In a bold show of resistance, over 250 protesters gathered outside Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan’s Upper East Side on a recent Tuesday evening. Their mission: to challenge the hospital’s recent decision to cease providing gender-affirming care to transgender individuals under the age of 18. This move came after Mount Sinai settled with the Trump administration, agreeing to halt such care and allocate funds to a controversial detransition clinic.
The protest, organized by the Gender Liberation Movement and ACT UP NY drew a diverse crowd of activists, healthcare professionals, and concerned community members. Speakers included Taylor Brown, director of New York City’s Mayor’s Office of LGBTQIA+ Affairs, and nurse activist Qween Amor. A parent who relocated from Florida to New York for its protective laws also shared their story, highlighting the stark contrast in state policies regarding transgender healthcare.
Community Outcry and Personal Stories
The protesters, clustered near the East 98th Street entrance to the May Center for Mount Sinai Doctors, chanted slogans such as Our Families, Our Rights, Our Healthcare, Our Lives and Support Trans Kids Humanity. Signs bearing messages like Rise Up For Trans Youth caught the attention of passersby and medical professionals entering the facility. The rally was a poignant display of solidarity and defiance against what many see as a harmful policy shift.
Sam, a 17-year-old trans man currently receiving care at Mount Sinai, bravely shared his experience. Trans people exist and no executive order will change that he declared, underscoring the personal impact of the hospital’s decision. His words resonated deeply with the crowd, many of whom have personally benefited from gender-affirming care.
The Settlement and Its Implications
Mount Sinai’s decision to settle with the Justice Department has sparked widespread criticism. The settlement, announced on September 4, includes an agreement to stop providing hormone replacement therapy and puberty blockers to patients under 18. Additionally, the hospital will allocate $2 million to create a detransition clinic a move that has drawn comparisons to similar actions by other medical institutions under federal pressure.
Raquel Willis, co-founder of the Gender Liberation Movement, expressed her dismay. Mount Sinai had a choice, and it chose to abandon trans children and their families rather than hold the line against federal pressure she stated. This decision is particularly contentious given New York’s strong protections for transgender individuals. In February 2025, New York State Attorney General Letitia James reiterated that state hospitals providing gender-affirming care would be in violation of anti-discrimination laws.
The settlement comes despite a June motion by U.S. District Judge Katherine Polk Failla to block the Justice Department from obtaining sensitive medical information about individuals who received gender-affirming care as minors. Mount Sinai cited patient privacy as the reason for its settlement, a claim that has been met with skepticism by activists and lawmakers alike.
Political and Legal Responses
The protest and subsequent backlash have drawn the attention of city and state lawmakers. New York Democratic Congressional candidate Brad Lander expressed his support for the families affected by the decision. Gender-affirming care saves lives, respects the rights of patients, and reflects that healthcare is supposed to be between providers and patients, not between providers and the Trump Administration he stated. Lander’s comments highlight the broader implications of the settlement on the transgender community’s access to essential healthcare services.
Congresswoman Grace Meng (D-NY-6) also condemned the Justice Department’s actions. This week, the Justice Department strong-armed one of New York’s largest hospital systems into turning its back on some of its own patients — with no law behind it and in defiance of any medical authority she wrote. Her statement underscores the medical community’s consensus that gender-affirming care is safe and necessary for transgender youth.
New York Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal described the decision as infuriating emphasizing the potential harm to transgender youth who rely on such care. The settlement has left many families feeling betrayed and uncertain about their future in New York.
The protest and the subsequent political responses highlight the ongoing struggle for transgender rights in the face of federal pressure. As the community continues to fight for access to essential healthcare services, the rally at Mount Sinai serves as a powerful reminder of the resilience and determination of those advocating for transgender rights.
