The Women’s Law Project and law firm Berger Montague filed a formal complaint with the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission (PHRC) on Tuesday against UPMC Children’s Hospital, alleging that the hospital unlawfully denied gender-affirming care to transgender patients under the age of 19.
Filed on behalf of five former patients, including three minors represented by their parents and two 18-year-old patients, the complaint asserts that UPMC Children’s decision to terminate care constitutes discrimination based on sex and disability in violation of Section 5 of the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act.
While the hospital continues to provide puberty blockers and hormone therapy to cisgender youth, the complaint alleges that transgender patients were abruptly forced off their medications, denied referrals, and given step-down protocols without additional treatment options.
“The complaint asserts that UPMC Children’s Hospital’s actions discriminate against transgender patients under the age of 19 based on their sex, which includes gender identity and expression under state law,” said Elizabeth Lester-Abdalla, Staff Attorney at the Women’s Law Project. “We also assert discrimination based on disability under state law, due to the targeted denial of care to patients diagnosed with gender dysphoria.”
The complaint is currently sealed, and all clients remain anonymous. They include a 12-year-old transgender girl whose care was abruptly terminated, with no referral and a step-down protocol forced on her; a 15-year-old transgender boy whose family moved to Pittsburgh specifically to access care, only to be given an “untested” protocol to taper off his medications; an 18-year-old transgender man removed from therapy after more than two years of successful treatment; an 18-year-old transgender woman who was also forced off her medications and denied a referral; and a 13-year-old transgender boy whose four-year treatment plan was ended without appropriate medical follow-up.
According to the complaint, the plaintiffs are demanding that UPMC Children’s Hospital immediately reverse its decision to terminate gender-affirming care for trans youth under 19. They are also seeking reimbursement for medical expenses related to the loss of care, compensation for emotional distress, and attorneys’ fees.
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Gender-affirming care for minors and adults remains legal in Pennsylvania, and is widely supported by the medical community. More than 20 national medical associations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Medical Association, endorse gender-affirming care as a medically necessary, evidence-based treatment. Research consistently shows that access to such care significantly reduces rates of depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation among transgender youth.
“We are hopeful that the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission will take action to protect our clients from discrimination and ensure that our clients receive the gender-affirming care that they need,” said Caitlin G. Coslett, Shareholder at Berger Montague. “We believe the PHRC should follow the lead of Governor Shapiro, who recently filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s attacks on gender-affirming care.”
The timing of the complaint is significant, coming amidst ongoing federal pressure aimed at limiting access to trans healthcare. Though recent federal threats may have influenced hospital administrators, advocates argue that the ultimate harm falls on young patients who have been stripped of medically necessary care.
“Gender-affirming care is legal in Pennsylvania. Discrimination based on sex and disability status is not,” said WLP Staff Attorney Annmarie Pinarski. “While federal threats and demands put hospital administrators in a difficult situation, it is not more challenging or important than the distressing experiences our clients, and similarly situated patients, have been forced into after being abruptly denied critical healthcare.”
