Press Release  AG Campbell Calls On Court To Protect Gender Affirming Care

BOSTON — Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell today co-led a coalition of 18 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland supporting Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG), GLMA: Health Professionals Advancing LGBTQ+ Equality, and individual patients and their families, in their lawsuit against the Trump Administration.  

On February 4, 2025, PFLAG challenged President Trump’s Executive Orders 14168 and 14187 targeting transgender individuals by stating that gender identity was a “false” idea and by attempting to strip federal funding from institutions that provide life-saving gender affirming care for young people under the age of 19. The amici states argue that this action blatantly and unlawfully discriminates against transgender youth based on their identity.  

“Healthcare decisions belong in the hands of patients, their families, and their doctors – not politicians intent on restricting individual freedoms for political gain. Research has continued to show that access to gender-affirming care can be life saving for trans youth and is essential to their emotional and physical well-being. I am proud to support PFLAG in their fight and will continue to protect our young people from this cruelty,” said AG Campbell.  

The states submitting today’s amicus brief have enacted their own laws, policies and protections for transgender residents, including transgender youth under the age of 19. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has enacted laws recognizing the right to access gender-affirming care and shielding people who access or provide gender-affirming care from civil or criminal penalties by out-of-state jurisdictions. Additionally, the Commonwealth’s non-discrimination laws apply to health insurance and specifically advise commercial health insurers not to exclude services used to treat gender dysphoria when those services are medically necessary or when the same services are covered for the treatment of other conditions. 

The amici states argue that there is considerable medical evidence showing that gender-affirming care improves the health outcomes for individuals with gender dysphoria, a medical condition characterized by significant distress that occurs when an individual’s gender identity differs from their sex assigned at birth. Denying this care can have tragic consequences on patients’ physical and mental well-being. A recent study conducted by the University of Washington found that in individuals ages 13-20, receiving gender-affirming care was associated with 60% lower odds of moderate to severe depression and 73% lower odds of having suicidal thoughts over a 12-month period. 

The amici states also argue that the Administration’s Executive Orders have sown chaos and confusion among gender-affirming care providers and caused anxiety and fear among transgender youth and their families. The Trevor Project, which provides confidential counseling to LGBTQ+ youth, reported a 700% increase in access to its crisis services since the Presidential election and a 46% increase in volume following the inauguration. In the immediate aftermath of the Executive Orders, facilities across the country halted gender-affirming care for young people, citing fears of losing federal funding for healthcare unrelated to gender-affirming care.  

While such care remains available in Massachusetts, this Executive Order has undeniably and unacceptably scared providers and patients here and across the country. Shortly after PFLAG filed their lawsuit, AG Campbell led 14 other attorneys general in issuing a statement reaffirming their commitment to protecting access to gender-affirming care, reminding providers that federal courts have stopped the Administration from withholding federal funding from institutions, including ones that provide gender-affirming care, and making clear that no federal law prohibits or criminalizes gender affirming care.  

For these reasons, the amici states urge the Court to grant PFLAG’s motion for a preliminary injunction. 

Joining AG Campbell in submitting this brief, which she co-led with Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown and California Attorney General Rob Bonta, are the attorneys general from Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington. 

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