The newly released WPATH Standards of Care Version 8 clearly define the treatment of transgender and gender diverse children and adolescents, including medical interventions such as puberty delaying medications or gender-affirming hormones, and when appropriate, surgical interventions, as medically necessary. Recently, there have been numerous political and legal efforts to restrict, ban, or even make this lifesaving care illegal. These efforts ignore the science in this field and place transgender and gender diverse people at risk of losing access to care. Families have been placed at risk of being inappropriately investigated, or even having their child removed from the home. In addition to political and legal actions in this area, there have been numerous direct threats against individual healthcare providers and institutional programs. There have been countless anecdotes of harassing phone calls and messages, both in the workplace and directed to clinicians' personal phones and e-mail addresses. Recently, a major children's hospital was targeted with a bomb threat, and clinics and individual clinicians have enlisted armed security.

USPATH stands in strong opposition to political and legal processes in place across the United States which aim to limit or halt these lifesaving interventions. USPATH supports all transgender and gender diverse people in their right to access medically necessary healthcare and the right of all people to fully express who they are. Furthermore, USPATH is appalled at the specter of clinics and individual healthcare providers being harassed and having to engage armed security personnel. USPATH calls on all Americans to reject this repulsive and threatening behavior. We implore law enforcement agencies to support our colleagues, their programs, and our patients. We call upon institutions to be prepared with security protocols and as appropriate, crisis communication plans, to ensure that our healthcare providers remain safe and that our patients continue to have access to lifesaving care.

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