A demonstrator holds a sign during the Brooklyn Liberation's Protect Trans Youth event at the Brooklyn Museum on June 13, 2021.

New York has long been a leader in protecting LGBTQ rights. Today, that leadership is urgently needed again as the Trump administration continues attacking gender-affirming care.

Many transgender and gender-expansive New Yorkers rely on Medicaid for lifesaving care, including hormone therapy and surgery. These services are not optional; they are essential: They help trans individuals live authentically and reduce their risk of suicide, depression and other mental health challenges. And yet gender-affirming care is directly in the crosshairs of a right-wing agenda determined to erase protections for transgender people.

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A federal Medicaid ban on gender affirming care would disproportionately harm a community already facing higher rates of HIV, homelessness and discrimination. It........

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