March 2024 Presidential Newsletter

Dear USPATH colleagues,

I hope you are enjoying the first days of Spring.

We just concluded the 22^nd National LGBTQ Health Awareness Week. During this time, hundreds of organizations across the country joined with the National Coalition for LGBTQ Health in conversations, using their VITAL VIBRANT VOICES to advocate for improved health outcomes for the LGBTQ community. I have always looked forward to this week as an opportunity to listen to our communities and share resources to uplift us all. If you haven’t already, I recommend exploring the recorded sessions held last week.

While we are actively working to improve the health and well-being of transgender communities, we have seen ongoing attempts to undermine the credibility of WPATH and, by extension, USPATH. I have been selective in responding to the latest unhinged fabrications from those who wish harm to us and our patients. Consequently, I am grateful for the excellent reporting by Erin Reed and Evan Urquhart that detail the numerous false claims running rampant in the media. As anyone who has read beyond the headlines lately knows, all that has been revealed is that clinicians value being able to turn to our colleagues for evidence-based discussions about situations that raise legitimate clinical or ethical questions. From my perspective, it is heartening that we as a community can turn to one another to ask for advice and input for unique clinical situations. Regardless of the political landscape, we should be having conversations about how to implement the standards of care and how to distill the significant and growing evidence base into clinical guidelines and recommendations. The USPATH Board and I stand by the Standards of Care 8 and are looking forward to future iterations of the standards as the field of transgender health continues to evolve.

It goes without saying, then, that our organization continues to value space for clinicians to discuss and move the field forward. In the interest of preserving and protecting the DocMatter forum for members, WPATH is taking seriously this breach of confidence. We plan to keep DocMatter open and will be exploring additional options for improving security. As such, I remind everyone to use these online forums respectfully, cautiously, and with an understanding that we are seeking to advance the health and well-being of transgender communities through evidence-based care and interventions.

With regards to the latest science, our board is actively engaged in developing the latest evidence regarding gender-affirming care and the health of transgender communities. This also means we are diligent in evaluating published research. Several board members and collaborators recently published a response to the methodologically flawed study out of Finland; there are additional excellent critiques of the study. Given the significant and readily apparent flaws of this study, I seriously question the motives and ethics of any reporter, legislator, or professional citing it as evidence.

Now for something different. USPATH is working to update our webpage to allow members and supporters to donate to various initiatives. We will be focusing particularly on student, trainee, and community member scholarships to attend USPATH and WPATH conferences. Once our donations link is up and running, we will be sharing this in future newsletters.

During our March USPATH board we covered a number of initiatives and activities that I would like to highlight:

1. Our Board is reviewing applications for the chair of the newly formed Student and Trainee Special Interest Group (SIG). We hope to have the first Chair of the Student and Trainee SIG installed soon. If you have any questions regarding this position, please reply to this email.

2. Our Research Committee is completing its charter. More details will be available in the coming weeks.

3. Our Board is partnering with Whitman-Walker Institute to survey our membership on several issues. You will receive separate email invitations to complete these surveys.

4. USPATH joined Whitman-Walker Institute and GLMA in submitting testimony for the March 21^st Ohio Department of Public Health Hearing on Revised Gender-Affirming Care, Proposed Rules 3701-3-17, 3701-59-06, 3701-59-07, 3701-83-60, and 3701-83-61.

As a reminder, while we do our best to monitor and respond to every issue related to transgender health, we are not omniscient. As such, we appreciate any USPATH member sending us local or national issues that warrant USPATH consideration.

As always, particularly for cis allies in this space, speak up. Silence can be violence. If you have the opportunity to respond to misinformation/disinformation, take it and be equipped with the facts. As a reminder, our colleagues at the Protecting Affirming Care for Trans Youth (PACT) Coalition can assist with writing op-eds and letters to the editor, as well as preparing for speaking with journalists. Please feel free to reach out to Sara Mar at smar@PROTECTED with requests for information or other assistance.

Lastly, as we approach Transgender Day of Visibility on March 31st, I must share my hope and optimism. The challenges we are facing are from the same playbooks from years gone by. And just as in the past, we have succeeded in overcoming the hate and lies and ignorance. I continue to look forward to a time soon when the health and well-being of transgender people and communities will not be up for debate and that we will spend more time discussing the steps needed to thrive.

In Solidarity,
Carl G Streed, Jr., MD, MPH, FACP, FAHA
President, US Professional Association for Transgender Health

What we’re reading lately (in no particular order):
Fact Check: 216 Instances of Factual Errors Found In Right-Wing "WPATH Files" Document. By Erin Reed. https://www.erininthemorning.com/p/fact-check-216-instances-of-factual

Actually Nothing: The Non-Starter Non-Story of the WPATH Files. By Evan Urquhart. https://www.assignedmedia.org/breaking-news/wpath-nothingburger-waste-of-time

A huge misconception about medical care for trans kids. By Meredithe McNamara. https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/03/07/opinion/transgender-youth-medical-treatment-misconceptions/