Changes to Gender-Affirming Care in North Carolina Creates Concern Among Families
Josh Dumas, a parent from North Carolina, has seen his 14-year-old transgender son benefit significantly from gender-affirming care. Since 2020, his son has received treatments such as puberty blockers and testosterone from a doctor at Atrium Health in Charlotte. Dumas believes this care has helped alleviate his son’s struggles with gender dysphoria—a condition where one’s assigned gender at birth does not match their true identity.
His son began puberty blockers at age 10 after experiencing distress over physical changes. “My heart just broke for him,” Dumas recalled, as his son identified as a boy since he was five. The blockers helped pause unwanted developments, and later, testosterone brought about rapid physical changes that his son loved.
However, Dumas recently learned that his son can no longer receive this crucial care at Atrium Health. The hospital system announced a new policy that stops providing gender-affirming medications and surgeries for all patients under 19, going beyond North Carolina’s own law allowing minors already receiving care to continue.
This shift shook many families who are now scrambling to find new healthcare providers, some of whom have built longstanding relationships with their doctors. An advocate familiar with the situation estimated that around 120 patients at Atrium Health’s Levine Children’s Center for Gender Health are affected by this new policy.
Atrium Health stated that they made the changes due to “the evolving regulatory environment,” which has seen increasing scrutiny around gender-affirming care, especially during the Trump administration. Critics, including advocates for transgender youth, argue that the decision sends a harmful message to young people about their identities and health care needs.
“This signals that your health doesn’t matter,” noted Mollie Burkholder, executive director at PFLAG Charlotte.
The shift at Atrium Health follows broader efforts across the U.S. to limit access to gender-affirming care for minors. In 2023, North Carolina’s legislature passed laws restricting such care for those under 18, despite pushback from advocates and healthcare professionals who believe it is necessary for mental health.
In response to the concerns over these laws and federal pressure from the Trump administration to limit care, many hospitals, including prominent facilities in states without bans, have curtailed or closed gender clinics entirely. Lindsey Dawson, an expert in LGBTQ health policy, pointed out that many facilities are choosing to limit services even in the absence of state laws.
Dumas expressed sorrow over the new policy changes at Atrium and voiced his fears about safety for his son in North Carolina. Consequently, the family’s plans have been shaken; Dumas’ wife and son intend to relocate to Canada, while Dumas will stay in North Carolina temporarily.
The ongoing changes raise fears about the future of gender-affirming care not only for the Dumas family but also for many others across the state, as they look for new, accepting healthcare options. Families are left facing uncertainty and distress over how these policies will affect the mental well-being of their children.
