Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi mentioned on Thursday that transgender healthcare for children is an issue she tackles “at a national level.”
Earlier that day, Pelosi visited the San Francisco VA Medical Center to discuss necessary health system upgrades, research projects, and to communicate concerns about the potential cuts to essential services for veterans by House Republicans.
During an interaction with reporters, she was asked about her office’s response to California’s suspension of “gender-affirming care.”
“It’s something I work at a national level, and I really hope we can provide gender-affirming care for trans kids,” she said. “It’s just sad… I’m not quite sure how we can influence what’s happening in the White House and Congress across the country.”
She described the sight of a trans pride flag, with its five stripes in light blue, pink, and white, displayed outside her office as quite disheartening.
Pelosi noted that several of her colleagues also display the trans pride flag.
She acknowledged that many Republicans in Congress stand against medical transitions for transgender youth.
However, she’s not alone in her views on this topic.
Earlier this month, over a dozen officials from a Democratic-led state filed a lawsuit aimed at protecting access to sex reassignment procedures for individuals under 19.
The lawsuit, submitted in U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, claims that the Trump administration is attempting to implement a nationwide ban on gender-affirming procedures by threatening providers with serious legal action.
Defendants in the case include President Donald Trump, Attorney General Pam Bondy, and the Justice Department.
This lawsuit challenges Trump’s executive order regarding support for gender transitions and treatment, along with two memos authored by Bondi and Attorney General Brett Schmate.
Pelosi’s office stated that when discussing support for child gender transitions, they referred to this lawsuit.
Bondi’s memo instructs the Department of Justice (DOJ) to pursue investigations and prosecutions of those who provide gender transition treatments to minors.
Meanwhile, Shumate’s memo directs prosecutors to prioritize cases against doctors, hospitals, and pharmaceutical companies involved in such procedures.
In July, Kaiser Permanente announced it would halt sex reassignment surgeries for patients under 19 starting August 29, in response to the Trump administration’s initiatives.
That same month, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles closed its Trans Youth Health and Development Center, a prominent clinic for transgender youth in the nation.
The Children’s National Hospital in Washington, DC also stated it would stop providing gender-transition-related medical services.
A number of states have enacted laws that either restrict or entirely prohibit sex reassignment surgeries for minors.
States embroiled in lawsuits, including California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Washington, DC, and Wisconsin, permit such procedures.
