Families sue Southern California hospital system for withholding care from transgender youth

"The class action complaint, unsealed Thursday morning in San Diego County Superior Court, accuses Rady Children's Health of discriminating against transgender patients when it moved in January to stop providing care to people under 19. That decision put roughly 1,900 young patients at risk of losing treatment."

"Our lawsuit alleges that Rady's decision to terminate care for transgender patients is discrimination ... because Rady is basically deciding to stop care based on who those patients are. Under California law, that's discrimination based on sex and gender identity, which is prohibited."

"The plaintiffs, four minors identified only by initials, represent what their attorneys describe as a broader class of families now navigating canceled appointments, uncertain access, and the possibility of traveling hundreds of miles for care that had, until weeks ago, been routine."

A class action lawsuit filed in San Diego County Superior Court challenges Rady Children's Health's January 2025 decision to stop providing gender-affirming care to patients under 19. The suit, representing four transgender minors and their families, alleges the hospital's abrupt policy change constitutes unlawful discrimination based on sex and gender identity under California law. The decision disrupted care for roughly 1,900 young patients, forcing families to navigate canceled appointments and seek treatment elsewhere, potentially traveling hundreds of miles. Attorneys argue the hospital's action was driven by Trump administration pressure and violated patients' rights to equal medical treatment.

Read at Advocate.com