{"id":149198,"date":"2026-01-25T18:59:11","date_gmt":"2026-01-25T18:59:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/149198\/"},"modified":"2026-01-25T18:59:11","modified_gmt":"2026-01-25T18:59:11","slug":"lgbtq-groups-lobby-oc-childrens-hospital-not-to-end-gender-affirming-care-orange-county-register","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/149198\/","title":{"rendered":"LGBTQ groups lobby OC children\u2019s hospital not to end gender-affirming care \u2013 Orange County Register"},"content":{"rendered":"

Members of several Orange County LGBTQ<\/a> organizations called on hospital executives of Orange County\u2019s children\u2019s hospital to put \u201cpatients before politics\u201d during a demonstration Saturday, Jan. 24, over the ending of gender-affirming care for the young patients.<\/p>\n

\"Cass<\/p>\n

Cass Malcor holds the Progress Pride flag during the \u201cPatients Before Politics\u201d protest at Children\u2019s Hospital of Orange County in Orange on Saturday, January 24, 2026. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Shermaine<\/p>\n

Shermaine Newman, left, and Cherie Rabideau, record themselves while demonstrating in front of Children\u2019s Hospital of Orange County on Saturday, January 24, 2026. They were at the \u201cPatients Before Politics\u201d protest in Orange. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"With<\/p>\n

With his transgender rights cape, Keene Horton, 16, takes part in the \u201cPatients Before\u00a0Politics\u201d demonstration\u00a0at Children\u2019s Hospital of Orange County on\u00a0Saturday, January 24, 2026. He was with his mother, Haley Horton, who said they were standing\u00a0up for trans children\u00a0they know and also for the cuts to health care.\u00a0(Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Several<\/p>\n

Several dozen people take part in the \u201cPatients Before Politics\u201d protest in front of Children\u2019s Hospital of Orange County in Orange on Saturday, January 24, 2026. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Security<\/p>\n

Security guards atop the Children\u2019s Hospital of Orange County building in Orange, keep an eye on protesters during the \u201cPatients Before Politics\u201d gathering on Saturday, January 24, 2026. Demonstrators were speaking out against the hospital\u2019s termination of gender-affirming care after pressure from theTrump administration. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"An<\/p>\n

An angry motorist reacts to a group of protesters in front of Children\u2019s Hospital of Orange County during the \u201cPatients Before Politics\u201d demonstration in Orange on Saturday, January 24, 2026. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A motorist passing \u201cPatients Before Politics\u201d demonstrators shows her support as she holds a Gay Pride flag in Orange on Saturday, January 24, 2026. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Security<\/p>\n

Security guards atop the Children\u2019s Hospital of Orange County building in Orange, keep an eye on protesters during the \u201cPatients Before Politics\u201d gathering on Saturday, January 24, 2026. Demonstrators were speaking out against the hospital\u2019s termination of gender-affirming care after pressure from theTrump administration. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Cass<\/p>\n

Cass Malcor, left, carries the Progress Pride flag during the \u201cPatients Before Politics\u201d protest at Children\u2019s Hospital of Orange County iin Orange on Saturday, January 24, 2026. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

Show Caption<\/p>\n

1 of 9<\/p>\n

Cass Malcor holds the Progress Pride flag during the \u201cPatients Before Politics\u201d protest at Children\u2019s Hospital of Orange County in Orange on Saturday, January 24, 2026. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

Expand<\/a><\/p>\n

Organizers from Orange County Gender Affirming Professionals Net and Pride at the Pier said the rally, attended by roughly 40 people, was a direct response to what they describe as a \u201ccoordinated pressure campaign\u201d by the Trump administration. One that has prompted Rady Children\u2019s Health in Orange County, formerly Children\u2019s Hospital of Orange County,<\/a> to stop gender-affirming care.<\/p>\n

