Children’s Hospital Colorado Faces Contempt Over Gender-Affirming Care

“Will not be prescribing, refilling, or renewing gender-affirming prescriptions for patients under 18 years old.”

That is the message doctors at Children’s Hospital Colorado’s TRUE Center for Gender Diversity sent to families. It came in an unsigned letter. The plaintiffs say the court’s injunction only covers the hospital’s “scope of services.” It does not cover the doctors’ individual professional judgment.

Now, transgender patients and their families are asking Denver District Judge Ericka Englert to hold the institution in contempt. They argue the entity is hiding behind its medical staff to dodge a direct court order.

The Colorado Supreme Court ruled earlier this year that the facility discriminated against transgender youth by suspending care. The suspension happened amid threats from the Trump administration. Judge Englert issued an injunction to fix it. The order prohibits the center from refusing “medically necessary gender-affirming care.” In practice, that means writing prescriptions for hormones and puberty blockers.

The hospital says it complies. It updated its website. It lists gender-affirming care in its scope of services. It still provides mental health services. It does not perform surgeries.

But the doctors are the bottleneck.

These physicians are employed by the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine, not Children’s Hospital itself. That distinction matters. The doctors say they fear sanctions or criminal charges as the Trump administration pushes to block this care. They are refusing to write the prescriptions.

The hospital contends it cannot override that professional judgment. If the doctors won’t sign, the center can’t force them.

The plaintiffs disagree. In a motion filed Friday, they argue the hospital is using the employment structure to shield itself. They cite legal precedent: an owner of a public accommodation cannot avoid discrimination laws by claiming it isn’t responsible for the people who work there.

“The hospital is using the distinction to dodge court orders,” the motion states.

The plaintiffs attached a letter to the motion. It came from the TRUE Center. It told patients and families the doctors would stop prescribing. The plaintiffs say they obtained this letter under seal. They have not been able to get the doctors to confirm it was theirs. It had no signature.

This is about more than just paperwork. It’s about access for kids in the Denver metro area and beyond. Children’s is the region’s largest pediatric hospital. If the doctors don’t sign, the patients don’t get care. The injunction is clear. The hospital’s explanation is a loop.

The Trump administration’s pressure is the root cause. The doctors cite fear of criminal charges. That fear is real. But the court already ruled the hospital discriminated. The injunction was the fix. Now the hospital is pointing at its staff and saying, “Not our problem.”

The patients are saying, “Yes it is.”

Judge Englert will decide if the hospital’s silence counts as contempt. If she rules against the institution, it could force a change in how care is delivered. Or it could just mean more legal fighting.

The short version: The hospital says it’s complying. The doctors say they’re scared. The patients say the hospital is lying.

Read that again.