President Trump’s executive order banning federal funds for youth gender transitions forces Children’s Hospital Los Angeles to shutter its transgender youth center, marking a significant victory for child protection advocates nationwide.
Key Takeaways
- Children’s Hospital Los Angeles will close its Center for Transyouth Health and Development on July 22, 2025, citing “significant external pressures” from Trump administration policies.
- The hospital relies on federal funding for nearly two-thirds of its operations and cannot financially sustain the center without it.
- A high-profile lawsuit against the center’s leadership alleges a minor was rushed into irreversible transgender procedures without proper evaluation.
- Studies show over 80% of children with gender dysphoria naturally outgrow it by late adolescence when not subjected to medical interventions.
- The closure signals a broader shift in national policy protecting minors from experimental gender procedures under the Trump administration.
Trump Administration Policy Forces Major Gender Clinic Closure
Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) has announced the closure of its controversial Center for Transyouth Health and Development, effective July 22, 2025. The decision comes as a direct response to President Trump’s executive order prohibiting federal funding for gender transition procedures on minors under 19 years old. Hospital administrators acknowledged the significant financial impact of the order, as CHLA depends on federal funding for nearly two-thirds of its operations and could only function for approximately 50 days without this critical federal support.
In an email to staff, hospital executives stated, “In the end, this painful and difficult decision was driven by the need to safeguard CHLA’s ability to operate amid significant external pressures beyond our control.” The center, one of the few facilities in the United States that provided gender-affirming care including puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgical referrals for transgender youth using public insurance, has been embroiled in controversy for its practices involving minors.
Here is the complete copy of the email that Children's Hospital Los Angeles leadership sent out explaining why thy were shutting down their pediatric gender clinic:
Dear CHLA Team Members,
We are writing to share an important and profoundly difficult update. CHLA has determined… https://t.co/NMzFCIQbVY— Benjamin Ryan (@benryanwriter) June 13, 2025
Legal Challenges and Patient Harm Allegations
The closure announcement comes amid mounting legal challenges against the center and its medical director, Dr. Johanna Olson-Kennedy. A high-profile lawsuit has been filed by a former patient who alleges she was rushed into irreversible transgender medical procedures as a minor without proper psychological evaluation. This lawsuit highlights the growing concerns about informed consent and the potential long-term harm of administering experimental gender treatments to children and adolescents who may not fully comprehend the permanent consequences.
“Despite this deeply held commitment to supporting LA’s gender-diverse community, the hospital has been left with no viable path forward except to close the Center for Transyouth Health and Development, effective July 22, 2025,” stated Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.
Medical evidence increasingly challenges the “gender-affirming” approach to treating youth gender dysphoria. Studies indicate that over 80% of children experiencing gender dysphoria will naturally reconcile with their biological sex by late adolescence if not subjected to medical interventions. The growing community of “detransitioners” – individuals who underwent gender transitions and later regretted their decisions – provides compelling testimony to the harms these procedures can cause when performed on developing minors.
Financial Motivations Exposed
The closure also brings renewed attention to the financial incentives behind gender transition procedures for minors. In a revealing 2022 exposé, a physician at Vanderbilt University Medical Center was recorded admitting, “these surgeries make a lot of money.” This candid admission from Dr. Shayne Sebold Taylor reveals the concerning profit motivation that may drive medical institutions to promote these controversial procedures regardless of patient outcomes. Source
The hospital briefly attempted to resist Trump’s executive order by pausing hormone therapy and then reversing course after activist pressure. California Attorney General Rob Bonta insisted that “California law has not changed, and hospitals and clinics have a legal obligation to provide equal access to healthcare services.” However, with federal funding at stake, the hospital ultimately prioritized its overall operations over continuing the controversial transgender treatments for minors.
Victory for Child Protection Advocates
The closure represents a significant victory for child protection advocates who have argued that performing irreversible medical procedures on minors constitutes a form of medical experimentation on vulnerable youth. President Trump’s executive order effectively prevents federal tax dollars from funding treatments that many medical experts worldwide now view as experimental and potentially harmful to children’s long-term physical and mental health. The hospital has indicated it will “explore reassigning impacted employees to other roles within the hospital based on needs and available funding.”
This closure signals the beginning of a broader national shift prioritizing child protection over ideological medical practices. For conservative Americans concerned about the welfare of children, the shutdown of one of the nation’s largest gender clinics for minors represents a crucial step toward ensuring that vulnerable young people receive psychological support rather than irreversible medical interventions during their formative years.
