{"id":928460,"date":"2025-02-10T14:36:40","date_gmt":"2025-02-10T19:36:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/glaad.org\/?p=928460"},"modified":"2025-02-10T18:05:14","modified_gmt":"2025-02-10T23:05:14","slug":"thousands-rise-up-for-trans-youth-in-new-york-city-leading-national-conversation-on-denial-of-healthcare-across-major-hospital-systems","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/glaad.org\/thousands-rise-up-for-trans-youth-in-new-york-city-leading-national-conversation-on-denial-of-healthcare-across-major-hospital-systems\/","title":{"rendered":"Thousands \u201cRise Up for Trans Youth\u201d in New York City, Leading National Conversation on Denial of Healthcare Across Major Hospital Systems"},"content":{"rendered":"

This weekend, thousands of people rallied for transgender (or trans), nonbinary, Two-Spirit, and gender nonconforming youth faced with appointment cancellations, and lags in prescription refills by leading New York City caregivers like NYU Langone<\/a>, Mt. Sinai<\/a> and New York Presbyterian<\/a>, according to parents and families impacted.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The cancellations and medication refill lags are in direct correlation with the new administration\u2019s executive orders attacking transgender youth and teens.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Many parents, youth, educators, and NYC activists who organized the protest flooded outside 14 St.-Union Square subway stop. Some of them were allies, and some were parents with transgender children ready to speak about their experiences in New York\u2019s healthcare system.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThese kids have had care at NYU, which until now, has been excellent,\u201d Kristin Clifford told the crowd of thousands. Clifford has two trans children. \u201cFor six years I have had great doctors, great psychiatrists, great therapists, great people who really cared about my kids until now, until last week, when they put our prescriptions off for almost a week.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Kristin Clifford speaks to crowd about her and her families experiences with leading healthcare facilities in NYC; photo by Lana Leonard<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Upon learning of the Trump Administration\u2019s new executive order banning trans healthcare for teenagers under 19-years-old<\/a>, New York Attorney General Letitia James <\/span>wrote a letter<\/span><\/a> informing\u00a0 healthcare providers that they\u2019re subject to breaking New York\u2019s anti-discrimination laws when they refuse care to transgender youth.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Clifford told the audience of protesters that James\u2019s letter provoked her pharmacist to fill her child\u2019s prescription. However, they were only given a week\u2019s worth instead of a month\u2019s.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOur pharmacist, who, again, until now, has been very caring about my family, said, \u2018What if the DEA comes and asks me questions?\u2019\u201d the mother recalled.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSince when is a local Queens pharmacist scared of the Federal Drug Enforcement Agency coming?\u201d Clifford asked hypothetically.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The rally was named \u201cRise Up for Trans Youth,\u201d and organized by activists from Trans formative Schools (an education initiative that centers transness), ACT UP NY (an international, grassroots political group working to end the AIDS pandemic), and Gender Liberation Movement (a liberation organization that organizes for gender justice).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Additionally, many people showed up with signs shedding light on the integrated struggles of Black lives, refugees, immigrants, inclusive faith communities, and Palestinians among transgender communities.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Activist holds a sign that reads “Protect Black and Brown LGBTQ+ Asylum Seekers”; photo by Lana Leonard<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The rally unfurled in the heart of District 2 of New York Public Schools, one of the largest and wealthiest school districts in Manhattan. Organizers of the \u201cRise Up for Trans Youth\u201d rally have been protesting District 2\u2019s discriminatory policies barring transgender youth from sports (called Resolution #245) for one year straight.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Related: <\/i>Parents of LGBTQ Youth Defended Trans Students in a Tense NYC Education Council Meeting \u2014 Here\u2019s Why That Matters\u2026<\/i><\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Now, organizers like Chase Strangio brought that protest to the streets.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey are not going to stop attacking us because they fear our freedom. Don’t forget that. But that also means that we have the power to build the transformative world that makes all of them irrelevant, and that makes all of us, the people in history, who we are going to look back on and remember that we dream something bigger than they could ever imagine,\u201d Strangio told the crowd Saturday afternoon.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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