COLORADO — The Colorado Supreme Court ruled Monday that Children’s Hospital Colorado must resume providing gender-affirming care to transgender minors, rejecting federal pressure that had led the hospital to suspend the treatments earlier this year, according to a press release from the ABA Journal.
The press release states that U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., declared in December 2025 that the department could exclude institutions from federal health care programs if they provide gender-affirming care to minors.
The risk of losing Medicaid and privately insured patients prompted administrators at Children’s Hospital Colorado to announce Jan. 5 that patients younger than 19 would no longer receive gender-affirming care such as puberty blockers and hormone therapy.
Four transgender minors and their parents subsequently sued Children’s Hospital under the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act, arguing that puberty blockers and hormone therapy remained available to cisgender patients while transgender youth were excluded, according to the ABA Journal.
The Colorado Supreme Court ruled 5-2 in favor of the plaintiffs. Colorado Justice William W. Hood III wrote that denying patients care because of their gender identity violates the state’s anti-discrimination law.
The court ordered Children’s Hospital Colorado to resume offering gender-affirming care to transgender youth despite pressure from the federal government to suspend services.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services previously published research finding that gender-affirming care is associated with lower rates of adverse mental health outcomes, increased self-esteem and improved overall quality of life for transgender and gender-diverse youth.
According to HHS, gender-affirming care is a supportive form of health care that includes medical, mental health and social services designed to treat individuals holistically and align physical traits with gender identity.
Early access to this care is considered crucial for children and adolescents because it allows them to focus on social development and increases confidence while navigating health care systems.
HHS research also highlights that transgender and gender-diverse youth face higher risks of mental health issues, substance use and suicide compared to their cisgender peers.
Studies cited by the agency found that more than half of LGBTQ+ youth have seriously considered attempting suicide, underscoring the importance of access to supportive and affirming care.
However, despite research showing beneficial outcomes associated with gender-affirming care, the current Trump administration has continued challenging access to such care for youth.
The HHS federal webpage discussing gender-affirming care was previously taken down, and a court order later required the department to restore the page to its exact version as of Jan. 29, 2025, according to a disclaimer posted on the site. The disclaimer also states that the information may be modified or removed in the future depending on court orders and applicable law.
The disclaimer further states that the current administration disagrees with the information presented, calling it “extremely inaccurate and disconnected from truth,” and rejecting what it describes as “gender ideology” because of the harms and divisiveness it claims it causes. The disclaimer also states that the page does not reflect reality and that both the administration and the department formally reject the content.
According to the UCLA School of Law, more than 300,000 youth between the ages of 13 and 17 identify as transgender, and more than one-third live in states that have banned gender-affirming care for minors.
Protecting the rights of transgender youth remains a significant issue as medical research continues to show improvements in mental health and overall well-being among transgender and nonbinary youth who receive supportive care.
Follow the Vanguard on Social Media – X, Instagram and Facebook. Subscribe the Vanguard News letters. To make a tax-deductible donation, please visit davisvanguard.org/donate or give directly through ActBlue. Your support will ensure that the vital work of the Vanguard continues.
