CALL TO ACTION: Sign On to the Statewide Letter in Support of UPMC Continuing to Save Trans Lives
UPMC has decided to begin denying gender affirming medical healthcare for new and some existing patients under 19 years old at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh (CHP). This care at UPMC’s only gender clinic has been vital to the many young people whose lives depend on it for over a decade. Statewide coordinated rallies were held on April 3, 2025 to raise critical visibility of mass public rejection of UPMC’s decision in pre-compliance with an illegal Executive Order, and demand they reverse their decision under the current circumstances. Continuing behavioral healthcare alone is not enough to save the lives of trans children and youth. We need to continue building support for transgender youth to UPMC in order to conveinece them to continue this life-saving care. We also must demonstrate support for trans youth so that no other healtchare system follows them, and that trans youth and their families across PA know that they are supported by their public officials, and community and legal organizations.
Public officials and community organizations please sign the letter below by completing the form on this webpage.
This letter was sent to UPMC on April 16, 2025. Updated versions will be sent as more signatories join the letter.
For members of the public, you can write to UPMC directly by clicking here.
Dear CEO Leslie Davis and the UPMC Board of Directors,
We are outraged that UPMC has decided to begin denying full gender affirming medical healthcare for new and some existing patients under 19 years old at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh (CHP) given the current circumstances following President Trump’s Executive Order dated January 28, 2025. This care at UPMC’s only gender clinic has been absolutely vital to the many young people who have depended on it for over a decade. You have saved the lives of countless transgender children and youth. Now you are putting those very lives in imminent danger and undoing years of community goodwill and trust you have tried so hard to rebuild.
By cutting off this care now, UPMC is voluntarily choosing anticipatory compliance without any promulgated regulation or court order. An Executive Order or memo mentioning potential future policies or regulations which then may threaten funding is not a mandate you are forced to adhere to right now. Even though federal courts have granted injunctions against this executive order, by UPMC agreeing to comply with a policy statement intimating illegal actions by our federal government, you are choosing to send a devastating message to the entire trans community that their health and futures are negotiable under political pressure. Continuing to provide comparable medical care to cisgender young people but not transgender youth is discrimination.
We are calling on UPMC to immediately restore access to protect gender affirming healthcare for trans youth and young adults currently being turned away. Gender affirming care for youth is medically necessary, life-saving healthcare, supported by every major medical organization in the United States based on decades of scientific, evidence-based, peer-reviewed research. Evidence shows that without access to these interventions, youth — especially to those just starting puberty — will be harmed. This includes suffering physical changes that are not easily reversible, lifelong trauma in some cases, and when they have no hope of access to care — death. Evidence demonstrates the positive impact of gender affirming medical care, and also that behavioral health alone is not enough to save the lives of trans children and youth.
You are being bullied into refusing care for some of our most vulnerable youth. This is not just about gender affirming care. If UPMC concedes now, we know what’s coming next: attacks on emergency care for immigrants, reproductive care, Medicaid access, and services for disabled people, cancer patients, and others who rely on healthcare institutions for life-saving treatment.
We demand that UPMC:
1) Immediately reinstate full gender affirming care for new and existing patients at CHP in Pittsburgh given the current circumstances
2) Should a court order, law, or regulation specifically mandate UPMC cease direct gender affirming care for young trans people, UPMC must enthusiastically support and fund alternative providers to ensure trans youth receive the medically-necessary healthcare they need to survive
3) Establish an advisory committee for UPMC's administration on gender affirming care, comprised of transgender youth and community leaders, and healthcare professionals, to meet before May 1, 2025
4) Not retaliate against LGBTQ+ communities and continue funding for local LGBTQ+ programs and LGBTQ+ healthcare
UPMC must reject political pressure and fulfill its responsibility to provide healthcare without discrimination. It is a moral atrocity to deny young patients medical treatment that saves lives. This policy position expressed by our federal government is designed as the first step to eliminate trans people from our society. Anticipatory compliance makes you complicit in their efforts. Trans youth and young adults deserve care not cruelty.
