Doctors ask judge to halt Trump policy targeting trans people living with HIV

The nation's leading HIV medical organizations sued the Trump administration on Wednesday, accusing federal officials of jeopardizing care for transgender people living with HIV and undermining one of the most successful public health programs in American history.The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, challenges new federal restrictions that bar recipients of Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program funding from using those funds for gender-affirming medical care. The plaintiffs — major HIV physician groups, healthcare providers, and medical associations — argue the administration is using an anti-trans policy agenda to fundamentally reshape a program that serves more than half of all people living with HIV in the United States.Unlike many recent legal challenges brought by LGBTQ+ advocacy organizations, this lawsuit comes from HIV doctors and providers who argue the restrictions could damage a public health system that has helped achieve viral suppression rates above 90 percent among patients receiving care."The Ryan White Program is a success precisely because of the way it has been structured," Jose Abrigo, senior attorney and HIV Project director at Lambda Legal, said in a statement. "It has for three decades been a safe haven for people living with HIV, grounded in clinical judgment and comprehensive patient needs. These restrictions interfere with that framework and place transgender patients at risk of losing access to care."Related: American Medical Association Strengthens Support for Gender-Affirming CareCongress created the Ryan White Program in 1990 as the federal government's primary safety net program for low-income people. The program was born from the AIDS crisis, when LGBTQ+ communities — particularly gay men and transgender women — were disproportionately affected by a disease that was initially met with indifference from political leaders and public institutions. The complaint notes that the program was specific