On All Things Considered on Tuesday, NPR was able to take some time out of their busy schedule crying about cuts to their government funding to worry about cuts to another program just as undeserving of taxpayer dollars: “gender-affirming” mutilation of minors. Affiliated reporter Megan Jamerson of KCRW in Santa Monica reported on the spreading fear as Children’s Hospital Los Angeles announced it would be cutting its services for minors.
Jamerson reported:
In January, President Trump signed an executive order that threatens to cut funding for hospitals that help young people medically transition. Children's Hospital Los Angeles received significant federal funding and Medi-Cal reimbursements. They (...) said in a statement they were uniquely vulnerable to having that funding pulled and saw, quote, "no viable path forward to continue gender-affirming care."
NPR highlighted the story of Sage Sol Pitchenik, a patient-turned-activist speaking out against the closing. Pitchenik argued that the care provided was “lifesaving” and allowed her to “thrive in my own body.” Jamerson seconded the opinion, trying to discredit criticisms of transgender ideology:
Gender-affirming care for minors often starts with psychotherapy, sometimes progresses to puberty blockers or hormones and rarely involves surgery. Major medical associations support this standard of care for gender dysphoria. But the Trump administration disagrees and says it needs to protect children from what they say are irreversible and harmful services.
Of course, Jamerson’s analysis raised some obvious concerns. “Rarely involves surgery” completely disregarded the fact that, just as the Trump administration said, some minority of children were still receiving irreversible, harmful services.
And on a deeper level, there should be concern when the widely accepted treatment to a disorder (though WHO refused to call it such) is to affirm that the patient is in the right. Gender-affirming psychotherapy was exactly that: gender-affirming. It didn’t treat, it only validated.
NPR also featured an interview with the mother of another patient, who continued to support the fearmongering narrative:
What this administration is trying to do is to erase trans people. That disturbs me very much and worries me, not just for my daughter's future but really for everyone's future.
"Erasing trans people" is an absurd jump from blocking transgender mutilating surgeries for specifically minors, but for some, it would always be easier (and more politically correct) to call this an attack against trans people rather than a real attempt to help them.
The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read.
NPR's All Things Considered
July 22, 2025
ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:A clinic for trans youth at Children's Hospital in Los Angeles is one of the oldest and largest providers of gender-affirming care for minors in the country, but that ends today under pressure from the Trump administration. Now some families are struggling to find new doctors. From member station KCRW, Megan Jamerson reports.
MEGAN JAMERSON: Sage Sol Pitchenik was scrolling through Substack when they saw the news - the clinic where, for several years, the 16-year-old received gender-affirming care, was shutting down.
SAGE SOL PITCHENIK: And I was, like, oh, my God. And it was insane. I started crying.
JAMERSON: In January, President Trump signed an executive order that threatens to cut funding for hospitals that help young people medically transition. Children's Hospital Los Angeles received significant federal funding and Medi-Cal reimbursements. They wouldn't give an interview but said in a statement they were uniquely vulnerable to having that funding pulled and saw, quote, "no viable path forward to continue gender-affirming care." Pitchenik, who identifies as trans and nonbinary, says the psychotherapy they received at Children's helped them deal with self-hatred.
SAGE: You know, next generation of trans youth aren't going to be able to have the resource that we did.
JAMERSON: This motivated them to speak publicly about the closure.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: You got this, Sage.
(CHEERING)
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: Take your time.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #3: You got this, Sage. Whoo (ph).
JAMERSON: So Pitchenik attended a protest at the hospital on June 26.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
SAGE: My name is Sage.
JAMERSON: They stood on a bench in front of a crowd, holding a speech in one hand and a bullhorn in the other, and demanded the hospital change its decision.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
SAGE: I found hope. I learned how to not only survive but also thrive in my own body because of the lifesaving health care provided to me right here through Children's Hospital Los Angeles.
JAMERSON: Gender-affirming care for minors often starts with psychotherapy, sometimes progresses to puberty blockers or hormones and rarely involves surgery. Major medical associations support this standard of care for gender dysphoria. But the Trump administration disagrees and says it needs to protect children from what they say are irreversible and harmful services. The White House did not respond to NPR's request for comment, but here's White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt talking about the Children's Hospital closure at a recent briefing.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
KAROLINE LEAVITT: In other news, following President Trump's bold executive actions, the largest provider of these barbaric practices will now be closing its doors.
JAMERSON: NPR contacted a dozen doctors that provide gender-affirming care at the center that's closing, as well as elsewhere in Los Angeles. Only one responded and declined to comment.
Kathie Moehlig runs the San Diego-based nonprofit TransFamily Support Services and says she thinks that's because some doctors are scared they could get prosecuted, which is creating a bigger problem in California.
KATHIE MOEHLIG: We've never had enough providers when it comes to trans youth care.
JAMERSON: Moehlig has been calling doctors, looking for alternative care for about 100 of the families affected by the Children's Hospital closure. Some private practice doctors told her they're planning to stop offering care to minors altogether.
MOEHLIG: And so in particular are families that have minors really struggling with, what does this mean for my child's future?
JAMERSON: Parents of young adults are also closely watching this situation. Laura Collura is the mom of a 19-year-old who is a patient at Children's.
LAURA COLLURA: What this administration is trying to do is to erase trans people. That disturbs me very much and worries me, not just for my daughter's future but really for everyone's future.
JAMERSON: Collura's daughter had her gender-affirming surgery canceled because of the closure. They're still looking for a new surgeon.
For NPR News, I'm Megan Jamerson in Los Angeles.
