Across the country, a wave of politically motivated misinformation is fueling efforts to roll back basic rights and dignity for LGBTQ+ youth. In this climate, healthcare providers have a special responsibility to rise above politics and provide every patient—regardless of their identity—access to lifesaving care.
The Department of Justice has started sending subpoenas to hospitals with pediatric gender programs. Word travels fast in the world of healthcare and these subpoenas have leadership nationwide on edge. As one example, Children’s Hospital of LA announced last week that care would cease on July 22.
Please take a moment to write to leadership at your provider. It is important for all of us—those who rely on this lifesaving care themselves and parents/caregivers who know the benefits for their children—to remind leadership to stand up for their patients.
Contact information for various providers for youth and adults:
Anchor Health
Patricia Chadwick
Chief Executive Officer
pchadwick@anchorhealth.org
Joseph Canarie, MD, AAHIVS
Chief Medical Officer
Joseph.Canarie@yale.edu
Middlesex Health
Vincent G. Capece, Jr.
President & CEO
vin.capece@midhosp.org
Cliff M. O’Callahan, MD, PhD
Chair, Department of Pediatrics
cocallahan@midhosp.org
Yale New Haven Health
Margaret McGovern, MD, PhD
CEO, Yale Medicine
margaret.mcgovern@yale.edu
Clifford Bogue, MD
Chair, Department of Pediatrics
clifford.bogue@yale.edu
CCMC (youth only)
Jim Shmerling, MBA, PhD
President and CEO
JShmerling@ConnecticutChildrens.org
Lori Pelletier, PhD, MBA
Chief Quality and Patient Safety Officer
LPelletier@ConnecticutChildrens.org
Hartford Healthcare (adults only)
Jeffrey A. Flaks
President and CEO
Jeffrey.Flaks@hhchealth.org
Naveed Hussein, MD
Chief of Pediatrics
Naveed.Hussein@hhchealth.org
Sample letter from a parent or caregiver
[Your Name]
[Your Address]
[City, State, ZIP]
[Email Address]
[Date]
[Contact Name]
[Title]
[Hospital Name]
Via email
Dear [Contact Name],
I’m writing to you as someone whose child’s life has been directly impacted by your hospital’s/clinic’s commitment to compassionate, evidence-based healthcare. Gender-affirming care has made all the difference for my child—and for our family.
When my child first came out, we were scared. Not of who they were, but of how the world would treat them. We knew the statistics: the bullying, the mental health risks, the alarming rates of self-harm among transgender youth who are unsupported. What we didn’t know yet was how powerful it would be to have a healthcare provider who saw our child clearly and treated them with dignity.
Gender-affirming care isn’t some radical concept—it’s life-saving care grounded in decades of research and the guidance of every major medical association. It’s therapy, support, and the gradual, thoughtful process of aligning identity with well-being. It’s not rushed, and it’s never careless. It is, above all, humane.
Because of access to affirming care, my child is thriving. They smile more. They sleep better. They are connected to their friends, their schoolwork, and their future. We still face challenges—we always will—but we face them together, and with hope. That hope is sustained, in no small part, by healthcare leaders like you.
In today’s climate, it takes courage for institutions to stand firm in their values. There are loud voices trying to politicize our children’s health. But I urge you to remember the quieter truth: behind every policy, every clinic, every provider, there are families like mine who are simply trying to help their kids grow up healthy, whole, and loved.
Please continue to protect and expand access to gender-affirming care. Please don’t turn your back on the youth who depend on it—and on you. Lives depend on your leadership.
Thank you for your time, your service, and your commitment to care that sees and affirms the humanity in every patient.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
Proud Parent of a Transgender Teen
Sample letter from a teen
[Your Name]
[Your Address]
[City, State, ZIP]
[Email Address]
[Date]
[Contact Name]
[Title]
[Hospital Name]
Via email
Dear [Contact Name],
My name is [First Name], and I’m a transgender teenager living here in Connecticut. I’m writing to you not as a politician or a protestor, but as a patient. Someone who just wants to live their life, go to school, have friends, and maybe someday help make the world a little better.
But the truth is, being trans in this country right now is terrifying. It feels like every day someone is trying to take away our rights, our healthcare, or even just our ability to exist safely. That’s why I’m writing to ask you, personally, to keep protecting gender-affirming care at your hospital—for kids like me.
Getting gender-affirming care changed everything for me. Before, I felt stuck—like I was constantly hiding or apologizing just for being myself. But after getting the support and care I needed, I finally started feeling like me. I could breathe again. I could look in the mirror and not hate what I saw. I started laughing more. I started dreaming again.
This care didn’t happen overnight. It wasn’t rushed. I talked to doctors, therapists, and my family. It was careful and thoughtful, just like any other kind of healthcare. The only difference is that it saved me not just physically, but emotionally.
I know there are people trying to make gender-affirming care seem scary or dangerous. But the truth is, what’s really dangerous is taking it away. Trans kids who can’t access care are more likely to struggle with depression, anxiety, and suicide. We’re not a talking point—we’re real people with real lives. And we need adults in power to stand up for us.
Please don’t back down. Please don’t let politics decide whether kids like me get to be safe, healthy, and whole. You have the chance to make a difference in so many lives—just by continuing to do what’s right.
Thank you for reading this. Thank you for listening. And thank you, I hope, for standing with us.
Sincerely,
[Your First Name], Age [Your Age]
Sample letter from an adult patient
[Your Name]
[Your Address]
[City, State, ZIP]
[Email Address]
[Date]
[Contact Name]
[Title]
[Hospital Name]
Via email
Dear [Contact Name],
My name is [Your Name], and I am a transgender adult writing to share my deep gratitude for—and concern about—the future of gender-affirming care in our state. I’m not a headline or a statistic. I’m a person who depends on affirming, competent healthcare to survive, and to truly live.
I can tell you firsthand that gender-affirming care is not radical, experimental, or extreme. It is medically sound, rooted in decades of clinical experience and research, and supported by every major medical association in this country. And for many of us, it is life-saving.
When I finally had access to affirming care, I began to heal—not just physically, but emotionally. I stopped living in fear of my own reflection. My anxiety lessened. My ability to engage with the world, build healthy relationships, and show up fully in my life changed dramatically. I became more connected to myself, my community, and my future. This wasn’t the result of a political decision—it was the result of ethical, patient-centered medicine.
In a time when gender-affirming care is being politicized and misrepresented, I ask you to do what healthcare leaders should always do: protect patients. Protect the people who walk through your doors needing compassion, not judgment. Don’t let misinformation or fear-mongering dictate the quality of care you provide.
I urge you to continue offering and expanding access to gender-affirming care. To stand up, as a hospital and as a leader, for the rights and dignity of transgender people. We are your patients, your employees, your neighbors. And we are counting on you to make sure that the standard of care is based on science, empathy, and equity—not politics.
Thank you for your time, your leadership, and your commitment to treating every patient with the dignity they deserve.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]