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Judge orders CHOC to restore youth gender-affirming hormones through April
Protesters outside Children's Hospital of Orange County on Jan. 24, 2026.
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Kevin Tidmarsh/LAist
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Topline:
Gender-affirming hormone treatments are available for people under 19 through at least April 27 at Children’s Hospital Orange County and Rady Children’s Hospital San Diego following a court order.
About the ruling: The ruling is temporary. That means hundreds of families with trans youth patients at CHOC might still need to seek long term and alternative care. Several ongoing and expected court cases against the federal government, including a lawsuit led by Oregon’s attorney general against Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., may affect CHOC’s outcome.
The backstory: Bonta filed a lawsuit against Rady Children’s Health, the parent company of CHOC and Rady Children’s Hospital San Diego, that sought to restore gender-affirming care at the hospital system. CHOC and Rady have pointed to recent actions by the federal government to restrict trans youth’s access to gender-affirming hormones and surgeries.
Does this affect other hospitals?: The ruling only applies to Rady Children’s Health.
What the hospital is saying: “We respect the court's directives and will abide by them,” a spokesperson for CHOC wrote in a statement to LAist. “We are not able to comment further on active litigation at this time.”
Trans advocacy organizations react: Brit Cervantes of the gender-affirming care provider organization OCGAPNET said this decision underscores that the federal government’s actions are being challenged. Kanan Durham of the Huntington Beach-based nonprofit told LAist called the ruling a “small win.”
Updated March 2, 2026 at 4:26 PM PST
CHOC must offer gender-affirming hormones to people under 19 through April 27, according to a preliminary injunction that was extended on Feb. 26.
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