Attorney Generals Defend Gender-Affirming Care for Children

Attorney generals of 15 states including Colorado signed a joint press release condemning Trump’s executive order against gender affirming care for children. The 15 attorney generals are from California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin.

On February 5, the coalition made up of these 15 attorney generals released their statement saying, “Gender-affirming care is essential, life-saving medical treatment that supports individuals in living as their authentic selves. The Trump Administration’s recent Executive Order is wrong on the science and the law.” Trump’s executive order, titled Protecting Children From Chemical and Surgical Mutilation, claims that, “medical professionals are maiming and sterilizing a growing number of impressionable children” and threatens to take funding from hospitals that provide gender-affirming care for people under the age of 19.

The attorney generals’ letter also mentions that getting the federal courts to resume funding after the Trump administration ordered a freeze was a critical win, and they “will not hesitate to take further legal action” should his administration try to stop the funding again.

During a time when so many companies and corporations are falling in line with Trump’s unconstitutional and fascist orders, it is encouraging to see people going to bat for our communities. The nonstop barrage of attacks against marginalized groups since the beginning of the current administration has been exhausting and distressing. And it is meant to be. The executive orders that have been signed in large numbers are not yet laws, and they are meant to scare and intimidate people into submission for fear of retaliation. But we can continue to educate ourselves, contribute to our communities, and fight back. These attorney generals show us that we are not alone in our resistance. The nationwide protests show us that we are resilient, and we are many. Our friends and allies show us that it is good to care about others, and it is  good to fight for them.