Signed,
Mayor Ed Gainey
City of Pittsburgh
R. Daniel Lavelle
Pittsburgh City Council President — District 6
Barb Warwick
Pittsburgh City Councilmember — District 5
Deborah Gross
Pittsburgh City Councilmember — District 7
Erika Strassburger
Pittsburgh City Councilmember — District 8
Khari Mosley
Pittsburgh City Councilmember — District 9
Dan Grzybek
Allegheny County Councilmember — District 5
Bethany Hallam
Allegheny County Councilmember
State Representative Joanna McClinton
Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
House District 191 — Delaware and Philadelphia Counties
State Representative Jessica Benham
Co-Chair, Pennsylvania Legislative LGBTQ Equality Caucus
House District 36 — Allegheny County
State Representative Ismail Smith-Wade-El
Co-Chair, Pennsylvania Legislative LGBTQ Equality Caucus
House District 49 — Lancaster County
State Senator Nikil Saval
Senate District 1 — Philadelphia County
State Senator Sharif Street
Senate District 3 — Philadelphia County
State Senator Art Haywood
Senate District 4 — Montgomery and Philadelphia Counties
State Senator Steven Santarsiero
Senate District 10 — Bucks County
State Senator Judith L. Schwank
Senate District 11 — Berks County
State Senator Maria Collett
Senate District 12 — Montgomery County
State Senator Amanda Cappelletti
Senate District 17 — Montgomery and Delaware Counties
State Senator Carolyn T. Comitta
Senate District 19 — Chester County
State Senator Tim Kearney
Senate District 26 — Delaware County
State Senator Lindsey M. Williams
Senate District 38 — Allegheny County
State Senator Katie Muth
Senate District 44 — Berks, Chester, and Montgomery Counties
State Representative Lindsay Powell
House District 21 — Allegheny County
State Representative Joshua Siegel
House District 22 — Lehigh County
State Representative Dan Frankel
House District 23 — Allegheny County
State Representative La’Tasha D. Mayes
House District 24 — Allegheny County
State Representative Paul Friel
House District 26 — Chester County
State Representative Mandy Steele
House District 33 — Allegheny County
State Representative Abigail Salisbury
House District 34 — Allegheny County
State Representative Dan Miller
House District 42 — Allegheny County
State Representative Steve Malagari
House District 53 — Montgomery County
State Representative Greg Scott
House District 54 — Montgomery County
State Representative Liz Hanbidge
House District 61 — Montgomery County
State Representative Paul Takac
House District 82 — Centre County
State Representative Carol Hill-Evans
House District 95 — York County
State Representative Nikki Rivera
House District 96 — Lancaster County
State Representative Justin Fleming
House District 105 — Dauphin County
State Representative Maureen Madden
House District 115 — Monroe County
State Representative Johanny Cepeda-Freytiz
House District 129 — Berks County
State Representative Jeanne McNeill
House District 133 — Lehigh County
State Representative Peter Schweyer
House District 134 — Lehigh County
State Representative Tina Davis
House District 141 — Bucks County
State Representative Tim Briggs
House District 149 — Montgomery County
State Representative Joe Webster
House District 150 — Montgomery County
State Representative Melissa Cerrato
House District 151 — Montgomery County
State Representative Nancy Guenst
House District 152 — Montgomery County
State Representative Benjamin Sanchez
House District 153 — Montgomery County
State Representative Napoleon Nelson
House District 154 — Montgomery County
State Representative Chris Pielli
House District 156 — Chester County
State Representative Melissa L. Shusterman
House District 157 — Chester County
State Representative Leanne Krueger
House District 161 — Delaware County
State Representative David M. Delloso
