Youth-led trans rights activists in Massachusetts staged a protest at the office of state attorney general Andrea Campbell on Wednesday, taking their hormone replacement therapy medications in the building’s lobby and occupying the space to demand government action. The demonstration was organized by Protect Trans Futures, a group seeking commitments to defend civil rights protections for transgender youth. Organizers called for Campbell to order hospitals that have ended gender-affirming care programs to reinstate services or face investigation and potential litigation.
Massachusetts maintains legal protections for gender-affirming care across all ages, positioning it among the safest states for transgender individuals in the nation. However, multiple hospitals and healthcare systems in the state have voluntarily discontinued youth gender-affirming care programs in recent months. At least four Massachusetts medical institutions have eliminated such services or canceled related appointments, citing federal pressure. Advocates attribute these closures to federal actions initiated after the current presidential administration took office, including an executive order threatening to cut federal funding for hospitals providing gender-affirming care to transgender youth.
The state’s legal landscape stands in contrast to 27 states where youth gender-affirming care is restricted or banned, with some states imposing criminal penalties on providers. Supporters of such care note that major medical organizations have endorsed its use, citing research showing it reduces suicide and mental health risks among transgender youth. Campbell’s office has expressed support for transgender youth and warned hospitals that ending care programs may violate state discrimination laws. However, the attorney general has declined to pursue litigation against hospitals that discontinued services, distinguishing her approach from legal actions taken by counterparts in other Democratic-led states.
Nine protesters, including a 21-year-old organizer, were arrested by state troopers after the occupation. Campbell’s office stated it was not involved in the arrest decision. Following the protest, the attorney general’s office sent a statement to organizers arguing that legal actions taken in other states would not translate effectively to the Massachusetts context.
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