UPDATE: The Trump administration has just announced new proposed regulations aimed at drastically restricting gender-affirming care for youth. Unveiled on November 26, 2025, these regulations could eliminate access to critical health services for transgender youth across the United States.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) revealed that one key rule would prohibit hospitals providing gender-affirming care to youth under 18 from receiving Medicaid and Medicare funds. Another proposed rule would bar Medicaid from covering gender-affirming treatments for youth under 18 and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) from supporting care for individuals under 19.
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. characterized gender-affirming care as “sex-rejecting” procedures that impose “lasting harm” on children. “This is not medicine. It is malpractice,” he stated during the announcement, echoing sentiments from other officials. Kennedy emphasized a need to eliminate what he termed “junk science” in favor of a more ideologically grounded approach to healthcare.
The implications of these proposed rules are profound, potentially cutting off medically necessary care for transgender youth in a nation where 27 states already prohibit such treatments, including hormone therapy. This creates a restrictive landscape for families seeking gender-affirming care, which is supported by major medical organizations for addressing gender dysphoria.
The Human Rights Campaign, the largest LGBTQ+ advocacy group in the U.S., condemned the new regulations, stating they would put best-practice care out of reach for many families. Kelley Robinson, president of the organization, warned, “Make no mistake: these rules aim to completely cut off medically necessary care from children no matter where in this country they live.”
These proposed rules will enter a 60-day public comment period, during which stakeholders can voice their opinions. However, the situation is already dire; recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings have upheld bans on gender-affirming care in states like Tennessee, further complicating access to essential healthcare for transgender youth.
Chloe Cole, a detransition activist, spoke at the announcement, advocating for the proposed changes. She claimed that detransitioners are often ignored in discussions about gender-affirming care. “I detransitioned, and I chose to face the world and sound the alarm on what is happening to my generation,” she stated, calling for greater awareness of the experiences of detransitioners.
Critics, including Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, have decried the Trump administration’s moves as an attack on the rights of transgender Americans. Wyden asserted that these regulations contradict established medical evidence, jeopardizing healthcare for vulnerable communities nationwide.
As the landscape for youth gender-affirming care continues to shift, the medical community and advocacy groups are mobilizing to resist these changes. The proposed regulations follow an executive order from President Trump that denounced youth gender-affirming care as “chemical and surgical mutilation,” a characterization that many medical professionals reject.
The urgency of this situation cannot be overstated. As more states adopt restrictive measures against gender-affirming care, families and healthcare providers are left navigating a complex and often hostile environment.
What happens next remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: the fight for access to gender-affirming care for youth is intensifying. Stakeholders are urged to engage during the public comment period and raise awareness about the critical importance of these services for the well-being of transgender youth across the nation.