House District 162 — Delaware County
State Representative Heather Boyd
House District 163 — Delaware County
State Representative Jennifer O’Mara
House District 165 — Delaware County
State Representative Kristine C. Howard
House District 167 — Chester County
State Representative Lisa Borowski
House District 168 — Delaware County
State Representative MaryLouise Isaacson
House District 175 — Philadelphia County
State Representative Joseph C. Hohenstein
House District 177 — Philadelphia County
State Representative Malcolm Kenyatta
House District 181 — Philadelphia County
State Representative Ben Waxman
House District 182 — Philadelphia County
State Representative Elizabeth Fiedler
House District 184 — Philadelphia County
State Representative Rick C. Krajewski
House District 188 — Philadelphia County
State Representative Tarik Khan
House District 194 — Philadelphia County
State Representative Danilo Burgos
House District 197 — Philadelphia County
State Representative Chris Rabb
House District 200 — Philadelphia County
State Representative Andre D. Carroll
House District 201 — Philadelphia County
Chris Rieger
Dormont Borough Councilmember
Tyler Titus
Erie City Councilmember
Matthew Moon
Gettysburg Borough Council President
Dan C. Miller
Harrisburg City Treasurer
Cathleen Pagano
Lower Gwynedd Township Auditor
Maggie Harper Epstein
Lower Merion Township Commissioner — Ward 11
Lori Schreiber
Montgomery County Clerk of Courts
Noah Marlier
Montgomery County Prothonotary
Wayde M. Weston, PhD
Perkiomen Valley School District Board Member
Kendra Brooks
Philadelphia City Councilmember
Rue Landau
Philadelphia City Councilmember
Nicolas O’Rourke
Philadelphia City Councilmember
Mayor Ezra Nanes
State College Borough
Fred Quinn, III
Swissvale Borough Councilmember
Jess Branas
Upper Darby Township Councilmember
Mayor Dontae Comans
Wilkinsburg Borough
Amanda Barber
Wilkinsburg School District Board President
Ashley Comans
Wilkinsburg School District Board Member
Attic Youth Center
Philadelphia, PA
Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center
Allentown, PA
Centre LGBT+
State College, PA
Clinton County Pride Alliance
Lock Haven, PA
Eastern PA Trans Equity Project
Orefield, PA
Endless Mountains Pride
Towanda, PA
Erie Gay News
Erie, PA
FC Pride in the Park
Aspinwall, PA
Free Mom Hugs — Pennsylvania
Harrisburg, PA
Hugh Lane Wellness Foundation
Pittsburgh, PA
Independence Business Alliance
Philadelphia, PA
LGBT Center of Central Pennsylvania
Harrisburg, PA
LGBT Center of Greater Reading
Reading, PA
LGBT Equality Alliance of Chester County
Phoenixville, PA
Montgomery County LGBT Business Council
Ambler, PA
New Hope Celebrates
New Hope, PA
Pennsylvania Youth Congress
Harrisburg, PA
PFLAG Butler
Bulter, PA
PFLAG Danville / Central Susquehanna Valley
Davnille, PA
PFLAG Greensburg
Greensburg, PA
PFLAG Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, PA
PFLAG Royersford
Royersford, PA
Philadelphia Family Pride
Philadelphia, PA
Pittsburgh Equality Center
Pittsburgh, PA
Planned Parenthood Pennsylvania Advocates
Harrisburg, PA
Pride at Work — Pennsylvania Chapter
Harrisburg, PA
QueerNEPA
Kingston, PA
Rainbow Alliance
Wilkes-Barre, PA
Reading Pride Celebration
Reading, PA
Schuylkill PrideFest
Pottsville, PA
Shenango Valley Pride Alliance
Sharon, PA
Trans Advocacy Pennsylvania
Lancaster, PA
TransCentral PA
Harrisburg, PA
TransPride YOUniting Health & Wellness Conference
Pittsburgh, PA
TransYOUniting
Pittsburgh, PA
Tri-State Gender Collaborative
Pittsburgh, PA
Triversity Pride Center
Milford, PA
UDTJ
Upper Darby, PA
Washington County Gay Straight Alliance, Inc.
Washington, PA
Welcome Project PA
Hatboro, PA
West Branch Pride
Williamsport, PA
William Way LGBT Community Center
Philadelphia, PA