A wave of protests has erupted in response to the upcoming closure of the Center for Transyouth Health and Development at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles—the nation’s largest public provider of gender-affirming care for children and teens.
Sage Sol Pitchenik, a 16-year-old nonbinary teen who found life-changing support at the center, has been at the forefront of the protests. “Trans kids are done being quiet. Trans kids are done being polite,” Pitchenik said, receiving loud applause from the crowd. After six years of care, they credit the clinic for helping them accept their body and find strength in their identity.
The hospital announced that the clinic will close on July 22, citing the Trump administration’s threats to cut federal funding for facilities that provide gender-affirming care to minors. The center, in operation for over 30 years, has served thousands of young people, primarily those on public insurance.
While minors rarely undergo surgery, many receive therapy, puberty blockers, or hormone replacement therapy after careful evaluation. For patients like Pitchenik, the care has been lifesaving. “I learned how to not only survive but how to thrive in my own body,” they said.
A Legacy Cut Short
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The clinic’s closure follows the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to uphold Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors and reflects broader federal efforts to regulate trans rights. Though the hospital initially reversed its February decision to shut down the center after community pushback, it has now confirmed the closure.
In a statement, the hospital said it had no viable option to continue operating the center, citing mounting legal and financial pressures. “Center team members were heartbroken,” the statement read.
Maria Do of the Los Angeles LGBT Center called the move “a stain on their legacy.” She added, “They’re quick to abandon our most vulnerable members.”
Families are now scrambling to find new providers amid an already strained healthcare system. The shutdown also halts vital research tied to trans youth health.
State Response and Federal Backdrop
California Attorney General Rob Bonta has warned that closing the clinic may violate state anti-discrimination laws, but no legal action has followed. Bonta and 22 other state attorneys general have challenged the Trump administration’s executive order on trans healthcare.
“This is nothing short of an all-out war to strip away LGBTQ+ rights,” Bonta said in an email to the AP. “This care remains legal in California.”
Voices from the Front Lines
Healthcare workers and LGBTQ+ advocates continue to rally. Among them is Jack Brenner, a trans emergency room nurse at the hospital who joined protesters in scrubs after a shift. “Our visibility is so important for our youth,” they said through tears. “There is a way to grow up and be your authentic self.”
Brenner, who discovered their gender identity in adulthood, now sees young trans patients “at the peak of a mental health crisis” and wears a “they/them” pin-laden lanyard as a signal of solidarity.
“I’ve seen kids light up when they recognize something of themselves in me,” Brenner shared. “That is so meaningful that I can provide that.”
Beth Hossfeld, a family therapist and grandmother of two children who were treated at the center, called the shutdown “patient abandonment.” She added, “It’s a political decision, not a medical one, and that’s disturbing to me.”