PHOTOS: Activists Protest and Leaders Speak at the Children's Hospital of Los Angeles
Activists protested outside of the Children's Hospital of LA last Thursday against the hospital's decision to pause gender affirming care for new patients, with several local leaders giving speeches.
All photos in this article by Mady Castigan. License available upon request (madycast.com@gmail.com). Some photos have faces blurred to respect the privacy of individuals.
Transgender activists in Los Angeles held a furious and energetic protest at the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles last Thursday. The protest came after the California Attorney General Rob Bunta sent a letter to the hospital informing them that it is illegal to deny trans people medical care on the basis of their gender identity in the state of California. The hospital was given 10 days to respond to the letter dated February 5th, which means the hospital is expected to respond by February 15th.
Local activists have spread the word of another protest at CHLA this Thursday, despite a forecast of heavy rain on the fire-struck city.
The protest was organized in part by the Los Angeles chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA-LA), though many attendees came of their own volition or from other groups promoting the protest. Many hospital staff who had been blindsided by CHLA’s decision also attended the protest. The hospital staff union CIR (the Committee of Interns & Residents) also endorsed the protest, and their logo was included on the flyer for the protest.
DSA-endorsed councilmember Ysabel Jurado was present at the protest and gave a fiery speech to the crowd in support of trans kids and demanding accountability for the hospital. When asked for a comment on what her and other city councilmembers planned to do to protect trans kids, Councilmember Jurado said that “we're trying to talk to CHLA to figure out what they can do.” Another DSA-endorsed councilmember, Hugo Soto Martinez, also attended the protest.
Councilmember Ysabel Jurado addressed the protest attendees with confidence and compassion. Though corporations may turn a blind eye when it comes to protecting children, she said being told “no” is only motivation to be even braver and stronger — our communities have outlasted everything thrown at us so far, and we won’t cower in fear now. After Ysabel’s speech, an activist took the mic and started a rousing chant: “When trans care is under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back!”
“I stand with you because as a daughter of undocumented immigrants, as a queer mom, a queer youth and a person of color, and also a council member… thinking about not being able to give your child [life-affirming] healthcare… being denied your child’s ability to be wholesome and fulfilled is really heartbreaking.”
The CEO of the LA LGBT Center, Joe Hollendoner, delivered a powerful speech to a crowd of protestors declaring the need to protect trans kids. Hollendoner spoke to the connection between the homelessness crisis, the Trump administration’s aggressive persecution of the trans cnity, and a deeper motive to suppress the working class.
“This is an attempt to divide your power as working people… The attacks on trans people are an attack on the entire working class.”
“Housing is a human right… Transition is a human right. And we will fight for it by any means necessary.”
“50% of the homeless trans people in the United States live in Los Angeles County — this is a place where people come from all over the country to escape where they grew up.”
The protest at CHLA was reminiscent of ACT UP LA protests at other LA area hospitals during the AIDS crisis. You can read more on ACT UP LA and the suggestions that some activists have for queer people today in our in-depth article covering the movement.
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—Edited by Socks Whitmore
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