President Donald Trump\u2019s administration has proposed cutting federal funding to more than 4,500 hospitals<\/a> that continue providing gender-related medical care to transgender youth, as part of a broader shift in Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services policy. The Department of Justice also announced in June it had issued more than 20 subpoenas to doctors and clinics<\/a> involved in performing gender-affirming care for children, as part of investigations that include healthcare fraud and false statements.<\/p>\n

Calling it a difficult decision, the administrators of the children\u2019s hospital said they are ending the services to protect the ability to care for \u201cchildren and families across the communities we serve.\u202f\u201c<\/p>\n

\u201cThe environment around gender-affirming care has changed dramatically, with escalating federal actions. As part of this escalation, we were recently referred to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General for investigation,\u201d Rady Children\u2019s said in a statement.\u202f\u201cTaken together, these developments affect our role and responsibilities as a provider\u202fparticipating\u202fin federal programs such as Medicaid and Medicare, which are essential to caring for\u202fall\u202fchildren and families in our communities.<\/p>\n

For these reasons, we\u202fwill no longer be\u202fproviding gender-affirming medical interventions,\u202fprocedures\u202fand prescriptions.\u201d<\/p>\n

The decision continues a trend of families having fewer options, OCGAPNet organizer Brit Cervantes said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s really nowhere else for patients to go. The closure of CHOC\u2019s program is not the first \u2014 it\u2019s the next in a long line of children\u2019s hospitals that have stopped providing care,\u201d Cervantes said. \u201cWith this program closing and choosing not to provide care to trans kids, there\u2019s really not a place that patients or families can go.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a result, many people are having to travel out of the country or out of state, and some people, because they\u2019re afraid for their lives, are also leaving the country entirely,\u201d Cervantes added.<\/p>\n

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. argues minors are too young for gender-affirming care <\/a>and supports restricting the use of puberty blockers, hormone therapy and surgical interventions for transgender children. His office issued a declaration in December calling the treatments unsafe and ineffective.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been coming here for five years. They can still see you, but they can\u2019t prescribe the medication that\u2019s needed, so what\u2019s the point?\u201d said two parents who said their daughter is a patient at Rady Children\u2019s.<\/p>\n

The parents, who work in health care, asked to remain anonymous out of safety concerns. They seemed at a loss for how to move forward.<\/p>\n

California has joined 18 other states and the District of Columbia in a lawsuit<\/a> over the Health and Human Services Department declaration, arguing it runs counter to medical standards. Major medical groups and those who treat transgender young people have sharply criticized the administration\u2019s efforts.<\/p>\n

Rady Children\u2019s is not alone in deciding to retrench gender-affirming care in the face of heavy federal pressure. Media reports indicate that Children\u2019s Hospital Los Angeles pulled back in mid-2025. Children\u2019s National Hospital in Washington, D.C., announced a similar action in July 2025 with Children\u2019s Hospital Colorado reported to have suspended its program in early January.<\/p>\n

The hospital will continue to provide services such as counseling, mental health resources, and care coordination, officials said, and is connecting families to resources.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur care teams are\u202fcommunicating with\u202faffected patients and families to discuss\u202fnext\u202fsteps,\u201d the hospital\u2019s statement said.\u202f\u201cWe respect the dignity of all patients, including LGBTQ+ patients and transgender youth, and remain committed to providing compassionate, respectful care.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rady Children\u2019s Hospital in San Diego and CHOC merged last year. The hospital chain is pulling back on care is San Diego as well.<\/a><\/p>\n

Staff Writer Paul Sisson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Members of several Orange County LGBTQ organizations called on hospital executives of Orange County\u2019s children\u2019s hospital to put…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":149199,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[163,165,164,7,36652,179,1570,2434,23,100,611,136],"class_list":["post-149198","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-anaheim","tag-anaheim","tag-anaheim-headlines","tag-anaheim-news","tag-california","tag-choc","tag-community","tag-health","tag-lgbtq","tag-local-news","tag-news","tag-orange-county","tag-top-stories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149198","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=149198"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149198\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/149199"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=149198"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=149198"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=149198"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}