Resistance to US Military Ban is Encouraging

The biggest story in transgender health right now, in terms of media coverage, is the Trump administration's ban on transgender people in military service. We open this edition with a story from the Military Times stating just the facts about the ban and follow with the AMA's opposition to the ban, and the California National Guard's defiance of the ban as representative of much of the public pushback, which is nice to see. We also bring you two stories about fertility issues, one of them from Italy. Also discussed this time are new Medicaid coverage in Illinois, the inclusion of trans men in an historic male-only university, new cardiovascular research, and an Australian call for better physiotherapy care and physiotherapist education to benefit trans patients. Additional stories are from Ireland, France, and South Africa, plus a positive story about employment opportunities for trans people as published in the Seattle Times.

In other news, forensic psychologist Dr. Randi Ettner recently received a commendation from the US House of Representatives recognizing her for her work with WPATH and with Gender Dysphoria in Illinois. Dr. Ettner is a renowned expert witness in litigation involving health care access for transgender prisoners in many states. She also currently serves as Secretary of Committees on the WPATH Board of Directors.

WPATH members may want to be aware of the excellent work on behalf of transgender service members that is being done by our colleague Prof. Aaron Belkin of the Palm Center. Here are some links to relevant pieces forwarded by Prof. Belkin. "I was on Rachel Maddow Friday explaining why the new DADT for transgender troops will harm all transgender service members, contrary to the administration's assertions. The segment is here.

"I was proud that Maddow read from a Palm Center statement by 6 former Surgeons General admonishing DoD's claim that the need to undergo gender transition is a "deficiency," and I was grateful that Speaker Pelosi tweeted that "No part of our government should ever refer to a transgender person’s need to transition as a 'defect' or a 'deficiency.'"  The statement is here.

In Memoriam

Richard Green, MD JD, a founder of the Harry Benjamin Int'l Gender Dysphoria Ass'n (precursor to WPATH) in 1979, has died in London, on 6 April, 2019. He was 82. He was President of HBIGDA from 1997-1999 and left when the membership voted to change the name to WPATH during Prof. Dr. Stephen Whittle's presidency (2007-2009). His pioneering work is still cited in defense of trans people's parental rights. Read Dr. Green's obituary in the Guardian, by clicking here. This obituary can also be found on the WPATH website on the History Page, by clicking here.