Mount Sinai confirms it would, if required, provide records of trans youth to Trump administration
Mount Sinai, if required, plans to provide the Trump administration with “de-identified information” about minors who received gender-affirming care at the hospital, a spokesperson told Gay City News on June 5. The hospital’s statement to Gay City News came hours after Gothamist reported that two parents of trans youth who received gender-affirming care at Mount … Read More
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Mount Sinai, if required, plans to provide the Trump administration with "de-identified information" about minors who received gender-affirming care at the hospital, a spokesperson told Gay City News on June 5.
The hospital's statement to Gay City News came hours after Gothamist reported that two parents of trans youth who received gender-affirming care at Mount Sinai — including those who no longer receive care there — said the hospital system called them on June 4 to inform them that their children's health records would be turned over to the Trump administration.
"We are committed to safeguarding our patients' privacy," Mount Sinai spokesperson Lucia L. Lee told Gay City News on June 5. "Unfortunately, we have been subpoenaed by the federal government to share some of our patients' records. The New York State Shield law requires that we notify patients when we receive a subpoena like this in the event that the records are ultimately produced. If we are ultimately required to produce records, our current plan is to provide only de-identified information, with all patient-identifying details removed. Because this is an active legal matter, we are unable to comment further at this time."
In early 2025, Mount Sinai and some other private hospitals in New York City and elsewhere started to pull back on gender-affirming care for youth in response to an executive orders from the Trump administration, which has worked aggressively to curtal gender-affirming care — especially for youth. Last month, a different private hospital, NYU Langone, announced that it was one of several hospitals that received a grand jury subpoena from the US Attorney's Office in the Northern District of Texas seeking information regarding patients under 18 or received gender-affirming care at NYU between 2020 and 2026.
[caption id="attachment_55260" align="aligncenter" width="700"]
NYU Langone in February of 2025 after the hospital first started pulling back on gender-affirming care for youth in the aftermath of an executive order from President Trump.Matt Tracy[/caption]
Members of the City Council's LGBTQIA+ Caucus issued a lengthy joint statement on June 5 to express support for trans youth and stress that the medical information of trans youth should remain private.
"Reports that Mount Sinai may share transgender children’s medical records with the Trump administration is deeply alarming and clearly represents another escalation in a coordinated federal campaign to intimidate transgender youth, their families, and the healthcare providers who care for them," the lawmakers said in a written statement. "Let us be clear: transgender children are not political targets. Their private medical information should be exactly that — private. It should never be treated as evidence in a politically driven investigation, and hospitals entrusted with their care have a crucial responsibility to protect their dignity, privacy, and safety."
The LGBTQIA+ Caucus members further blasted the Trump administration, saying the latest attacks on gender-affirming care are "not about public safety" or "protecting children," but rather about "weaponizing the full force of the federal government to intimidate families out of seeking healthcare that is legal, protected, and life-saving."
"New York has made clear that gender-affirming care is legal, protected, and supported," they said. "Our hospitals, institutions, and public officials must meet this moment with courage, not compliance rooted in fear."
Criticism also came from out gay Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal, who previously served in the State Senate, where he successfully carried legislation to enact the state's "Shield Law 2.0" policy to build on the protections in the 2023 Trans Safe Haven Act.
"Mt. Sinai's refusal to disclose the circumstances under which it plans to share the private medical records of trans children with Trump's DOJ is deeply concerning and potentially in violation of NY's Trans Shield Law, which I wrote," Hoylman-Sigal wrote on X. "Under our law, parents must be provided with adequate notice to assess whether their children's rights are being fully protected. Mt. Sinai must immediately provide more context and confirm that it has provided the NYS Attorney General with any request it has received from the Trump DOJ. The Trump Administration's intentional targeting of NY's trans community during Pride Month is particularly despicable. I spoke to a parent who received a call from Mt. Sinai about her trans child's medical records. She told me, 'In NY, we protect our children. We don't feed them to the beast, especially for political convenience.' I couldn't agree more."
When Gay City News asked Mayor Zohran Mamdani for comment, the Mayor's Office provided a statement from Taylor Brown, the director of the Mayor's Office of LGBTQIA+ Affairs.
"Patients' private medical records are legally protected and should never be weaponized for political ends," Brown told Gay City News. "Our administration will continue to explore and use every tool available to protect transgender New Yorkers' rights, including rights to medical privacy, and safeguard access to gender-affirming care."
The Trump administration did not respond to requests for comment. New York Attorney General Letitia James declined to comment.
NYU Langone in February of 2025 after the hospital first started pulling back on gender-affirming care for youth in the aftermath of an executive order from President Trump.Matt Tracy[/caption]
Members of the City Council's LGBTQIA+ Caucus issued a lengthy joint statement on June 5 to express support for trans youth and stress that the medical information of trans youth should remain private.
"Reports that Mount Sinai may share transgender children’s medical records with the Trump administration is deeply alarming and clearly represents another escalation in a coordinated federal campaign to intimidate transgender youth, their families, and the healthcare providers who care for them," the lawmakers said in a written statement. "Let us be clear: transgender children are not political targets. Their private medical information should be exactly that — private. It should never be treated as evidence in a politically driven investigation, and hospitals entrusted with their care have a crucial responsibility to protect their dignity, privacy, and safety."
The LGBTQIA+ Caucus members further blasted the Trump administration, saying the latest attacks on gender-affirming care are "not about public safety" or "protecting children," but rather about "weaponizing the full force of the federal government to intimidate families out of seeking healthcare that is legal, protected, and life-saving."
"New York has made clear that gender-affirming care is legal, protected, and supported," they said. "Our hospitals, institutions, and public officials must meet this moment with courage, not compliance rooted in fear."
Criticism also came from out gay Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal, who previously served in the State Senate, where he successfully carried legislation to enact the state's "Shield Law 2.0" policy to build on the protections in the 2023 Trans Safe Haven Act.
"Mt. Sinai's refusal to disclose the circumstances under which it plans to share the private medical records of trans children with Trump's DOJ is deeply concerning and potentially in violation of NY's Trans Shield Law, which I wrote," Hoylman-Sigal wrote on X. "Under our law, parents must be provided with adequate notice to assess whether their children's rights are being fully protected. Mt. Sinai must immediately provide more context and confirm that it has provided the NYS Attorney General with any request it has received from the Trump DOJ. The Trump Administration's intentional targeting of NY's trans community during Pride Month is particularly despicable. I spoke to a parent who received a call from Mt. Sinai about her trans child's medical records. She told me, 'In NY, we protect our children. We don't feed them to the beast, especially for political convenience.' I couldn't agree more."
When Gay City News asked Mayor Zohran Mamdani for comment, the Mayor's Office provided a statement from Taylor Brown, the director of the Mayor's Office of LGBTQIA+ Affairs.
"Patients' private medical records are legally protected and should never be weaponized for political ends," Brown told Gay City News. "Our administration will continue to explore and use every tool available to protect transgender New Yorkers' rights, including rights to medical privacy, and safeguard access to gender-affirming care."
The Trump administration did not respond to requests for comment. New York Attorney General Letitia James declined to comment. 
