OU Health ceasing some gender care after funds threatened

By SEAN MURPHY
Associated Press Writer

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The University of Oklahoma Medical Center says it is ceasing some gender-affirming treatments after state lawmakers threatened to withhold millions of dollars in federal funding. OU Health said in a statement Wednesday that it is stopping “certain gender medicine services.” Officials did not confirm exactly which medical treatments it was halting. The Republican-controlled Legislature returned for a special session Wednesday to appropriate $1.87 billion in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds. The Legislature this year has targeted transgender young people with new laws that restrict their ability to play sports or use school bathrooms consistent with their gender identity.