A federal judge issued a temporary restraining order blocking President Donald J. Trump’s executive order restricting federal funding of sex change surgeries and other gender transition procedures for those under the age of 19. U.S. District Court Judge Brendan A. Hurson issued the order late Thursday afternoon at the request of six transgender youths aged 12 to 18, their parents, and advocacy groups who are suing to repeal Trump’s directive.

The ruling is a temporary measure and does not represent a conclusive judgment on the legal arguments but it is a hindrance for Trump’s administration. This legal obstacle adds to another earlier this month when a federal judge opposed Trump’s directive to restrict gender-transition treatments for federal prisoners and to house transgender women inmates with men in facilities. Judge Hurson was appointed to the District Court by former President Joe Biden.

Residents of Maryland, New York, and Massachusetts, the plaintiffs assert that two specific executive orders from Trump imperil their access to supposedly necessary gender transition treatments, announced following his inauguration last month. One order instructs federal agencies to withhold grant funding for research or education that supports what the Trump administration labels as “gender ideology,” challenging the notion that individuals can identify with a gender different from their sex assigned at birth. The second order demands that agencies bar federal funds for medical practitioners offering puberty blockers, hormone therapies, and surgeries to those under 19 for gender transition purposes.

Following Trump’s directive, several clinics reportedly canceled appointments. The plaintiffs reference a White House news release indicating the order’s success, with announcements from various hospitals cited as evidence of their claims.

Image by Oriel Frankie Ashcroft.

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