Resolution calling on the New York State Legislature to pass, and the Governor to sign, A.8191/S.7985, establishing a gender-affirming care program in the department of health to ensure the continuity of gender-affirming care services in the state

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Res. No. 547 ..Title Resolution calling on the New York State Legislature to pass, and the Governor to sign, A.8191/S.7985, establishing a gender-affirming care program in the department of health to ensure the continuity of gender-affirming care services in the state ..Body By Council Members Cabán, J. Sanchez, Hudson, Ossé and Wilson Whereas, Gender-affirming care is any kind of medical care that people get to bring their bodies into more comfortable alignment with their sense of gender and is generally understood to be medical care that many transgender and nonbinary people need as part of their gender transition; and Whereas, Gender-affirming care for transgender people is medically necessary health care, as research has consistently found that receipt of gender-affirming care can significantly improve the lives of people who receive it; and Whereas, A recent study from the Trevor Project shows that transgender youth with access to hormone replacement therapy medications, one kind of gender-affirming care, have lower rates of depression and are at a lower risk for suicide; and Whereas, A study by the Stanford University School of Medicine found that positive mental health outcomes were higher for transgender people who accessed hormone replacement therapy medications as teenagers, versus those who accessed it as adults; and Whereas, Conversely, researchers and pollsters have consistently found that LGBTQ+ youth report worsening mental health, and increased anxiety and fear, as a result of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, with effects substantially worse for transgender and non-binary youth; and Whereas, The Trump Administration has taken several actions to limit or restrict individuals’ access to gender-affirming care, including Executive Order 14187, which would prohibit hospitals and clinics that receive federal funding from providing gender-affirming care for those under the age of 19; and Whereas, While some of these actions have been temporarily blocked in court, it is clear that the federal administration intends to significantly curtail access to gender-affirming care across the country; and Whereas, In February 2026, NYU Langone Health discontinued their Transgender Youth Health Program due to the regulatory environment created by the Trump Administration; and Whereas, In light of the decision to discontinue the program, the NYC Commissioner for Human Rights stated that “decisions about health care should be guided by health needs, not political pressure,” and that the loss of the program “puts transgender young people and their families in a vulnerable position”; and Whereas, In New York State, roughly 37,000 youth identify as transgender, the highest percentage of trans youth (3%) in the country, and an estimated 155,000 adults (2% of the pollution) in NYC identify as transgender; and Whereas, According to NYCLU, having access to gender-affirming care has proven to be medically necessary, lifesaving healthcare for many New Yorkers; and Whereas, The New York State legislature introduced A.8191/S.7985 that will establish a gender-affirming care program in the department of health to ensure the continuity of gender-affirming care services in the state; and Whereas, This bill will ensure that providers have the resources available to continue to provide gender-affirming care to those who are currently receiving this care or seeking it; now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls on the New York State Legislature to pass, and the Governor to sign, A.8191/S.7985, establishing a gender-affirming care program in the department of health to ensure the continuity of gender-affirming care services in the state. KS LS 23060 6/17/2026 1:38 PM

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