Michigan Medicine Stops Youth Transgender Treatments

Michigan AG Dana Nessel has weighed in with legal threats:

https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2025/08/out-attorney-general-issues-stark-warning-to-cowardly-hospital-eliminating-trans-health-care/

Out Attorney General issues stark warning to “cowardly” hospital eliminating trans health care
She called the move "shameful, dangerous, and potentially illegal."
By Molly Sprayregen (She/Her) - August 30, 2025

Gay Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel (D) has issued a warning to the University of Michigan after the school’s medical center announced Monday it will no longer provide gender-affirming care to patients under 19 due to threats from the federal government.

“The announcement from the University of Michigan that they will no longer provide their transgender patients with all of the healthcare options available is shameful, dangerous, and potentially illegal,” Nessel said in a statement. “This cowardly acquiescence to political pressure from this president and his administration is not what patients have come to expect from an institution that has labeled itself, ‘the leaders and the best,’ and my Department will be considering all of our options if they violate Michigan law.”

“Moreover, access to federal funds does not relieve Michigan healthcare facilities and providers of the obligation to comply with Michigan laws,” she added.

An email to staff at the school’s medical center, Michigan Medicine, called the decision to halt gender-affirming care for minors “difficult and complex,” Advocate reported.

It was made, the note said, “in response to unprecedented legal and regulatory threats against our institution and our employees, including threats of criminal and civil charges against our prescribing clinicians.”

“Please know that we are committed to working with our patients/clients to ensure appropriate, individualized care plans,” it continued. “We will offer to meet individually with impacted patients/clients to explore options for ongoing care. We understand how impactful this change is. If you are uncertain about how this change might impact you or your clients/patients, please discuss this with your supervisor.”

At least 21 hospitals and health systems have suspended or reduced health services for transgender minors and young adults in 2025, according to an NBC News analysis. Many providers cited fears of federal investigations and the potential loss of government funding.

In January, the president signed an executive order directing federal agencies to cut off funding for gender-affirming care for minors and instructing the Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate and criminalize providers and health centers that offer such care. In April, Attorney General Pam Bondi ordered the DOJ to investigate providers, hospitals, and clinics that provide gender-affirming care to trans youth.

The crackdown escalated earlier this summer when federal prosecutors issued subpoenas to more than 20 hospitals and clinics. In August, sixteen states and the District of Columbia filed suit in an attempt to block the administration’s investigations. However, several providers that received subpoenas chose to suspend offering gender-affirming care instead of waiting for the outcome of the lawsuit.

According to the NBC News review, twelve hospitals have either stopped or announced plans to stop prescribing puberty blockers or hormone therapy to patients under 19, four hospitals have ended surgeries for minors, and one facility halted all gender-affirming care for trans youth under 18. At least six other university-affiliated health systems, including Stanford Medicine, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), University of Chicago (UChicago Medicine), University of Pennsylvania, Rush University Medical Center, and Yale New Haven Hospital, have ceased offering some or all trans-related health services.

An additional five hospitals have scrubbed their websites of pages advertising transgender services for minors.

Protests, apparently organized by the Huron Valley Democratic Socialists of America:

https://www.mlive.com/news/2025/09/protesters-confront-michigan-medicine-over-cut-to-gender-affirming-care-for-young-people.html

Protesters confront Michigan Medicine over cut to gender-affirming care for young people
By William Diep | September 11 , 2025

ANN ARBOR, MI — Transgender pride flags lined the corner of Fuller Road and Medical Center Drive Thursday as community advocates chanted phrases like “Shame on you” and “We will not back down” while facing the University of Michigan’s medical campus.

Over 100 students and community leaders gathered Thursday, Sept. 11, to confront Michigan Medicine for ending gender-affirming care for people under 19.

Speakers expressed both frustration with the university for its compliance with federal policy changes under President Donald Trump and support for transgender youth.

