Gender Diversity Expert, Parent Whisperer & Speaker
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What is gender-affirming care? This excerpt is taken from my blog, Society is my Problem; NOT my Kid.
“Gender-affirming care, as defined by the World Health Organization, includes medical and non-medical interventions that support an individual’s gender identity when that identity conflicts with the gender they were assigned at birth. Three of the United States’ major medical associations and lobbying groups all publicly support gender-affirming care.
The American Medical Association (AMA) “believes that gender-affirming care is medically necessary and improves the physical and mental health of transgender and gender-diverse people.” In June 2023, the AMA passed a resolution to “oppose any and all criminal and other legal penalties’ for patients and their families attempting to access gender-affirming medical care; to protect doctors from physical and legal threats that arise from providing such care; and to ‘advocate against state and federal legislation that would prohibit or limit gender-affirming care.”
In August 2023, The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) reaffirmed its support for gender-affirming care for transgender youth including recommendations for the establishment of Federal protections of gender-affirming care, as well as advocating as an organization for gender-affirming care as a human right.​
Finally, The American Psychiatric Association (APA) supports gender-affirming care for transgender and gender-diverse individuals and their families. A 2022 study led by the APA found that individuals who received gender-affirming care had a lowered risk of depression and suicidality for a 12-month period following treatment."