ANN ARBOR, MI — More than 30 people protested outside the University of Michigan Board of Regents meeting Thursday in opposition to the university’s decision to end gender-affirming care for minors.
Protesters held signs that read “Protect trans kids” and “Trans rights are human rights” near the entrance of the university’s Ruthven Administration Building on North University Avenue. They called Michigan Medicine’s decision “violent” and “fascist” and one spoke during public comment at the Sept. 18 meeting.
“We’ve thrown our kids to the wolves,” Amy Milligan, 51, parent to a transgender daughter, told the Board of Regents.
“Our kids are in real danger.”
Milligan, of Ann Arbor, said hormone therapy helped her daughter’s transition, and she is deeply concern for the safety of transgender children amid Michigan Medicine’s decision.
She called for the Board of Regents to publicly condemn and stand up to President Donald Trump’s administration over its treatment of transgender children. A roar of applause followed.
Regent Paul Brown was emotionally distraught and thanked Milligan for her speech.
Brown shared Aug. 29 on Facebook he was “heartbroken” by Michigan Medicine’s decision.
“I argued that the University must stand up and protect the rights of our LGBTQ+ youth, and to continue providing this care,” Brown wrote. “We know that gender-affirming care is supported by research, by physicians’ groups, and by Michigan law. Most importantly, we know it saves children’s lives.”
UM’s medical arm announced Aug. 25 it would no longer provide hormonal therapies or puberty-blocking medications to people under 19. Officials cited a federal subpoena and “escalating external threats and risks.”
Mary Masson, senior director of public relations at Michigan Medicine, previously wrote the medical center is working closely with patients and their loved ones and will continue to support their well-being.
“We recognize the gravity and impact of this decision for our patients and our community,” Masson wrote after an earlier protest. “We are working closely with all those impacted, and we will continuously support the well-being of our patients, their families, and our teams.”
Ames Lim, a senior at the UM College of Literature, Science and the Arts, said hormone replacement therapy saved his life when he was 18. “Through this day, I hold that this was the most important and the best decision I’ve ever made.”
Michigan Medicine and the Board of Regents “have chosen cowardice over supporting trans youth,” Lim, 21, said. “Nationwide, the (Donald) Trump administration has weaponized the Department of Justice in their crackdown on gender-affirming care.”
Michigan Medicine, the Board of Regents and Trump failed to support transgender young people, Lim said.
The protest took place as regents discussed a $50 million investment to promote civil discourse on campus and a $16.5 million lease improvement plan at 401 E Liberty St.
Organizers previously gathered on Sept. 11 at the corner of Fuller Road and Medical Center Drive to protest Michigan Medicine’s decision.
University Staff United, the university’s staff union, also organized a picket outside the administration building. Demonstrators pushed for university administrators to meet bargaining demands, such as higher pay and new health care benefits.
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