Diego Vasquez, a trans man, participated in a protest against Kaiser Permanente's decision to delay gender-affirming surgeries for patients under 19 due to potential federal funding cuts. Vasquez has benefited from gender-affirming care since age 22 and expressed regret for not accessing it earlier. The protest comes after similar service closures at other medical institutions. Gender-affirming health care is defined to include psychological and medical support for individuals, with opponents raising concerns about the appropriateness of such care for younger patients. California law protects transgender healthcare access despite federal pressures.
Waving a transgender pride flag, Diego Vasquez stood outside Kaiser Permanente's Los Angeles hospital at a solidarity march for trans youth, shouting trans lives matter. He has received gender-affirming care treatments since age 22 and only regrets not being able to access care earlier. If I had this when I was younger, I might have had a better shot at life, said Vasquez, who is trans. Gender-affirming care gives (youth) the will to live, he added.
Kaiser Permanente's recent announcement that it will halt gender-affirming surgeries for patients under age 19 has drawn strong condemnation, amid threats of federal funding cuts. The pause is effective August 29, following similar closures of transgender care services at Stanford Medicine and Children's Hospital Los Angeles.
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