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New York Attorney General Letitia James warned local hospitals Monday that they will be in violation of state discrimination laws if they comply with President Trump’s executive order aimed at outlawing sex-change procedures for 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, such as sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, race, creed, color, national origin, citizenship or immigration status, military status, disability, or marital status,” James wrote in a letter to New York healthcare facilities.
“Electing to refuse services to a class of individuals based on their protected status, such as withholding the availability of services from transgender individuals based on their gender identity or their diagnosis of gender dysphoria, while offering such services to cisgender individuals, is discrimination under New York law,” she added.
James, 66, urged anyone who witnesses “potential violations” to contact the New York Attorney General’s Office.
Her letter comes as several hospitals across the country have already taken steps to cut back on so-called “gender-affirming care” in an apparent effort to comply with Trump’s Jan. 28 executive order “protecting children from chemical and surgical mutilation.”
The order threatens to withhold federal funding from hospitals that provide sex-change treatment, like puberty blockers and hormone therapy, to youths under the age of 19.
“It’s already having its intended effect — preventing children from being maimed and sterilized by adults perpetuating a radical, false claim that they can somehow change a child’s sex,” the White House said in a statement Monday, highlighting hospitals in Colorado, Virginia, Washington, DC, Illinois and Pennsylvania that are reportedly pursuing action to “downsize or eliminate” transgender programs.
The White House also pointed to New York City’s NYU Langone Health, which has reportedly started canceling appointments for minors seeking transgender procedures.
The New York Times reported that two different families seeking to implant their 12-year-olds with a device that dispenses puberty blockers had their appointments at NYU Langone Health “abruptly canceled following the executive order.”
The medical center canceled appointments for “two 12-year-olds who had been scheduled to receive implants that dispense puberty-blocking medication,” according to the outlet.
NYU Langone Health did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
Hundreds of protesters gathered near the hospital Monday night to protest the Manhattan hospital’s reported efforts to comply with Trump’s order. During the rally, one transgender activist urged protesters to “shut this entire city down.”
