Michigan State Rep. Carrie Rheingans is pledging to help connect minors with gender-transition services following the University of Michigan’s decision to stop offering sex-change procedures for children. The university halted its gender-affirming care program for minors amid pressure from the Trump administration and concerns about losing federal Medicare and Medicaid funding.
In a video posted to social media, Rheingans wore a “Protect Trans Kids” hoodie and addressed transgender youth in Michigan directly. “I want you to know that the care you might want for gender-affirming care is legal in Michigan, and it’s still continuing in a wide variety of places,” she said. She blamed the University of Michigan’s decision on fear of financial losses, not legal requirements, noting that the hospital is “choosing to stop providing this care because they’re scared of losing millions and millions of dollars.”
Rheingans went further, offering to help minors find new providers. “Reach out to our office. We’ll be able to connect you to what might still be available in our community,” she said, adding that support services for parents are also becoming available. “We love you, we are really supportive of you as kids, and we want to make sure that you can grow up and thrive here in Michigan,” she concluded.
The university’s move follows a broader national shift. Many hospitals across the U.S. have shut down pediatric gender clinics after the Trump administration reaffirmed its opposition to so-called gender-affirming treatments for minors. The administration has threatened to cut off federal funding for facilities that provide puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, or sex-change surgeries to individuals under 19.
Medical experts aligned with the Trump administration have raised concerns about the long-term effects of such treatments. Puberty blockers can stunt growth, cross-sex hormones may impair fertility and sexual function, and surgeries are often irreversible. Detransitioners—individuals who later regret and reverse their transition—have become a growing part of the debate.
