) to prioritize enforcement of regulations surrounding so-called “gender-maintaining” care.
Critics argue that since taking office, President Trump and his administration have harshly targeted transgender individuals. They claim the administration has disregarded their existence, pushed them out of public spaces, and sought to restrict access to medically necessary healthcare.
Trump’s executive order cuts off all federal funding for procedures labeled as chemical or surgical amputations for children, imposing legal consequences on agencies that support these practices. Compliance came from Attorney General Pam Bondy, who has since coordinated efforts to investigate and potentially prosecute physicians involved in gender-affirming surgeries for minors.
Bondy’s memorandum criticizes what it calls “hidden gender ideology” in science, arguing that it misleads children into believing they need irreversible interventions for feelings of adolescent distress or confusion, rather than addressing the underlying issues.
The states involved in the lawsuit are California, Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut, Illinois, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Wisconsin, and Washington, D.C.
Since the crackdown began, several major hospitals have declared they will stop providing transgender-related treatments to minors, including puberty blockers, hormones, and surgeries. Institutions such as Children’s Hospital in Washington, D.C., University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, and the Transyouth Health and Development Center in Los Angeles have halted these services.
The DOJ has also summoned more than a dozen hospitals and doctors as part of an investigation into pediatric transgender procedures.
The states accuse the Trump administration of fostering a climate of fear and intimidation for transgender individuals, their families, and healthcare providers.
From 2019 to 2023, American hospitals charged roughly $120 million for transgender-related procedures for an estimated 14,000 minors, according to a watchdog group that opposes leftist gender ideology in medicine.
This lawsuit marks the latest legal battle between a Democratic-led state and the Trump administration regarding transgender policies. Earlier this year, the Trump administration sued California for permitting biological males to participate in women’s sports, asserting it violates federal law.
No comment has been issued by the DOJ regarding the lawsuit.
