NYC spends $9 MILLION on child sex changes

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has signed a contract totalling $9 million for sex changes for minors under the age of 18. This is in opposition to the Trump administration’s Department of Justice, which has a policy regarding this care as "medically dangerous and illegal." This kind of treatment involves cross-sex hormones, puberty blockers, and could involve body mutilating surgeries.

The Department of Health for New York City has entered into contracts with two vendors, LGBTQ-centric Callen-Lorde and Nonprofit Organization for Philanthropic Initiatives to provide services through 2029, according to the New York Post.

In a public notice, the Dept of Health stated that the services include “the prescription and administration of puberty blockers and hormone replacement therapy to minor patients for whom such services are medically necessary based on the prevailing standards of care," and “services will be performed by qualified medical providers with current New York State licensure, and will be provided consistent with state laws governing parental consent.”

Opponents were critical of this development, saying that Mamdani’s team is circumventing the federal ban on providing sex changes for minors.

State Conservative Party Chairman Gerard Kassar said, “They’re making an ideological decision instead of a medical decision,” and added, “They’re trying to pull a fast one. New York City thinks it is its own national government. It further isolates us from the rest of the country.”

Kassar has stated that he believes the treatment of minors should not be administered without parental consent.

NYU Langone hospital ended their transgender programs for youth earlier this year due to “the current regulatory environment,” facing possible loss of federal funding. Protests followed the cancellation of the services.

Mt Sinai, another large NYC hospital, agreed in Sept to end pediatric trans services after investigation by the Department of Justice into potential violations of federal law. In addition to agreeing to end the provision of puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones, Mt Sinai will pay $2 million for services providing care to those suffering the consequences of sex change treatment that they received as minors.

Currently, 27 states have passed laws against gender-related services for children, according to the KFF health policy research group. Some cases have active lawsuits.

Meanwhile, the medical community has differing opinions on whether these services should be provided for children. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons recommendation is "that surgeons delay gender-related breast/chest, genital, and facial surgery until a patient is at least 19 years old."

The American Medical Association, however, is opposed to laws “that criminalize, prohibit or otherwise impede the provision of evidence-based gender-affirming care, including laws and policies that penalize parents and guardians who support minors seeking and/or receiving gender-affirming care.”