Updated at 9:57 a.m. on 2/12/25.
Less than a day after calling on the health system to change its decision, the LGBTQ+ advocacy group Equality Michigan is expressing gratitude for Corewell Health’s decision to resume providing gender affirming services for new patients.
We believe that this is a science-, equality-, and family-centered decision. Families and young people who had appointments canceled suffered terrible and preventable anguish and confusion. Although yesterday was the ideal time to make the proper choice, today was the second best time. In a statement released on Wednesday, Equality Michigan Executive Director Erin Knott said, “We are grateful to the Corewell leadership team for putting things right.”
According to a Detroit Free Press report, Corewell Health was the first healthcare system in Michigan to start restricting gender affirming care for patients. The system said it would not start any new hormone therapy regimens for minor patients and does not perform gender affirming surgery on minors. It did not prevent those undergoing hormone therapy from carrying on with their therapies.
In an open letter released Tuesday, Equality Michigan and forty other organizations urged Corewell Health’s board of directors and senior leadership to change their decision to restrict gender affirming services in response to an executive order intended to stop such therapy for minors.
As part of a series of executive orders targeting transgender people, President Donald Trump signed an executive order on January 28 pledging to stop federal funding from healthcare facilities offering gender-affirming care to patients under the age of 19.
The ACLU, Lambda Legal, and the ACLU of Maryland have all appealed the decision; PFLAG National and GLMA have also joined the fight. Thursday is the date of the case’s hearing.
Parity Together with a group of civil rights and health care organizations, such as the Michigan League for Public Policy, the NAACP Michigan State Conference, the Michigan Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, the ACLU of Michigan, and the HIV/AIDS Alliance of Michigan, Michigan cited recent guidance from Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel that stated that it may be illegal to deny healthcare services to a class of people based on their perceived status. For example, denying transgender people access to services because of their gender identity or gender dysphoria diagnosis while providing such services to cisgender people could be considered discrimination under Michigan law.
“The best way to protect the health and wellbeing of transgender people is to ensure that they can continue to access essential, age-appropriate medical care from licensed clinicians practicing according to the well-established standards of care,” Knott said in a statement released along with the letter.
Knott further underlined that institutions should refrain from following Trump’s executive orders because prohibiting gender affirming care puts transgender people at higher risk for negative outcomes like despair, self-harm, and suicide thoughts or actions.
According to a University of Washington School of Public Health study, transgender people aged 13 to 20 who had access to gender-affirming hormone therapy and puberty blockers had a 73% lower risk of self-harm or suicidal thoughts over a 12-month period and a 60% lower likelihood of moderate to severe depression than youth who did not.
Equality Michigan and its partners stressed in the open letter that the judicial system has not yet examined Trump’s executive actions.
In addition to evaluating the ethical principle of do no harm in the context of maintaining essential therapy for the young people in your care, it advised Corewell’s executive leadership and board of directors to reevaluate the decision to stop taking new patients for gender affirming care.
The letter states that it is not hyperbole to suggest that if transgender health care can be denied nationwide without due process, without legislation, and without judicial scrutiny, we may witness similarly fabricated attacks on women’s and girls’ bodily autonomy, access to life-saving HIV treatments, or any other issue at the nexus of health care and individual rights in the future.
As of the time of publication, Michigan Advance has not received a response from Corewell Health about its request for comment.
In response to Corewell Health’s decision to restrict gender affirming care, Ferndale Pride, the largest free LGBTQAI+ festival in Michigan and a signatory to the letter, stated it will no longer be sponsoring the event, according to the Detroit Free Press.
Equality Michigan said in a statement on Wednesday that while it is uncertain what will happen to the two groups’ relationship, it welcomes and supports any attempt by Corewell Health to regain their position as a longtime festival supporter.
Information regarding Corewell Health’s decision to reverse their original course of action was added to this story.
GET THE HEADLINES FOR THE MORNING.
Eliot Pierce is a dedicated writer for ChiefsFocus.com, covering local crime and finance news. With a keen eye for detail and a passion for storytelling, Eliot aims to provide his readers with clear and insightful analysis, helping them navigate the complexities of their financial lives while staying informed about important local events. His commitment to delivering accurate and engaging content makes him a valuable resource for the community.