Trans youth and their families in Pennsylvania saw a significant legal victory on Friday, just not the one many in Pittsburgh had been hoping for.
On Friday, a federal court in Philadelphia quashed a sweeping subpoena from the U.S. Department of Justice that sought to obtain sensitive medical records of transgender minors receiving care at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). The ruling was hailed as a critical defense of privacy and patient rights. But in Pittsburgh, where families have been battling a nearly identical subpoena targeting UPMC Children’s Hospital, the decision landed with mixed emotions.
In his ruling, federal district Judge Mark A. Kearney criticized the DOJ’s attempt to access CHOP’s records as a “rambling exploration” lacking legal justification. The subpoena demanded identifying information including names, Social Security numbers, clinical notes, and consent forms for minors receiving gender-affirming care since 2020.
The court found that such care is lawful under Pennsylvania law and emphasized that the privacy rights of youth and families “far outweigh” any investigative claim. The decision has been celebrated as a clear rebuke of the Trump-era DOJ’s coordinated campaign targeting clinics across the country that provide gender-affirming care.
However, the legal victory currently applies only to CHOP.
A similar subpoena was issued to UPMC earlier this year, demanding the records of over 700 patients. Unlike CHOP, UPMC has so far refused to challenge the federal demand in court. Instead, the Public Interest Law Center (PILC), representing families and advocates, filed a motion to quash the subpoena themselves. That motion is still awaiting a decision.
The silence from UPMC has drawn harsh criticism from families, physicians, and LGBTQ+ advocates, who accuse the health system of failing to protect its most vulnerable patients.
“This is an institution with enormous power and resources. Their refusal to fight back is not neutrality, it’s complicity,” said a pediatrician who asked to remain anonymous due to fear of retaliation.
Governor Josh Shapiro, who filed an amicus brief in support of CHOP’s motion to quash, has reportedly offered similar support to UPMC, but his outreach has gone unanswered. Last week, parents confirmed that calls from the Governor’s office to UPMC leadership had not been returned.
For families whose children relied on UPMC’s now-discontinued gender-affirming care services, the wait for action is becoming unbearable.
In September, the Public Interest Law Center and the Women’s Law Project each filed legal actions against UPMC, challenging both the subpoena and the hospital’s abrupt termination of care without adequate follow-up or safety planning. Together 4 Trans Youth sent an open letter to UPMC leadership with 11 urgent questions, none of which have been answered publicly.
The contrast between UPMC and peer institutions like CHOP and Boston Children’s Hospital, both of which swiftly challenged the subpoenas, has only deepened distrust in Pittsburgh’s largest healthcare provider.
On Transgender Day of Remembrance, local families, providers, and activists gathered for a candlelight vigil outside UPMC Children’s Hospital to honor lives lost and demand action from those entrusted with the care of trans youth.
