Articles from the Constitution State
LGBTQ advocacy
LGBTQ+ advocates in Connecticut are preparing to push for stronger state-level protections amid what they describe as escalating federal threats to transgender rights and health care access under the Trump administration, reports CT Insider.
Matt Blinstrubas, executive director of Equality Connecticut, told CT Insider that advocates plan to focus this legislative session on strengthening nondiscrimination policies, expanding shield laws, and reinforcing access to gender-affirming care for youth.
“The fight is hard and long, and Connecticut remains a place where progress is possible,” Blinstrubas said, noting that federal actions—including executive orders redefining sex and restricting funding for gender-affirming care—have created fear and confusion for patients and providers nationwide.
While many federal efforts have been temporarily blocked by court challenges, Blinstrubas said uncertainty has already had tangible impacts in Connecticut. Last summer, Yale Medicine and Connecticut Children’s Medical Center abruptly scaled back or ended youth gender-affirming care programs, leaving families scrambling to find alternative providers.
Advocates are now calling for stronger patient data protections against out-of-state investigations and expanded shield laws to protect providers offering reproductive and gender-affirming care. Additional priorities include safeguarding Medicaid access for people with chronic conditions such as HIV and expanding insurance coverage for in-vitro fertilization for LGBTQ+ families.
Despite an uncertain political climate, Blinstrubas said advocates remain committed to protecting vulnerable residents and advancing progress at the state level.
EQCT’s legislative agenda
Equality Connecticut (EqCT), the statewide queer-led social justice organization, announced its legislative priorities for the 2026 short session today. The agenda was crafted with input from community members, educators, health care providers, and religious leaders from across the state.
Matt Blinstrubas, EqCT’s executive director, said, “After a full year of repeated and vicious federal attacks on our community, we are laser-focused on what the state can do to strengthen protections and services for Connecticut’s LGBTQ+ people. Our state can and should be a leader in rebuffing the administration’s ambition to erase the gains we’ve made and the rights we have.”
EqCT’s priorities include bolstering gender-affirming care; expanding HIV health policy; safeguarding LGBTQ+ and other vulnerable students against school-based discrimination; and expanding access to reproductive care for LGBTQ+ people.
“At a moment when LGBTQ+ people are being targeted nationally, Connecticut has a clear choice,” Blinstrubas said. “We can retreat—or we can lead. These priorities reflect our commitment to building a state where LGBTQ+ people are safe, supported, and able to thrive, no matter what’s happening at the federal level. Equality Connecticut will keep organizing, advocating, and pushing until that promise is real for every community.”
The full legislative agenda can be accessed on eqct.org.
Families file discrimination complaint
In December, 10 Connecticut families and individuals filed discrimination complaints after Yale New Haven Health and Connecticut Children’s Medical Center abruptly ended gender-affirming medical care for transgender patients under 19 in late July, according to a GLAD Law press release.
The decision left families scrambling to find alternative providers to avoid what they describe as serious health risks for their children, reports GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD Law).
GLAD Law is representing the families along with attorney Kevin Barry, who filed the complaints Dec. 16 with the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities.
Advocates say no federal directive required the hospital systems to stop care, and neither institution was under government investigation or threat of penalties. Connecticut law explicitly prohibits discrimination against transgender people in public accommodations, including health care, and earlier this year the governor signed legislation reaffirming those protections.
While the Trump administration has expressed opposition to transgender health care, Connecticut is among several states challenging federal efforts to restrict access to medically necessary treatment for transgender adolescents.
“These families have lost their faith in the health care system to serve their children,” said Hannah Hussey of GLAD Law. “They are questioning how they can lose access to care overnight in a state with strong laws like Connecticut.”
The legal team also includes Ben Klein and Donovan Bendana of GLAD Law.