Charlotte LGBTQ groups condemn Atrium ending gender-affirming meds for youthsLink to Full ArticleThe Charlotte Observer - Chase Jordan
Updated August 13, 2025 12:49 PM
Atrium Health recently stopped providing gender-affirming medication for people 18 and younger, a move that transgender rights and other LGBTQ organizations around the Charlotte region immediately decried.
They claimed that the Charlotte area's largest health care provider buckled under political pressure.
Four LGBTQ rights groups issued a blistering statement on Facebook late last week condemning the move. The statement was on the page for Time Out Youth, a Charlotte nonprofit providing resources for LGBTQ+ people ages 13 to 24. The group was joined by Charlotte Trans Health, the Gender Education Network, and PFLAG Charlotte.
The groups said Atrium and its parent company, Advocate Health, are making a decision "based on fear of retaliation by hostile federal agencies or funding cuts."
Atrium Health had not previously provided surgical gender transition procedures for minors under age 18, the company told the Observer.
"Gender-affirming care is medical care," the advocacy groups stated. "It is endorsed by every major medical and behavioral health association. It saves lives." Gender-affirming care is a supportive form of health care, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. That may include medical, surgical and mental health services as well as non-medical services for transgender and nonbinary people.--------------------
Another one chasing the Almighty Federal Funding Dollar instead of "caring for all patients".
