President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order aimed at cutting federal support for gender transitions for people under age 19, his latest move to roll back protections for transgender people across the country. Related video above: President Trump signs executive order to make Pentagon changes that could lead to a transgender ban in the military.
The order directs that federally-run insurance programs, including TRICARE for military families and Medicaid, exclude coverage for such care and calls on the Department of Justice to vigorously pursue litigation and legislation to oppose the practice.
Medicaid programs in some states cover gender-affirming care. The new order suggests that the practice could end, and targets hospitals and universities that receive federal money and provide the care. Major medical groups such as the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics support access to care. Young people who persistently identify as a gender that differs from their sex assigned at birth are first evaluated by a team of professionals.
Some may try a social transition, involving changing a hairstyle or pronouns. Some may later also receive puberty blockers or hormones. Surgery is extremely rare for minors. The order encourages Congress to adopt a law allowing those who receive gender-affirming care and come to regret it, or their parents, to sue the providers.
Her child has not elected to pursue a medical transition, but the mother from State College, Pennsylvania, said she won't stop fighting to preserve that option for her child and others. For Howl Hall, an year-old freshman at Eastern Washington University, taking testosterone not only changed his body but dramatically improved his experience with depression.