“We have seen time and time again that institutions like Michigan Medicine with deep financial ties and interests with the federal government will not protect us from the Trump administration’s agenda,” said Rhea Chappell, co-chair of the Huron Valley Democratic Socialists of America. It organized the protest along with UM’s chapter of the Young Democratic Socialists of America

“As we continue to organize together, Michigan Medicine will be forced to stand by their patients and resume gender-affirming care.”

Michigan Medicine announced Aug. 25 it would no longer provide hormonal therapies or puberty blocker medications to people under 19. Officials cited a federal subpoena and “escalating external threats and risks.”

Parents of transgender children are angry about the university’s decision.

Kami Michels, a board member of the Jim Toy Community Center and parent of a transgender daughter, criticized the university’s medical arm because it “ripped medical care away from my child, from a lot of children, thousands of children.”

“Shame on Michigan Medicine for betraying every single trans kid who trusted them,” Michels shouted. “You are putting kids’ lives at risk.”

Michels said she will continue resisting against Michigan Medicine to protect her daughter and other transgender youth.

“We are not going to go quietly, I will not let my daughter be erased,” Michels said. “We will not let Michigan Medicine hide behind politics when it commits violence against our children. We demand that gender-affirming care be fully reinstated, fully immediately across every Michigan Medicine facility.”

Mary Masson, senior director of public relations at Michigan Medicine, released a statement in response to the protests.

“We recognize the gravity and impact of this decision for our patients and our community,” Masson wrote. “We are working closely with all those impacted, and we will continuously support the well-being of our patients, their families, and our teams.”

Masson wrote Michigan Medicine is “deeply grateful to our clinicians for their unyielding commitment to providing the highest quality care, and to all of our team members for their dedication to helping our patients, and to supporting each other, as we navigate these changes together.”

The same day as the protest major health system, Corewell Health, with hospitals throughout West and Southeast Michigan, announced it is ending gender-affirming care as there is “serious risk of legal and regulatory action.”

This comes as the availability of such care already was limited. One in four minors lives over four hours from the closest clinic that provides gender-affirming medications and hormones, according to a July 2023 Michigan Medicine report.

The U.S. Department of Justice, under Trump, announced in July it had sent more than 20 subpoenas to doctors and clinics “involved in performing transgender medical procedures on children.” The investigation targeted health care fraud and false statements, the department said.

“Medical professionals and organizations that mutilated children in the service of a warped ideology will be held accountable by this Department of Justice,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement at the time.

Washtenaw County Commissioner Yousef Rabhi, D-Ann Arbor, said the university is acting cowardly toward an administration “that seeks to damage, that seeks to harm, that seeks to hurt our community in every way possible.”

He said failing to provide health care to transgender children “is a crime.”

“Trans youth in this community deserve better,” Rabhi said. “They deserve health care, life-sustaining health care. To take that away is a crime. It is a travesty. It is not OK.”

Grace Jun, co-chair of UM’s chapter of the Young Democratic Socialists of America, said organizers will continue to fight for transgender children even when Michigan Medicine is not.

“We will continue to be out here, and as our open letter says, we’ll stay standing with trans youth whose rights and access are being ripped away by Michigan Medicine,” Jun said.

She questioned the morals of Michigan Medicine officials in regards to the Aug. 25 decision and criticized the federal administration for “taking away necessities for their survival and well-being.”

“How can you sleep at night knowing you’re denying trans youth essential gender-affirming health care that saves lives?” Jun said. “There is blood on your hands. Shame. The Trump administration is a monster that is trying to systemically kill communities of people by taking away necessities for their survival and well-being.”

A second protest is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 18 at 1109 Geddes Ave.

Not widely reported in the media, but the University of Michigan Faculty Soviet Senate voted for Michigan Medicine to reinstate "gender affirming care" for juveniles.  Michigan Medicine is 4½ times the size (by revenue) of its parent university's educational operation, so this is a case of the tail wagging the dog:

https://www.foxnews.com/media/university-michigan-faculty-votes-overwhelmingly-resolution-reverse-ban-minor-gender-procedures

University of Michigan faculty votes overwhelmingly for resolution to reverse ban on minor gender procedures
Michigan Medicine said its current position remains to discontinue gender procedures for minors
By Rachel del Guidice - November 17, 2025

Faculty at the University of Michigan voted overwhelmingly this month for a resolution to reinstate "gender-affirming care" procedures for minors at the university's medical center, Michigan Medicine.

