Today, the Colorado Supreme Court ordered Children's Hospital Colorado to resume gender-affirming care for transgender youth while a lawsuit over access to that care continues. This is a win — and we are taking it as one.
For the roughly 800 patients across our state who have been without care since January, today's decision means something immediate and real. Gender-affirming care is not elective. It is life-sustaining. The American Academy of Pediatrics, the Endocrine Society, and leading medical organizations have long recognized the puberty blockers and hormone therapy at the center of this case as safe, evidence-based, and medically necessary for transgender youth. The court recognized that when it ruled the lower court abused its discretion in denying this injunction.
But we are clear-eyed about where we are. This is a preliminary injunction, not a final ruling. The fight is not over. Children's Hospital is still "assessing its next steps," which means we are watching closely to make sure today's order is honored.
The Center on Colfax has always believed that our transgender community deserves the same access to care, dignity, and quality of life as anyone else. Colorado law says so. Today, our state's highest court agreed.
We will keep showing up — for our transgender youth, for their families, and for everyone in our community who needs us. That is what we are here for.
— Kim Salvaggio, CEO, The Center on Colfax