TRANS YOUTH DESERVE HEALTHCARE, NOT BARRIERS

In March of 2023, with the passing of the Elliot-Larsen Civil Rights Act, the state of Michigan became a safe haven for trans youth and their families in search of life-saving gender affirming care. On August 25, 2025, barely two years later, Michigan Medicine — one of the largest healthcare systems in the state — ended crucial gender affirming care for patients under the age of nineteen. This shameful decision was made under pressure from the Trump Administration, following a wave of harmful and discriminatory policies across the country.

Despite being safe, effective, and medically necessary, gender affirming care is under attack across the nation. This year, the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in U.S. v. Skrmetti upheld Tennessee's ban on gender affirming care for minors, opening the door for other states to pass similarly discriminatory laws. In Michigan, however, the legislature has placed no bans on gender affirming care for minors, let alone for legal adults, making Michigan Medicine’s decision both surprising and terrifying. In fact, the Attorney General of Michigan has stated that Michigan Medicine’s decision may be illegal and classified as discriminatory under State law. Michigan Medicine, therefore, has not only chosen to bend to the extralegal authoritarian agenda of the Trump administration, contributing to the attacks on trans youth across the United States, but it has done so in opposition to state law — a decision both oppressive and illegal. This is unacceptable.

We condemn the University of Michigan President, Domenico Grasso, for failing to protect the values which he claims to uphold. In his email to the U-M student body on August 29, 2025, Grasso championed fighting for civil rights on campus, simultaneously asserting that “totalitarian tactics” from any group is unacceptable. Now, Grasso is allowing his university’s healthcare system to bow to the totalitarian Trump administration, and oppress the civil rights of trans youth in Michigan. We will not stand for this hypocrisy.

We also condemn the University of Michigan regents — Jordan Acker, Michael Behm, Mark Bernstein, Paul Brown, Sarah Hubbard, Denise Illitch, Carl Meyers, and Katherine White. It is their job to protect the values of this university and its various departments, which they have repeatedly failed to do. Under authoritarian pressure from Donald Trump, the Regents should have led the University to sue the Trump administration and push back against its transgressions. Instead, the regents refuse to lead, and have spent the last several years undermining their own employees, students, and community’s freedom of speech and assembly as Trump’s attacks continue unabated. State, local, and university officials have a duty to resist the oppression of the Trump administration and be accountable to the democratic will and movement of affected students, workers, and Michiganders. The place of Universities is to fight against oppression, to fight for a better future. The University of Michigan Regents refuse to do this. We will not stand for this cowardice.

We further condemn the Executive Leadership of Michigan Medicine — David Miller, Steven Kunkel, and Marschall Runge. In a mission to “do no harm”, it is fundamentally incompatible to revoke life-saving treatment for some of the most vulnerable patients under their care. It shows a staggering cowardice to quietly shutter critical medical care for transgender patients under 19 years old starting in March of 2025 - far before the abstract threats from the Trump regime materialized. Ethically, this decision is unconscionable. Legally, this decision blatantly contradicts established law. Medically, this decision will kill children and teens. We will not stand by and watch it happen.

As students and workers at the University of Michigan and community members, we demand that Michigan Medicine fulfill their legal and moral obligations to be a lifeline to trans youth and reinstate gender affirming care in all facilities in the University of Michigan Health-Sparrow system.

We stand with trans kids whose rights are under attack by Michigan Medicine, harmful state laws, and national policy.

In solidarity,
Young Democratic Socialists of America - UMich
Huron Valley Democratic Socialists of America
Trans Unity Coalition
The People's Coalition