In a brazen attempt to mislead the American public, the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has issued an unscientific, agenda-driven attack on proven standards of care for trans youth. Released this morning, this report flies in the face of medical evidence and medical consensus, and promotes discredited conversion therapy by another name.
Practiced by fringe individuals, “conversion therapy” attempts to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity by force. Banned completely in 23 states, conversion practices are unethical and unconscionable violations of professional standards of care and have been rejected by every major medical and mental health association in the U.S.
We’ve been down this dark path before and we know where it leads. Thousands of gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth and adults have been victimized, and continue to be victimized, by these dangerous conversion practices which cause irreparable harm, including increased depression, anxiety, and suicidality.
The facts are clear. Just as you cannot change a person’s sexual orientation, you cannot change a person’s gender identity. Trans people are born not made, and no amount of shame, violence, or coercion will change who we really are.
The science is clear. The current standard of care for trans youth is safe, effective, and essential. Backed by peer-reviewed research and supported by every major medical association, including the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics, trans healthcare relies on the same trusted experts, research, protocols, and medications used to treat youth for a range of health issues.
The stakes could not be higher. When trans youth get the essential medical care they need, they thrive, setting them up for success later in life. When they don’t, they experience unnecessary pain, suffering, and harm.
Let us make one thing perfectly clear: Transhealth will not bow down to unscientific, deceitful, and immoral tactics aimed at depriving trans youth of medically necessary healthcare. This report is not law and changes nothing about the care and support Transhealth provides. If you are a patient at Transhealth, the care you receive remains unchanged.
Transhealth will never stop fighting for the families and patients we serve, the staff we employ, and the wider transgender and gender-diverse community.
In Solidarity,
Jo Erwin (any pronouns), RN, BSN
CEO
