Vanderbilt Ends Transgender Surgeries Amidst SCOTUS Ruling & Political Battles
Vanderbilt University Medical Center will cease providing gender-affirming plastic surgeries for adults, the Nashville hospital announced Saturday, citing “operational limitations and lack of surgical coverage.” The decision comes less than a year after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld Tennessee’s 2023 ban on certain medical care for transgender minors in U.S. V. Skrmetti, a case originating with a Tennessee family who sued the state over the restrictions.
VUMC will continue to offer “nonsurgical gender-affirming care for adults 19 years and older,” according to a statement released by the hospital. It does not provide any gender-affirming care for patients younger than 19. The move represents the latest in a series of escalating concerns regarding the hospital’s care for LGBTQ+ patients, and follows criticism from the Metro Nashville LGBTQ+ Caucus.
The hospital’s decision follows a period of intense political and legal scrutiny. In 2023, conservative state lawmakers and Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti initiated a crackdown on medical care for transgender individuals at Vanderbilt. A state law banning certain medical treatments for transgender youth ultimately led to the Supreme Court case. Representative William Lamberth, R-Portland, argued during legislative debate that such treatments carried “a lifetime of negative consequences that are irreversible.”
The conflict between Vanderbilt and its patients intensified when Skrmetti’s office opened an investigation and demanded comprehensive health records from VUMC’s transgender healthcare clinic. Patients subsequently filed a lawsuit against Vanderbilt for releasing patient records to the Attorney General’s office, settling the case last September, according to reports.
Landon Forrest, a former VUMC employee and patient, described the decision as “unsurprising” in an interview with the Tennessean. Forrest said the change will require him to travel to Minnesota or Texas to access the ongoing medical services he needs as part of his transition. While a previously scheduled surgery in September remains on the calendar, Forrest expressed doubt that the withdrawn services would be restored soon, stating, “Vanderbilt cannot proceed back until the political climate changes.”
Prior to the Supreme Court ruling and the subsequent policy changes, Vanderbilt faced criticism for ending transgender care for children before the state law took effect, withdrawing from Nashville’s Pride festival, and laying off LGBTQ+ outreach staff. The Metro Nashville Council LGBTQ+ Caucus issued a formal vote of no confidence in VUMC leadership last July, accusing the hospital of abandoning its commitments to the LGBTQ+ community.