The Faculty Senate voted on Nov. 3 to reinstate "gender-affirming care" procedures for minors under the age of 19, with 2,432 voting yes, 555 voting no and 651 faculty abstaining from the vote, according to The Michigan Daily.

The resolution appears to imply that it is discriminatory to withhold such procedures from transgender minors, as it claims "cisgender individuals under 19 years of age continuing to receive various medically necessary forms of care including hormones and hormone blockers, a disparity that renders the decision to withhold those treatments from trans individuals discriminatory."

On its website, Michigan Health defines "gender-affirming care" as "medical, surgical, mental health and other supportive services for transgender, nonbinary, and gender non-conforming patients."

In August, the University of Michigan announced it would stop sex-change procedures for minors, including puberty blockers and hormone therapies.

Shanna Kattari, associate professor of social work and women’s studies, said the halt to gender procedures for minors was due to pressure from the Trump administration.

"We continue to capitulate to the demands of those unsupported by research and the bullying of the current administration," Kattari said, according to The Michigan Daily. "We have no right to call ourselves the leaders and best, only followers who have bent the knee."

On its website, Michigan Health defines "gender-affirming care" as "medical, surgical, mental health and other supportive services for transgender, nonbinary, and gender non-conforming patients." (Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Work of interest for Kattari includes looking at "experiences of sexuality in marginalized communities, most notably disabled adults, LGBTQIA2S+ individuals, those practicing non-monogamy, and those practicing kink/leather/BDSM."

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Mary Masson, senior director of public relations at Michigan Medicine said, "On Aug. 25, 2025, University of Michigan Health announced it would discontinue gender affirming hormonal therapies and puberty blocker medications for minors. That is our current position."

Masson added, "We remain committed to comprehensive, multidisciplinary care for our patients — including mental health services and support — to ensure patients and families can make informed decisions that are right for them."

She said that the institution recognizes "the gravity and impact of this decision. We have worked closely with and will continuously support the well-being of our patients, their families, and our care teams."

Fox News Digital reached out to the University of Michigan and Kattari for additional comment.

More on the political turmoil at U of M over the termination of "gender affirming care":

https://www.michigandaily.com/news/administration/it-is-the-ultimate-betrayal-umich-and-ann-arbor-community-reflects-on-impacts-of-end-to-gender-affirming-care/

‘It is the ultimate betrayal’: UMich and Ann Arbor community reflects on impacts of end to gender affirming care
By Patricia Leoncio - February 15, 2026

After facing federal pressure in the form of a subpoena from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the University of Michigan and Michigan Medicine announced in August 2025 they would no longer offer gender-affirming care — including puberty blockers and hormone replacement therapy — for those under the age of 19.

Months later, community members continue to express concerns, with the Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs conveying their disdain for the decision, community members organizing protests and others discussing the importance of reinstating gender-affirming care at the University’s Board of Regents meetings.

In an interview with The Daily, Medical School student Arden Parrish, OutMD president and Central Student Government P.R.I.D.E. Task Force vice president — two organizations seeking to advocate for and raise awareness of LGBTQIA+ issues in medicine — said he consistently engages with those who lost care in August. Parrish said there is unresolved and irreversible pain among transgender and gender- diverse communities.

“The hurt and confusion is consistent and palpable,” Parrish said. “We had people coming from all over the state, and even from out of state to this hospital system because it is the best of the best, the Leaders and Best. We had people put their children’s lives in our hands, and it is the ultimate betrayal.”

One parent of a transgender teenager in the Ann Arbor community, who requested anonymity for fear of retribution and is identified here as Jennifer, shared her child’s experience following the end of gender-affirming care in an interview with The Daily. Jennifer said her daughter began medically transitioning at age 12 through Michigan Medicine and was a patient for five years before care was cut. Jennifer said that the loss of care, along with moves to end gender-affirming care at the national level, have been deeply harmful to her daughter.

