USPATH Statement on the Surge of Anti-Trans Legislation Occurring Within the US

March 17, 2021

The United States Professional Association for Transgender Health (USPATH) strongly opposes the recent wave of legislation seeking to criminalize health care for young people who are transgender. This legislation prevents young people from accessing life-saving services. Currently 25 states have at least one of these bills moving through the legislature or have already been signed by their governor. These bills are based on misinformation and would cause great harm to transgender young people.

The preponderance of scientific evidence indicates that gender affirming healthcare can greatly help transgender people. Further, the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) Standards of Care provide widely accepted guidelines for health care professionals to work with young people and their families. The guidelines are a conservative document that supports all children in exploring their gender and offers team-based approaches to determine the best course of action for each child.

Proposed anti-transgender legislation threatens health care providers with risk for fines, loss of license to practice, and imprisonment. Most importantly, these laws will prevent young people from receiving beneficial, often life-saving services, that have strong evidence of success and are supported by mainstream healthcare professional associations including the American Medical Association, Endocrine Society, American Academy of Pediatrics, Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine, American Psychiatric Association, American Academy of Family Physicians, and American Psychological Association.

USPATH calls on all people to oppose bills that will not only punish physicians, psychologists, and others providing evidence-based care to young transgender people but will also further threaten their health and well-being. These legislative actions will keep young transgender people, who are experiencing great distress due to discrimination and prejudice because they are transgender, from accessing help from expert medical and mental health providers at the exact time they desperately need professional care and support.

USPATH also calls on our members to educate their communities on the need for gender affirming care to not only help all transgender people thrive but prevent the devastating consequences that come from denying life-saving care.

Click here for the pdf statement.

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