Maryland will still protect access to gender-affirming care after Trump executive order, attorney general says
BALTIMORE -- Maryland will continue protecting access to gender-affirming care despite the Trump administration's recent executive order stating that the United States would not support certain healthcare procedures.
In a letter from 15 attorneys general, including Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown, the states reaffirmed their intentions.
President Trump's executive order
On January 28, President Trump issued an executive order, titled Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation, which restricted federal support for certain medical procedures for minors.
"It is the policy of the United States that it will not fund, sponsor, promote, assist, or support the so-called 'transition' of a child from one sex to another, and it will rigorously enforce all laws that prohibit or limit these destructive and life-altering procedures," the order reads. It also instructs the Department of Justice to "prioritize enforcement of protections against female genital mutilation."
According to Maryland's attorney general, the Trump administration's order falsely implies that gender-affirming healthcare procedures and treatments are unlawful.
"The Trump Administration's recent Executive Order is wrong on the science and the law. Despite what the Trump Administration has suggested, there is no connection between 'female genital mutilation' and gender-affirming care, and no federal law makes gender-affirming care unlawful. President Trump cannot change that by Executive Order," Brown wrote in a statement.
Gender-affirming care in Maryland
In Maryland, there are no defined age limits for gender-affirming care, though parental consent is required for minors.
In March 2024, the Maryland Senate passed a measure that added gender-affirming treatments, including medications, and supplies, to the definition of "legally protected health care."
The bill outlines a list of protected gender-affirming procedures, including hormone therapy, hormone and puberty blocks, and hair alterations.
On Jan. 1, 2024, Maryland's Trans Health Equity Act went into effect, which expanded gender-affirming treatments covered by the state's Medicaid program.
On Tuesday, a group of transgender minors and their families sued the Trump administration over his executive action on gender-affirming care. The lawsuit was filed in federal district court in Maryland on behalf of two 12-year-olds who identify as transgender, five transgender teenagers who were diagnosed with gender dysphoria, and LGBTQ advocacy groups PFLAG National and GLMA: Health Professionals Advancing LGBTQ+. It accuses Mr. Trump and his administration of discrimination based on sex and transgender status.
