Statement: NEW Pride Agenda Responds to NYU Langone’s Discontinuation of Transgender Youth Health Program Amid Federal Pressure
Contact:
Max Schulman, max@anatgerstein.com, 347-861-4167
NEW Pride Agenda Responds to NYU Langone’s Discontinuation of Transgender Youth Health Program Amid Federal Pressure
Organization decried hospital’s capitulation to the Trump administration, urged decisive state action to fortify access to gender-affirming care
(February 18, 2026) –– The NEW Pride Agenda, New York State’s leading LGBTQ+ advocacy organization, issued the following statement from Executive Director Kei Williams in response to NYU Langone’s decision to end medical treatment for transgender youth amid federal threats to withhold funding:
“NEW Pride Agenda will continue to serve our community, as we always do. We are watching powerful private institutions capitulate to blatant political coercion instead of protecting the rights of medical professionals and their patients. Let's be clear, politicians do not belong in the doctor's office. This craven, cowardly decision will create a chilling effect for providers offering this evidence-based, life-saving gender-affirming care.
“New York has long held itself up as a safe harbor for transgender and gender nonconforming people. But if a world-class institution in the heart of our state cannot reliably provide this care, then we have to ask: can it be accessible anywhere? From Stonewall Inn—when people across identities came together to demand dignity—to today, we must again unite for our youth, whether immigrant, TGNC, poor, or rich, and ensure this beacon state reflects kindness, dignity, and respect for all who call it home.
“This is exactly why New York must take decisive action to safeguard access to care. We are calling on state leaders to mandate Medicaid coverage of gender-affirming care and ensure that no New Yorker is denied treatment because of politics or pressure from Washington. If the federal government wants to wage a campaign of intimidation, then our state must respond by fortifying access, making it clear that in New York, trans youth will not be abandoned.”
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