Earlier this year, and without warning, Essentia Health stopped providing gender affirming care to transgender and non-binary youth. Last week, Gender Justice, and co-counsel Robins Kaplan LLP, filed a lawsuit against the healthcare system on behalf of the mother of a transgender teenager. The lawsuit alleges that Essentia Health has violated the Minnesota Human Rights Act. We sat down with Greta Wiessner, senior staff attorney at Gender Justice, to learn more about the case and what happens next.
Watch our conversation
A Family Left Without Answers
Gender Justice filed the case on behalf of Jane Doe and her son John Doe. To protect their identities they are using pseudonyms. Essentia Health had been providing John Doe with gender-affirming care since the onset of his puberty when he had been diagnosed with gender dysphoria. He had been receiving hormone therapy treatment for almost six years.
“It was absolutely life-changing for John and for his mother to see her son thrive,” said Wiessner. “He came out of his shell socially and emotionally. He was able to thrive in school, make friends, [and] participate in activities.”
But at an appointment in early 2026, his care provider informed Jane Doe that that was to be their final visit. The Does claim that Essentia Health provided them either conflicting information or no response at all about what was happening.
“It was absolutely devastating for John and terrifying for his mother,” said Wiessner. “They were scrambling to find alternative care, which is difficult when you’re in greater Minnesota. There are fewer providers for any type of healthcare.”
Wiessner added, “having these decisions be made on discriminatory lines where some people get access to healthcare and others don’t because of who they are and because of their identity, that’s discrimination.”
Essentia Health’s actions have impacted families across the upper Midwest. They provide healthcare services to people living in Minnesota, Michigan, North Dakota, and Wisconsin. These are rural communities that have few healthcare options.
In particular, Essentia Health had been a go-to provider for families living in North Dakota. That state’s Supreme Court just upheld a law that bans doctors and care providers from offering gender-affirming care to minors.
Gender Affirming Care Protected By Law
Earlier this year, almost two dozen state Attorneys General, including Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, sued Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over his attempts to ban gender affirming care. They won in court. The victory was so comprehensive that clinics who had paused their care programs immediately resumed services. This included Children’s Minnesota, one of the most prominent programs in the country.
Wiessner noted that “Essentia Health has not had any sort of transparency or accountability to their patients themselves or to the public.”
Essentia Health is headquartered in Minnesota which was the first state in the nation to provide anti-discrimination protections in its Human Rights Act. Since that time, various state courts have issued rulings that provide sweeping and comprehensive protections for transgender people.
In 2023, when the DFL had full control of state government, they passed legislation to make Minnesota a Trans Refuge State. The law protects transgender and non-binary youth from harmful laws and court orders issued in other states.
At a news conference after the House passed the bill, Rep. Leigh Finke said, “We have a responsibility to create more space for our community to live their fullest, authentic lives without fear of violence, rejection, abuse, or political attack.”
In our conversation, Weissner said, “Minnesota’s legislatures have chosen to protect LGBTQ people, including trans people and including youth, and those laws can be relied upon and invoked in these cases.”
Gender Justice has secured numerous legal victories, including most recently at the Minnesota Supreme Court in Cooper v. Powerhouse Lifting. In that case, the court issued a unanimous ruling declaring that all public accommodations must adhere to Minnesota’s human rights laws. The case was brought by JayCee Cooper, a transgender woman, after USA Powerlifting refused to let her participate in a lifting competition.
The St. Paul based legal nonprofit is currently pursuing a case regarding whether or not religious employers can fire queer people serving in non-religious positions such as librarians, information technology specialists, or administrative assistants.
What Happens Next
In September, Essentia Health and HealthPartners announced their boards approved an “affiliation agreement.” In a press release, HealthPartners said there are still customary regulatory approvals, but the new organization will be called HealthPartners. However, Essentia Health specific facilities will retain Essentia Health branding until the approvals are complete and the organizations are integrated.
When asked how this would impact Gender Justice’s lawsuit, Wiessner said, “It’s hard to tell—too soon to tell at this point. HealthPartners has been a strong proponent of gender-affirming care for trans youth, and we hope that they would continue to do so and would insist that any providers in their network continue to do so as well.”
However, Wiessner added, “we are at the very beginning of the case. It could resolve sooner rather than later, but we’re prepared to litigate this case all the way through trial and any appeals.”
For more information and updates, visit genderjustice.us.
