Families of transgender children have reported that UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh (CHP) has stopped providing gender-affirming medications, leaving them without guidance or access to critical healthcare. This development follows an executive order signed by President Donald Trump on January 28, which halted federal funding for gender-affirming medical care for individuals under 19. The order, which also aimed to restrict puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and other gender-affirming care for minors, has been temporarily blocked nationwide by a Maryland judge as of March 4, after legal challenges from trans individuals and families.
According to The Pitt News, families in Pittsburgh are facing unexpected denials of care at CHP, despite previously receiving treatments without issue. One such case is that of 16-year-old Marco Linnabary, a trans boy from Delmont, who has been on Depo-Provera—a birth control injection that stops menstrual cycles—as part of his gender-affirming care. Marco’s mother, Christie Linnabary, told The Pitt News that after weeks of trying to contact CHP through their online portal, they have received no response about Marco’s next steps.
“It’s dangerous,” Christie to The Pitt News about the denials. “Medical care is for everybody. It’s not just for the people you agree with … Health care is health care no matter what it is.”
Families across the region are scrambling to find alternative care. The Pitt News spoke to a parent of a 13-year-old trans girl who was recently denied puberty blockers at CHP, despite showing early signs of puberty. The parent described feeling “absolutely horrible” and said they have started searching for care out of state in places like Vermont, New York, and Michigan—where access to gender-affirming care remains legal.
CHP’s website has also changed in recent weeks. The hospital’s Gender and Sexual Development Program, which provided gender-affirming care to over 2,000 patients in 2021, has disappeared from the website. The archived page, accessible as recently as January 30, now redirects to CHP’s Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine page.
The impact of these changes is alarming. Studies have consistently shown that access to gender-affirming care improves the mental health of transgender youth. Research from The Trevor Project found that in 2021, 54% of trans and nonbinary youth in Pennsylvania had considered suicide, with 19% making an attempt. Greater access to gender-affirming healthcare is linked to lower rates of depression and suicidality among trans youth.
Local advocates and members of the trans community are calling attention to the harm this disruption in care is causing. Alexandra Weiner, a trans woman and former Pitt professor, told The Pitt News that she is in contact with multiple families who are now struggling to access medication. She emphasized the stakes for trans youth who are approaching puberty without the option of blockers, saying, “Parents are just as aware that this is the beginning of a very dangerous path, and people are worried for their kid’s safety.”
UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh has not responded to multiple calls requesting comment.
With thousands of trans youth in Pennsylvania now at risk of losing healthcare, families and advocates are pushing back. Some parents, like the Christie Linnabary, have said they now see no choice but to speak out and fight for their children’s right to care. “This is only the beginning of the next four years unless we continue to advocate,” she told The Pitt News.
As the legal battle over Trump’s executive order continues, the future of gender-affirming healthcare in Pittsburgh remains uncertain. For many trans youth, access to medication is a matter of survival.
