WASHINGTON, May 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Whitman-Walker
Institute, which leverages research, policy, and education to
advance health equity nationwide, says it's standing by to further
inform the chair of the U.S. House Committee on Education and the
Workforce and others about the strong and well-established body of
evidence about medical care for transgender people.
Transgender people deserve access to
necessary medical care that's backed by decades of scientific &
medical evidence.
Dr. Kellan Baker, Executive
Director of Whitman-Walker Institute, and an expert in transgender
health, says transgender people — like all people — deserve access
to necessary medical care that's backed by decades of scientific
and medical evidence. He noted that the May
15th committee hearing featured extensive and intentional
distortions of this evidence base in an attempt to mislead the
American public and further advance the medically unsound and
discriminatory bans on this care that are currently on the books in
more than 20 states.
"We're grateful committee member Rep. Mark Takano of California very appropriately entered into the
official record Whitman-Walker Institute's bibliography documenting
the strong and well-established body of evidence, developed over
decades, that demonstrates that individualized and age-appropriate
medical care for transgender people, including transgender youth,
improves mental health and overall well-being. These peer-reviewed
research studies and systematic reviews have been published in
major scientific journals such as the New England Journal of
Medicine, Journal of Adolescent Health, Pediatrics, and The
Lancet," says Baker.
Baker points out that the research shows the positive effects of
this care include decreases in depression, anxiety, and suicidal
ideation, as well as improvements in quality of life and body
satisfaction. He urges everyone to review the existing scientific
research so there can be no further confusion.
The hearing also focused on the recent Affordable Care Act
Section 1557 regulation, which was released in April by the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services. Section 1557 prohibits
discrimination in health insurance coverage and health care
nationwide on the basis of race, color, national origin, age,
disability, and sex. The new regulation follows the U.S. Supreme
Court in clarifying that prohibited sex discrimination includes
discrimination on the basis of gender identity and sexual
orientation. These protections are critical for the health and
well-being of LGBTQ people, who continue to be subjected to
harassment, denial of care, and even assault when seeking vital
healthcare services.
Whitman-Walker Institute is affiliated with Whitman-Walker
Health, a clinic serving thousands of transgender patients, which
was the lead plaintiff in a 2020 federal lawsuit brought to reverse
the then-Trump administration's weakening of Section 1557's
nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ+ people.
About Whitman-Walker Institute
Whitman-Walker
Institute is a Washington, D.C.
based organization that leverages cutting-edge research, policy,
and education to advance health equity at the federal level and in
states across the country. We bring to this work expertise in
rigorous research and health policy analysis, deep relationships
with state and federal policymakers, longstanding partnerships
across multiple justice movements, and the direct service
experience of Whitman-Walker Health, a Federally Qualified Health
Center that serves thousands of diverse patients across the D.C.
area and beyond. The Institute is home to nationally
recognized experts in areas of policy such as LGBTQI+ health
equity, care for transgender people, insurance reform, social
determinants of health, HIV prevention and treatment, and sexual
orientation and gender identity data collection. More info can be
found at: www.whitman-walker.org/institute/
About Whitman-Walker
For over fifty years,
Whitman-Walker has been part of the fabric of the local
Washington, DC community as well
as to our nation as first responder and care-provider for those
living with HIV; a leader in LGBTQI+ care and advocacy; a research
center working to discover breakthroughs in HIV treatment and
prevention science; and one of the DC's most trusted partners
during the current COVID-19 pandemic. Whitman-Walker envisions a
society where all people are seen for who they are, treated with
dignity and respect, and afforded equal opportunity to health and
wellbeing. More info can be found at: www.whitman-walker.org.
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SOURCE Whitman-Walker Institute