California hospital will continue youth gender-affirming care after families protesthttps://www.advocate.com/sutter-health-gender-affirming-care 🔗Ryan Adamczeski (17 Dec 2025)
When Sutter Health told its patients in late November that it would no longer be providing gender-affirming care services for those 19 and under, their families began organizing.
The largest hospital system in Northern California didn't announce the policy change publicly, but quietly informed those receiving the care — right around Transgender Day of Remembrance — that the treatment would stop as of December 10. While it put a damper on their Thanksgiving holidays, the families of the affected transgender youth weren't going to take it lying down.
Rainbow Families Action, a collective of families in the Bay Area who have trans children, put out a call to its members and local organizations to join them for a rally outside a Sutter facility on December 8. Less than a week later, Sutter Health has reportedly reversed its decision, and rescheduled the appointments that were canceled.
"Something amazing happened last week," RFA wrote in a post on Instagram. "We and our partners organized and rallied when we heard Sutter Health was going to be shutting down GAC for minors on December 10. After weeks of email campaigns, media campaigns, letters, and a rally, Sutter Health did the right thing and reversed their decision. Our families still have care!"
