Letitia James, New York’s Attorney General, warned hospitals on Monday that if they follow President Trump’s order to ban sex-changes for minors they would be violating state discrimination laws.

James wrote to New York’s health care facilities: “We write regardless of whether federal funding is available to remind you that your obligation to comply with New York State law, which prohibits discrimination based on membership in a class protected by law, such as gender, sexual orientation or gender identity, race, color, ethnicity, nationality, citizenship, immigration status, military status or disability status, is still valid.”

She added that “refusing services to certain individuals because of their protected status is discrimination in New York.” For example, refusing services to transgender people based upon their gender identity, or gender dysphoria diagnosis, but offering them to cisgender people, she said.

James, aged 66, encouraged anyone who witnessed “potential violations”, to contact the New York Attorney General’s Office.

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Her letter comes at a time when several hospitals have taken steps to reduce so-called “gender affirming care” as an apparent attempt to comply with Trump’s executive order of Jan. 28, “protecting children against chemical and surgical mutilation.”

The order threatens withholding federal funding for hospitals that provide sex change treatment to children under 19 years of age, such as puberty blocking drugs and hormone therapy.

The White House stated in a Monday statement that the program is already working to prevent children from being maimed or sterilized because adults are perpetuating a radical, untrue claim that they could somehow change a child’s sex. It cited hospitals in Colorado, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington, DC, which reportedly have taken steps to “downsize” or “eliminate” transgender programming.

The White House pointed out that NYU Langone Health in New York City has been cancelling appointments for minors who are seeking transgender surgery.

The New York Times reported on two families who had scheduled appointments to have their 12-year olds implanted with a device which dispenses a puberty blocking agent. However, the appointments were “immediately cancelled” following the executive orders.

The Post’s comment to NYU Langone Health was not immediately responded.

On Monday night, hundreds of protesters gathered in front of the Manhattan hospital to protest its reported attempts to comply with Trump’s order.

One transgender activist called on protesters during the rally to “shut down this entire city.”