John,
This week, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a “so-called report” that pushes “conversion therapy” and calls into question the legitimacy of gender affirming health care for transgender youth. Let's be clear: this report is an agenda-driven political attack on transgender young people and their families.
This report misrepresents research, elevates discredited studies, and ignores decades of credible, peer-reviewed evidence and the medical consensus upheld by every leading medical organization — including the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics.
We all want kids to be healthy and receive the healthcare they need—including transgender young people. This report uses lies and ignores science in attempt to push parents and doctors aside, all while allowing politicians to step in.
Contrary to the misleading claims in this report, the science is unequivocal: gender affirming health care is recognized as best practice healthcare for treating gender dysphoria. It is evidence-based, effective, and lifesaving. This holds true for both adolescents and adults. The body of research supporting gender affirming care is rigorous and is echoed daily in the real-life experiences of transgender people and their families.
Rather than being rooted in scientific inquiry, the HHS report is the outcome of harmful executive actions and is part of a broader, coordinated political campaign aimed at pushing LGBTQ+ people out of public life. It revives the deeply discredited ideology of so-called “conversion therapy” — a practice long rejected by mental health professionals for its damaging effects, and a practice banned in Virginia thanks to a 2020 law.
At Equality Virginia, we know that being transgender is a part of who someone is, that transgender people are who they are — and no politically motivated report can change that.
We stand in unwavering solidarity with transgender, non-binary, and gender-expansive youth in Virginia and nationwide. You deserve access to health care and the freedom to live a full life without political interference.
You are seen, you are supported, and you are loved.
We've Got You,
Equality Virginia Team
