25 arrested at protest against proposed ban on gender-affirming care for trans youth
Arrests were made at a protest in Washington DC (Heather Diehl/Getty Images)
More than 50 activists gathered Tuesday (17 February) in Washington, D.C. to protest proposed federal rules that would restrict access to gender-affirming care for transgender minors.
The demonstration, organised by the Gender Liberation Movement with participation from ACT UP NY and ACT UP Pittsburgh, took place outside the Hubert H. Humphrey Building, headquarters of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Protesters blocked the entrance, held signs reading “Hands Off Our ’Mones”, and chanted in support of trans youth.
Twenty-five people were arrested for blocking the entrance to the building and are now in custody of D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department.
The protest coincided with the final day for public comment on the proposed rules, and 106 members of Congress sent a letter the same day opposing them.
The rules, proposed in December 2025 by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., would bar hospitals providing gender-affirming care to minors from participating in Medicare and Medicaid, prohibit federal Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program funds from covering such care, and exclude gender dysphoria from protections under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.
“We want trans youth and their loving families to know that we see them, we cherish them, and we won’t let these attacks go on without a fight,” GLM cofounder Raquel Willis said in a press release.
“We also want all Americans to understand that Trump, RFK, and their HHS won’t stop at trying to block care for trans youth — they’re coming for trans adults, for those who need treatment from insulin to SSRI’s, and all those already failed by a broken health insurance system.”
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