Elliot Page slams Trump administration for paying hospitals to end trans youth care

Warning: This article contains discussion of discrimination against the trans community which some readers may find distressing.

Elliot Page has hit out at US President Donald Trump’s administration over its crackdown on gender-affirming care for transgender young people, accusing hospitals of caving to political pressure.

Last month (23 September), the Umbrella Academy actor, 39, joined trans people and allies at a protest outside NYU Langone Health in New York City following the hospital system’s decision to stop providing gender-affirming care to minors.

A few weeks after, Page appeared in a video made with the Gender Liberation Movement, filmed at the demonstration and shared on Instagram last week (1 October).

Speaking about the wider impact of Trump’s healthcare policies, Page said: "He’s already gutted Medicaid and 7.5 million people are projected to lose coverage.

"While these cuts have hit so many, trans youth and their families have been at the centre of them."

His remarks come after the Trump administration stepped up its efforts to restrict gender-affirming care for under-18s.

Earlier this year in January, the 80-year-old Republican signed an executive order directing federal agencies to target providers offering the treatment, while the Justice Department subsequently launched investigations into hospitals and healthcare providers.

Several major New York hospital systems have since faced pressure over their provision of care.

Mount Sinai reached an agreement with the Justice Department earlier in September that saw it agree to stop providing puberty blockers, hormones and surgical procedures to minors.

The hospital also agreed to pay a monetary penalty and dedicate $2 million to free medical care for people who had previously received gender-affirming treatment.

Page specifically criticised this particular deal.

"Despite state-wide protections and expressed support for this care from officials like New York Attorney General Tish James and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, these institutions caved to threats from Trump’s Department of Justice," he said.

"Mount Sinai even agreed to establish a detransition fund — the often coercive ending of gender transition, which uses the same logic as conversion therapy."

Page also warned about the consequences for young people and their families.

"Kids’ lives are on the line," he said as protesters chanted behind him.

"Gender-affirming care gives trans youth a sense of belonging, of wholeness, of their inherent value. And these hospitals know it."

He called out hospital administrators of ending care because of 'bigoted politics', while maintaining that doctors still understood the medical evidence supporting gender-affirming treatment.

Page also rejected the Trump administration’s claims about protecting children.

"The Trump administration claims to care about child safety, but their reasoning is based on lies," he said.

"Gender-affirming care for youth is necessary, backed by science, and supported by every major credible medical association."

He added: "One day, many will look back on all of this and say, ‘We should have known better.’ But we do know better, right now, that denying this care hurts children and leads to increased depression and worse."

Page concluded by backing protesters’ demands for hospitals to restore care.

"We demand these hospitals restart care, meet with families, and apologise for abandoning them," he said.

"Don’t stand on the sidelines. Join the movement. Speak out. Donate."

Tyla has reached out to the White House for comment.

If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact the LGBT Foundation on 0345 3 30 30 30, 10am–6pm Monday to Friday, or email [email protected]