Top Public Health Official Seeks to Combat Transgender Disinformation
Dr Levine motivated by anti-trans state legislation
Health professionals and others must speak out and combat the disinformation about gender-affirming care which is fueling the wave of anti-transgender laws in a number of states, the same as there's been a need to fight against disinformation related to COVID-19, according to one of the nation's top public health officials.
Republican-dominated states, in particular, have been passing laws limiting — or banning — transgender youth from sports, bathrooms and even from receiving medically approved gender-affirming care.
“So health professionals have a critical role to play. We must continue to expand their work to address health misinformation directly with their patients. Now, this includes but it goes beyond COVID-19,” said Dr Rachel Levine, a pediatrician who serves as the assistant secretary for health in the Biden administration. “So I’d like to just talk briefly about another area of substantial misinformation that is directly impacting health equity in our nation, and as the health equity of sexual and gender minorities.
“There is substantial misinformation about gender affirming care for transgender and gender diverse individuals. We are in this nation facing an onslaught of anti-LGBTQI+ actions at the state levels across the United States, and they are dangerous to the public health,” added Levine, herself transgender. “The positive value of gender affirming care for youth and adults is not in scientific or medical dispute. So, we all need to work together to get our voices out in the front line. We need to get our voices in the public eye.
“And we know how effective our medical community can be talking to communities, whether it’s at town halls, schools, conversations with others, and we need to use our clinicians’ voice to collectively advocate for tech companies to create a healthier, cleaner information environment,” she said. “During a moment when public trust in our leaders and our information is very challenged, the healthcare worker community, the medical community does I believe maintain a high degree of trust, and we have to utilize that and we have to utilize it effectively.”
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