Tish James sues Trump to allow child sex changes in New York

New York State Attorney General Letitia James is suing the Trump administration over the federal ban on medical sex changes for minors. "We're suing the Trump administration for attacking access to gender-affirming health care," James said.

"They're threatening providers with baseless criminal charges and targeting youth already facing barriers. We won't stop fighting for the safety and rights of the transgender community," she went on.

Her post said that "The Trump administration is running a shadow campaign attacking access to gender-affirming care." The notion that medical sex changes, like the administration of puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones or even invasive surgery, are "gender affirming" is prevalent among leftist politicians and activists.

James and New York are joined by 15 other states who claim that the prohibition on medical sex changes for those under the age of 19 is "unlawful" and that the services, which often include double mastectomies or orchiectomies, are "medically necessary."

"The attorneys general are asking the court to halt this unconstitutional pressure campaign and ensure transgender youth can continue to access legally protected health care without fear," reads a press release on the suit.

"The federal government is running a cruel and targeted harassment campaign against providers who offer lawful, lifesaving care to children," said James. "This administration is ruthlessly targeting young people who already face immense barriers just to be seen and heard, and are putting countless lives at risk in the process. In New York and nationwide, we will never stop fighting for the dignity, safety, and basic rights of the transgender community."

James argues that "medical experts overwhelmingly agree that gender-affirming care is safe, necessary, and in many cases, lifesaving care. Every major medical association in the United States, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association, and the American Psychiatric Association, recognizes gender-affirming care as the appropriate treatment for gender dysphoria. Denying access to such care has been shown to significantly increase rates of depression, anxiety, and suicidality in transgender youth."

She laments that "Some providers are even scaling back or eliminating services entirely. In New York, several major health systems reportedly canceled young patients’ gender-affirming care appointments abruptly in the wake of the president’s executive orders, leaving families without care or guidance. Denying access to that care, the attorneys general warn, will cost lives."

The Supreme Court, however, has already disagreed, and the evidence presented before that court shows that the advocacy undertaken by those major medical associations is not evidence-based. In their recent term, the Court ruled that the state of Tennessee can ban sex changes for minors.