Nearly 80 public officials and 38 organizations have joined in a letter sent to UPMC demanding the healthcare system continue saving the lives of transgender youth. The letter calls for UPMC to resume full basic medical care it had provided for over a decade to young patients who are transgender. Signatories to the letter include House Speaker Joanna McClinton, co-chairs of the LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus Reps. Jessica Benham and Ismail Smith-Wade-El, Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey, and nearly all members of Pittsburgh City Council. This strong letter organized by TransYOUniting and the Pennsylvania Youth Congress supporting gender affirming healthcare reflects not only backing for trans youth in Pittsburgh, but across the entire commonwealth. Nearly a quarter of the Pennsylvania General Assembly is publicly backing transgender youth through this statement.
Following recent public outcry against Corewell Health for taking similar action and a statewide support letter for trans youth healthcare, the largest healthcare system in Michigan reversed its decision.
In response to rallies held on April 3rd in support of trans youth at UPMC locations in Pittsburgh, Erie, Altoona, Lewisburg, and Lancaster, the healthcare system issued a general statement indicating they believe the memos coming from Washington, DC carry the force of law. In their April 3rd statement defending anticipatory pre-compliance, UPMC stated: “We continue to monitor and comply with directives coming from the federal government that affect the ability of our clinicians to provide specific types of care for patients under the age of 19. We continue to offer necessary behavioral health and other support within the bounds of the law. We empathize with the patients and families who are directly affected by these ongoing changes.”
UPMC has not had communication with the community organizers of the April 3rd rallies. Trans youth and their families, legal and civil rights advocates, and public officials are pleading with UPMC to understand that threats in memos from the federal government are not mandates they must comply with. Patients and families know that behavioral healthcare alone is not sufficient to save lives. The letter responds to UPMC’s claims by stating: “Evidence shows that without access to these interventions, youth — especially to those just starting puberty — will be harmed. This includes suffering physical changes that are not easily reversible, lifelong trauma in some cases, and when they have no hope of access to care — death. Evidence demonstrates the positive impact of gender affirming medical care.”
The letter identifies that mere threats from Washington, DC should not be dictating the delivery of proven life-saving healthcare services in Pennsylvania — and particularly that these memos are not seemingly stopping with trans youth healthcare, but the beginning of attacking other healthcare services including “emergency care for immigrants, reproductive care, Medicaid access, and services for disabled people, cancer patients, and others who rely on healthcare institutions for life-saving treatment.”
UPMC is incorrect that the President’s Executive Order on January 28, 2025, or the recent media release on March 5th and letter on April 11th from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), carry the force of law or that these executive statements require UPMC, or any other healthcare provider, to cease providing life-saving healthcare. In fact, a federal district court in PFLAG v. Trump has issued a nationwide injunction prohibiting the federal government from conditioning, withholding, or terminating any federal funding under the Executive Order. Any potential action from the federal government against UPMC would be in violation of this injunction and should be dealt with in a court of law
The letter calls for UPMC to:
- Reinstate gender affirming care for new patients at CHP in Pittsburgh given the current circumstances
- Should a court order, law, or regulation specifically mandate UPMC cease direct gender affirming care for young trans people, UPMC must enthusiastically support and fund alternative providers to ensure trans youth receive the medically-necessary healthcare they need to survive
- Establish an advisory committee for UPMC’s administration on gender affirming care, comprised of transgender youth and community leaders, and healthcare professionals
- Not retaliate against our communities and continue funding for local programs and LGBTQ+ healthcare
Public officials and Pennsylvania organizations engaged in trans inclusion advocacy have been invited to sign on to the letter at PAYouthCongress.org/UPMCletter.
“We are not going anywhere,” said Dena Stanley, Executive Director of TransYOUniting. Adding “Our youth, families, and communities, backed with public officials and major Pennsylvania institutions, are united in this effort to save young trans lives. Until UPMC ends this ‘pause’ on gender affirming medical care, we will continue to issue our demands on their doorstep.”
“We need more than empathy from UPMC — we need them to keep their oath to save lives through healthcare. If Corewell Health in Michigan was able to resume services after learning more about their legal obligations to continue providing healthcare under the current circumstances, so too can UPMC. If Harvard University can find its spine, we know UPMC can as well. We say to UPMC: the attacks on trans youth won’t stop until you draw a line in the sand. Are you drawing that line in defense of your vulnerable patients, or above their early graves?”
