Lawsuit Filed Against Trump Administration Over Transgender Healthcare Funding Ban

A coalition comprising seven families, LGBTQ+ advocates, and healthcare organizations has taken legal action against President Donald Trump, contesting his executive order that halts federal funding for transgender healthcare services for individuals below the age of nineteen. The lawsuit, lodged in a federal court in Baltimore, demands an immediate injunction to prevent the executive order enacted last week from taking effect.

According to the lawsuit, numerous hospitals in the United States have suddenly ceased to provide medical care for transgender individuals under the age of nineteen, leading to the cancellation of appointments and denying treatment to patients who have waited years for necessary care related to gender dysphoria. The legal complaint attributes this abrupt cessation of care to Trump's executive order issued on January 28, 2025, which directed federal agencies to ensure that institutions receiving federal research or education grants discontinue gender-affirming medical services for minors.

This "Denial of Care Order" follows another executive mandate from Trump dated January 20, 2025, aimed at curbing what he terms “gender ideology extremism” and reinforcing biologically based definitions of male and female within the federal government. The plaintiffs contend that these executive orders are both unlawful and unconstitutional, asserting that the Constitution reserves the power of federal funding to Congress, not the President, who cannot unilaterally dictate the terms of appropriated funds.

The legal action reveals the tangible consequences of Trump's orders, indicating that hospitals, including those that had been providing essential medical care to transgender plaintiffs, have halted treatment for those under nineteen years of age as a direct outcome. This lawsuit represents the latest challenge to Trump’s executive orders, which have also reinstated the ban on transgender individuals serving in the military and mandated federal agencies to recognize solely two genders in their conduct.

Legal experts and activists, like Jennifer Levi from GLAD Law, have criticized the ban, arguing it undermines core American principles of equality and opportunity. In addition to this lawsuit, various legal challenges have emerged against Trump's policies, including one involving an active-duty service member and another concerning a transgender inmate who faces the termination of necessary medical treatments under federal jurisdiction, illustrating the widespread implications of these executive orders on transgender rights and healthcare access.