Crowds protest UPMC ending gender-affirming youth care
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Hundreds gathered Downtown to protest UPMC ending gender-affirming youth care. Photo: Chrissy Suttles/Axios
Protesters on Sunday condemned UPMC for cutting gender-affirming care for people under 19, warning it risks lives and worsens health disparities.
Why it matters: The cuts leave LGBTQ+ youth in Western Pennsylvania with fewer health care options and leave local providers unable to deliver care they believe is medically necessary, protesters said.
- Studies find that gender-affirming care is associated with lower odds of depression and risk of suicide.
Zoom in: Demonstrators, including UPMC providers and elected officials, gathered in front of UPMC's headquarters in Downtown, asking the health care system to reverse its decision.
What they're saying: Katherine Anderson, a behavioral health therapist at UPMC, said hospital leaders have warned staff to expect a surge in transgender teens struggling with mental health following the move.
- She said UPMC plans to launch an intensive outpatient program to support the "hundreds of trans teens" currently in its care.
- "As if mental health care could ever replace vital medical care," Anderson said, adding that nearly 400 UPMC workers have signed an open letter asking their employer to reverse course.
Catch up quick: The region's largest health provider is phasing out gender-affirming care, like puberty blockers and hormone therapy, for people under 19.
- A UPMC spokesperson in a statement said the service cuts are necessary to comply with federal directives, citing the risk of criminal prosecution.
- UPMC says it will continue offering behavioral health support "within the bounds of the law."
- "We empathize deeply with the patients and families affected by these ongoing changes," UPMC said in a statement.
Context: President Trump in January signed an executive order pushing stricter limits on gender-affirming care and threatening to cut federal funding to providers, a move reinforced by Justice Department directives.
The other side: Protesters said the order created no new law and noted that a federal judge temporarily blocked its enforcement, accusing UPMC of preemptively cutting services, a stance backed by the Pennsylvania ACLU.
The latest: The Supreme Court last week upheld Tennessee's ban on puberty blockers and hormone therapy for trans youth. More than half of U.S. states restrict such care, but Pennsylvania does not, per KFF.
Flashback: UPMC restored parts of its LGBTQ+ health information online with revised language after removing content in May. The updated language says federal directives prohibit UPMC from providing gender-affirming care to those under 19.
Zoom out: Hospitals across the country are steadily reshaping LGBTQ+ health services as they navigate tentative Trump administration orders targeting gender-affirming care and race-based equity programs.
What's next: City Councilwoman Barb Warwick on Tuesday proposed legislation classifying medical care denials based on gender identity or expression as discrimination, allowing patients to file complaints with the city's Commission on Human Relations.
- TransYOUniting is fundraising for those affected by the move.