Last week, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) voiced their support for gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth in the face of years of legislative attacks on the trans community.
AAP represents 67,000 pediatricians throughout the U.S. and has been voicing their support for transgender medical care for years, also voting in 2018 to support transgender medical treatments. A release from the group on Aug. 4 with statements from the organization’s CEO and Executive Director Mark Del Monte reads “As part of its mission, the AAP will continue to ‘ensure young people get the reproductive and gender-affirming care they need, and are seen, heard, and valued as they are.’”
The group also voted to expand and review their research and provide additional evidence-based guidance for pediatricians on how to care for these patients.
Various other medical groups have similarly backed gender-affirming care, including the American Medical Association, the World Health Organization, and the American Psychiatric Association, amongst others.
The New York Times reports that just this year “17 states have enacted bans or significant new restrictions on some or all gender-affirming care for minors, most ending the use of cross-sex hormones and puberty blockers.” Conversely, in blue states, legislation is being passed to protect trans youth.
Many other bills have been proposed over the years to curb trans youth from using bathrooms and participating in sports, and in some states like Florida, bills have been introduced that limit the number of medical providers who can care for trans adults.
