Gender-affirming care for transgender youth is at risk in LA and nationwide
Imperfect Paradise
LAist Studios
4.5 • 535 Ratings
🗓️ 28 November 2025
⏱️ 35 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Nearly 3,000 patients have been forced to find gender-affirming care elsewhere after the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles closed their LA Center for Trans Youth Health and Development in July. The closure comes amid threats of cuts to federal funding for providers of gender affirming-care and other attempts to restrict LGBTQ rights nationwide. LAist producer Kevin Tidmarsh joins us to talk about what’s next for transgender healthcare in this political moment and how families with trans kids will find care and support now.
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Transcript
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| 0:41.8 | You're listening to Imperfect Paradise. |
| 0:45.1 | I'm Nereida Moreno, filling in for host Antonia Serejido. |
| 0:51.5 | This summer, Children's Hospital, Los Angeles, closed its Los Angeles Center for Trans Youth Health and Development. |
| 0:58.0 | The closure comes amid threats of cuts to federal funding for providers of gender-affirming care for minors and others, |
| 1:02.7 | alongside other attempts to restrict LGBTQ rights nationwide. |
| 1:21.3 | In the lead-up to the closure, current and former patients, LGBTQ community members, and the California Attorney General's office all called for the hospital to stand up to the Trump administration and keep the center open. |
| 1:24.1 | But still, the center was shut down. |
| 1:30.7 | Advocates are concerned that what happened in L.A. is just the beginning of rollbacks to transgender rights across the U.S. In fact, 27 states have already restricted gender-affirming |
| 1:36.8 | care for youth. The Trump administration has argued these restrictions are meant to protect |
| 1:41.4 | children from, quote, chemical and surgical mutilation, |
| 1:44.7 | but its policies are being legally challenged. And medical organizations argue the restrictions |
| 1:49.9 | and bans can be harmful and increase the risk of suicide and self-harm for trans youth. |
| 1:56.4 | Meanwhile, the clinics nearly 3,000 patients have been forced to find gender-affirming health care elsewhere. |
| 2:02.7 | So what's next for trans health care in this political moment? |
| 2:05.9 | And how will the lives of families with trans kids change? |
| 2:11.2 | L.A.'s producer, Kevin Tidmarsh, has been reporting on this story, and he joins us now. |
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