Transgender rights advocates sued Tuesday to block President Trump’s order cutting off federal funds for gender-transition drugs and surgeries prescribed to those under 19, arguing that the directive exceeds the president’s authority.
The lawsuit filed on behalf of the groups PFLAG National and GLMA, as well as seven adolescents and teens undergoing medical gender transitions, argued that the president cannot place conditions on the funding without congressional approval.
“The President does not have unilateral power to withhold federal funds that have been previously authorized by Congress and signed into law, and the President does not have the power to impose his own conditions on the use of funds when Congress has not delegated to him the power to do so,” said the complaint filed in U.S. District Court for Maryland.
The lawsuit targeted two executive orders.
The first, Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government, issued Jan. 20, says that the nation recognizes only two sexes, male and female.
The second order, Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation, issued Jan. 28, said that medical institutions receiving federal research or education grants must cease providing puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgeries for gender-transition purposes to those 18 and under.
LGBTQ groups aren’t the only ones taking issue with Mr. Trump’s executive actions.
New York Attorney General Letitia James warned hospitals that they would be in violation of state anti-discrimination law if they stop providing gender-change drugs and surgeries to minors.
“Regardless of the availability of federal funding, we write to further remind you of your obligations to comply with New York State laws, including those that prohibit discrimination against individuals based on their membership in a protected class,” said the Democrat in her Monday “Dear Colleague” letter.
Twenty-four states have banned gender-transition drugs and surgeries for minors over concerns about potentially irreversible side effects and pressure from medical providers, a phenomenon that Mr. Trump called “a stain on our Nation’s history.”
The lawsuit insisted that “gender affirming medical care can be livesaving treatment,” accusing the administration of issuing the orders to express “government disapproval of transgender people.”
The seven young people were prevented from undergoing gender-transition medical treatment after the orders were signed. They include two 12-year-olds; one 14-year-old; one 16-year-old; one 17-year-old, and two 18-year-olds. All but one was identified by pseudonyms.
Kristen Chapman said that she and her child, 17-year-old Willow, moved from Tennessee to Virginia after Tennessee passed a ban in 2023.
The mother struggled to find a doctor who would accept Medicaid as the drug regimen became “prohibitively expensive.”
She was able to schedule an appointment at Virginia Commonwealth University Health and Children’s Hospital for Jan. 29, but the day before, Mr. Trump signed the executive order.
“The next day, just a few hours before our appointment, VCU told us they would not be able to provide Willow with care,” Ms. Chapman said in a statement. “I thought Virginia would be a safe place for me and my daughter. Instead, I am heartbroken, tired, and scared.”
In 2023, the hospital received nearly $7.3 million in grants from the Health Resources and Services Administration and $107 million from the National Institutes of Health, the lawsuit said.
Willow, a biological male who identifies as female, began taking puberty blockers at age 13 and estrogen at age 16.
“Given the family’s limited income, Kristen is unsure how she will be able to secure W.G.’s treatment,” said the lawsuit, referring to Willow.
The other young plaintiffs had similar stories. Bella Boe, a 12-year-old biological male who identifies as female, was scheduled to receive a puberty-blocking implant at NYU Langone Health in New York, but the appointment was canceled after the president’s order.
Cameron Coe, a 12-year-old biological male who identifies as nonbinary, was also prevented from receiving a puberty-blocking implant at NYU Langone.
Lawrence Loe, an 18-year-old biological female who identifies as male, began taking testosterone at age 16 and was scheduled to receive “chest-masculinization surgery” at NYU Langone in New York in February. The hospital canceled the surgery after Mr. Trump’s order.
“Lawrence is devastated, angry, and saddened to think the necessary medical care he has been working toward for so long could be pulled away from him, even though he is an adult,” said the lawsuit.
Representing the plaintiffs are the American Civil Liberties Union, Lambda Legal, and the law firms Hogan Lovells and Jenner & Block.
“President Trump and other politicians maliciously harm our families by denying them access to physician-prescribed, medically recommended care,” said Brian Bond, CEO of PFLAG, which stands for “Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays.”
“This order puts trans and nonbinary young people and their families at risk — and we’re not putting up with it,” he said.
• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.