“She went from being a self-starter, straight-A student, to like literally not being able to do it, because she’s aware of every executive action. She’s aware of every hospital that closes care for kids who want to be kids,” Jennifer said. “It’s been difficult and it’s been hard.”

In an interview with The Michigan Daily, Lauren Gaboury, co-chair of the Huron Valley Democratic Socialists of America, said it is particularly alarming that the loss leaves private clinics as one of the only resources for people to receive gender-affirming care.

“That means that the only care that would be available would be through private clinics that do not take Medicare or Medicaid funds, which is exceedingly rare and impossible to afford for most people,” Gaboury said. “That’s not going to cover the thousands and thousands of people who have lost and are going to lose care.”

In an interview with The Daily, Music, Theatre & Dance senior Grace Jun Walton, co-chair of the Young Democratic Socialists of America at the University of Michigan, said she thinks the decision to remove gender-affirming care was hypocritical of the University.

“The University that claims to be a place of diverse thought, diverse thinking, that has claimed to be historically progressive, is making the decision to stay silent on it and just hope that things quiet down around it,” Walton said.

Shortly after the University’s decision in September 2025, Michigan’s Corewell Health — a nationally recognized health system — also ended gender-affirming care for minors. LSA sophomore Mel Malczewski, co-chair of the YDSA, said Michigan Medicine’s decision to remove gender-affirming care is even more damaging because the University is a leader in the health care industry.

“People look to the University of Michigan as like a pillar of what they should do, how they should act,” Maczewski said. “We set the standard as one of the premier institutions of the country. If we’re allowing some of the most discriminated-against people in our country to fall by the wayside, actively allowing them to get hurt and attacking them within our own community, what does that show for how everyone else should act too?”

Soon after gender-affirming care ended, Michigan Medicine wrote in a statement it would increase mental health services for those affected by the decision. In an interview with The Daily, Medical student Ashley Li, OutMD member, said she respects this support, but believes it is not enough to support transgender and gender-diverse youth.

“While I respect that Michigan Medicine has supposedly increased mental health support for their patients affected by these changes, at the end of the day, it doesn’t treat the underlying cause,” Li said. “The underlying cause is the gender dysphoria that they may be facing because of their puberty that doesn’t align with them.”

Li also said she experienced a first-hand look at the in-depth interviews, counseling and education that takes place before youth can begin gender-affirming care during her gender-affirming care rotation at the Medical School.

“Once you have the privilege of meeting some of these children and these families, I think you begin to realize how gratifying it is to be able to give someone a treatment that allows them to live as themselves,” Li said.

Parrish, a transmasculine person who transitioned during college, said Michigan Medicine’s halt to gender-affirming care was jarring. He said being part of a medical institution which openly embraced transgender and gender diverse communities was an important factor in considering what medical schools he applied to and why he chose to attend the University.

“I had a place where I felt like I didn’t have to minimize that part of myself, which is part of why getting that email back in August was such a massive blow,” Parrish said. “We were a couple weeks post white coat ceremony, and sort of in the thick of exploring what it meant to be a medical student … to get this email — that to me read as the institution that is going to teach me how to care for people doesn’t care for me — was really hard to grapple with.”

Parrish said while he recognizes that the University and Michigan Medicine face pressure from national threats to hospital funding, he feels hurt that they never consulted the transgender community regarding plans of action or attempted to fight the subpoena.

“I would ask them to re-examine which patients they are prioritizing and whether the cost of their decisions is worth the potential gain,” Parrish said. “I recognize that there are times when their back is against the wall and they have no other option. I think they had other options here. I never saw them fight for me. I never saw them fight for my patients the way that we all wanted them to.”

Jennifer expressed similar views to Parrish and said she believes additional organizing efforts are needed to support access to gender-affirming care

“You may not have a trans kid,” Jennifer said. “You may not understand it. You may have been born into the body that aligns with your gender identity. These people are just people, they are just trying to be who they are. I think we need more voices. We need more people standing up to protect these people.”