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Background: In January 2025, Donald Trump signed an executive order that described gender-affirming care as “mutilation,” preventing the US from “promoting” this care for anyone under the age of 19. Several months later, the United States Department of Health and Human Services published a form for reporting doctors who provide gender-affirming care, including HRT and surgery, to patients under the age of 19. This form included the option to report Canadian doctors.

The situation: Last month, the McGill Wellness Hub informed us that they are no longer prescribing hormones to 18-year-old American citizens due to the form released by the US Government, complying with a American executive order over the standards of care established by Canadian professional organizations. Doctors at the Hub told us this is specifically because of the inclusion of Canadian doctors in the form released by HHS.

We are deeply disappointed by this decision. The TPU has a long history of working with the Hub, and we have seen them make significant improvements to gender-affirming care in the last several years. However, the decision to follow American laws over Canadian ones demonstrates that their commitment to trans patients is fragile and conditional at best. It would be unthinkable for Canadian doctors to follow American laws about abortion or any other type of healthcare, but gender-affirming care is not held to the same standard. Rather, it is seen as acceptable for doctors to deny us care in a variety of situations, ranging from discomfort with the concept of trans healthcare to following laws in other countries.

The exact concerns that prompted the Hub to deny HRT to 18-year-old Americans are unclear. The Hub informed us that their decision is based on guidance from legal professionals. However, multiple legal experts that the TPU have spoken with have affirmed that American executive orders have no legal weight in Canada, and denying care to American citizens may violate the professional code for doctors and the Quebec charter. The TPU maintains that is discriminatory and unethical to treat patients differently based on their citizenship.

We call for the Wellness Hub to reverse this policy and to treat Americans as they would any other students under their care.

If you are a McGill student who has been affected by this, or know someone who has, we want to hear from you! Contact us here.