New York Hospice Nuns Sue Gov. Hochul Over Gender Identity Mandate

Lawsuit claims state's LGBTQ Long-Term Care Facility Residents' Bill of Rights violates their Catholic faith.

Apr. 13, 2026 at 12:23am

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A quiet, cinematic painting of an empty hospital bed in a dimly lit hospice room, the bed bathed in warm, diagonal sunlight and deep shadows, conceptually representing the legal dispute over gender identity policies in New York's hospice facilities.The legal battle over gender identity policies in New York's hospice facilities reflects the complex tensions between LGBTQ rights and religious freedom.Hawthorne Today

A religious order operating a Catholic hospice in Hawthorne, New York has filed a federal lawsuit against Governor Kathy Hochul and the state's Health Commissioner. The Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne say a 2024 state law requiring hospice facilities to support patients' gender identities violates their religious beliefs.

Why it matters

The case highlights the ongoing tensions between LGBTQ rights and religious freedom, as states pass laws aimed at protecting transgender individuals while some faith-based organizations argue the mandates infringe on their constitutional rights.

The details

The Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne operate Rosary Hill Home, a 42-bed Catholic hospice serving indigent patients. The order says New York's LGBTQ Long-Term Care Facility Residents' Bill of Rights, which requires facilities to affirm patients' preferred pronouns, room assignments and restroom use, goes against their religious beliefs. The lawsuit states the mandate bars them from 'segregating restrooms by biological sex, requires the use of patients' preferred pronouns even when the patient is not present, and requires allowing patients to cross-dress.' Violations could result in fines, loss of licensing or jail time.

  • The federal lawsuit was filed on April 6, 2026 after the state failed to respond to the order's request for a religious exemption.
  • The LGBTQ Long-Term Care Facility Residents' Bill of Rights was passed by the New York legislature in 2024.

The players

Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne

A religious order that operates Rosary Hill Home, a Catholic hospice in Hawthorne, New York.

Kathy Hochul

The Governor of New York, named as a defendant in the lawsuit.

James V. McDonald

The New York State Health Commissioner, named as a defendant in the lawsuit.

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What they’re saying

“We Sisters have taken care of patients from all walks of life, ideologies and faiths. We treat each patient with dignity and Christian charity. We have never had complaints. We cannot implement New York's mandate without violating our Catholic faith.”

— Mother Marie Edward, General Superior of the Hawthorne Dominicans

What’s next

The federal court will need to rule on the lawsuit and determine whether the state's LGBTQ Long-Term Care Facility Residents' Bill of Rights violates the religious freedom of the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne.

The takeaway

This case highlights the ongoing clash between LGBTQ rights and religious liberty, as states pass laws aimed at protecting transgender individuals while some faith-based organizations argue the mandates infringe on their constitutional rights. The outcome could set an important precedent on the boundaries between anti-discrimination policies and the free exercise of religion.