NYC families get reprieve in fight over trans youths' medical records

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Transgender New Yorkers and their families say they have some breathing room in their fight to keep their private medical information out of the Trump administration’s hands, but advocates warn the broader battle over their healthcare is far from over.

A federal appeals court this week left in place an order blocking the Department of Justice from obtaining identifying and sensitive health information about young people who received gender-affirming care at New York City hospitals while the government appeals the ruling.

The decision drew praise from local elected officials and LGBTQ+ advocates, who said the immediate protection of patients’ privacy does not resolve broader concerns about access to gender-affirming care in New York.

The dispute stems from federal grand jury subpoenas seeking records from New York City hospitals, including NYU Langone and Mount Sinai, about patients who received treatment for gender dysphoria while they were minors.

The hospitals had said that identifying information would be redacted if records ultimately had to be turned over. But Lambda Legal, the American Civil Liberties Union and the New York Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit in June on behalf of several transgender New Yorkers seeking to prevent the disclosure of their identifying and sensitive health information.

“Every family should be able to make healthcare decisions without fear of political interference or exposure,” said Omar Gonzalez-Pagan, senior counsel and healthcare strategist at Lambda Legal. “While this fight is far from over, we are grateful for today’s decision and will continue fighting for the rights and privacy of transgender people and their families.”

City and state officials also applauded the court’s decision.

Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office called the decision “a win for patients” and said New York would continue to defend patients’ privacy against the federal government.

“Donald Trump thinks he can bully our community but he’s wrong,” state Sen. Erik Bottcher told Gothamist on Thursday. “Trans New Yorkers have rights and we’ll fight like hell to defend them.”

Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal said transgender New Yorkers and their families “can breathe a sigh of relief.”

“The Second Circuit got it right: New Yorkers’ private medical records are exactly that — private,” Hoylman-Sigal said. “They should never become political fodder for MAGA lawyers seeking to intimidate young people and interfere with deeply personal health care decisions.”

The Mamdani administration also welcomed the ruling. It filed an amicus brief in June supporting transgender New Yorkers challenging the subpoenas.

“Today’s ruling brings relief to families across New York City. But this fight is far from over,” said Taylor Brown, who heads the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQIA+ Affairs. “We will continue to stand up to the federal government’s campaign to dehumanize transgender people and use every tool at our disposal to protect the rights of transgender New Yorkers.”

LGBTQ+ advocacy groups also celebrated the court decision but cautioned that the city and state should do more to protect access to gender-affirming care.

“This ruling is a welcome rebuke of the relentless campaign of judicial harassment against trans patients, their families and providers,” said Kei Williams, who heads the NEW Pride Agenda, which advocates for LGBTQ+ rights statewide. “But this fight is far from over, and New York’s leaders must meet this moment by protecting access to affordable, life-saving gender-affirming care for every person who needs it.”

Williams pointed to a public commitment from Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration to funnel $15 million into initiatives providing gender-affirming care for young people. The funds would also be used to create a hotline that New Yorkers can use to get real-time information about available resources.

“The court protects privacy but privacy alone does not guarantee access,” Williams continued. “New York needs to move from a kind of offensive posture into building a more durable infrastructure for transgender healthcare.”

The Department of Justice did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

This story has been updated with comment from Gov. Kathy Hochul's office.

Giulia Heyward is a breaking news reporter on the Day-Of desk. She previously worked at NPR, as a breaking news reporter, and the New York Times, as a reporting fellow on the national desk. Her work has also appeared in CNN, The Atlantic and Politico. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or more securely on signal at 917-715-1458.

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