Vic Parsons

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Google, Meta, Apple and more unite against Texas governor’s cruel attack on trans kids

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More than 60 companies, including Apple, Google and Ikea, are calling on Texas governor Greg Abbott to drop his “discriminatory” order for parents of trans kids to be investigated for child abuse.

In an advert in the Dallas Morning News, the businesses demanded Abbott “abandon efforts to write discrimination into law and policy”.

Meta, Johnson & Johnson, Ikea, PayPal, Capital One, Electronic Arts and many more firms all signed the ad, which ran in the paper on Friday (11 March).

“The recent attempt to criminalise a parent for helping their transgender child access medically necessary, age-appropriate healthcare in the state of Texas goes against the values of our companies,” the ad says.

The companies added: “It’s not just wrong, it has an impact on our employees, our customers, their families, and our work.”

Abbott’s 22 February order demands that state agencies in Texas “conduct prompt and thorough investigations” of gender-affirming healthcare for trans youth, including surgeries (which are not routinely, if ever, accessible to under-18s) and puberty blockers.

He called this healthcare “abusive” and said officials who failed to report it could face jail time. The order also requires teachers, doctors and civilians to report parents of trans children to the authorities and says the parents should incur criminal penalties for supporting their trans kids.

Abbott’s order comes in the wake of Texas attorney general Ken Paxton calling trans healthcare “monstrous and tragic” and claiming it “remains medically impossible to truly change the sex of an individual because this is determined biologically at conception” – a statement Abbott said he agrees with.

Both men’s comments about trans healthcare align with the position of “gender critical” activists in the UK, who maintain that it is not possible to change sex.

“Texas state leaders are forcing parents of transgender kids to decide between abandoning their lives, quitting their jobs, and leaving the state or fostering a safe, inclusive environment for their child,” Joni Madison, Human Rights Campaign interim president, told Axios.

Pressure from corporations has had some success in pushing back against anti-trans political efforts in recent years, notably with getting rid of the so-called “bathroom bill” in North Carolina.

In 2016, hundreds of business leaders urged the repeal of North Carolina’s HB2, and multiple celebrities pulled out of appearances in the state, including Ringo Starr and Bruce Springsteen.

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Trans teen who died by suicide was turned away by urgent mental health care services

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A trans teen died by suicide while waiting to access mental health care and a first appointment at a gender identity clinic, with a coroner warning that future deaths are possible unless action is taken.

Daniel France, a 17-year-old teenager from Cambridgeshire, killed himself during the first coronavirus lockdown in April 2020 while taking medication to treat depression.

He was trans, and had been referred to an NHS gender clinic – but, like thousands of others, faced several years of waiting before he would be called for his first appointment.

France, described as “extremely kind” and someone who had “many friends” by a local LGBT+ group, also had a history of suicide attempts, said  coroner Philip Barlow.

In a report to “prevent future deaths” following an inquest into France’s suicide, Barlow told local agencies to address the delays in accessing mental health services for young adults, and noted concerns around the waiting times for NHS gender clinics.

“Danny was a vulnerable teenager,” Barlow wrote in his coroners report, adding that two separate safeguarding referrals to Cambridgeshire County Council about France had been “incorrectly” closed.

According to the report, France sought counselling from the NHS’ Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme, but was deemed too high risk. When he was assessed by Cambridge’s First Response Service, which supports people experiencing a mental health crisis, it was decided he did not ‘require urgent intervention’. He had been referred to adult mental health services, having previously been under a young person’s service, but was still awaiting assessment.

The coroner noted that France “was repeatedly assessed as not meeting the criteria for urgent intervention” and that the “waiting list for psychological therapy was likely to be over a year from point of first presentation”.

The inquest also heard “evidence about the considerable delay in obtaining appointments for the Gender Identity Clinic, and about the shortage of availability for psychological therapies such as CBT”.

Barlow warned: “In my opinion there is a risk that future deaths could occur unless action is taken.”

A copy of Barlow’s coroners report has been sent to NHS England and the secretary of state for health, Sajid Javid “for information purposes only”. The local council and NHS trust have been given 56 days to respond to Barlow’s concerns on mental health care provision

The Kite Trust, a local charity that runs support groups for young LGBT+ people that France attended, warned about the “hostile society” that trans people, and especially young trans people, currently face in the UK.

“What Danny faced, and what trans people of all ages continue to face, is a society that is hostile to our very existence,” said Pip Gardner, chief executive of The Kite Trust, in an emailed statement. “Using the wrong name or pronouns for a trans person, is not just a spelling mistake – it causes emotional harm and breaks down trust.”

They continued: “The responsibility must be on those with statutory duties and in positions to safeguard young people’s welfare, especially crisis services, to take immediate action to ensure that other trans young people like Danny can access the care they are entitled to, without having to endure such harms.”

Suicide is preventable. Readers who are affected by the issues raised in this story are encouraged to contact Samaritans on 116 123 (www.samaritans.org), or Mind on 0300 123 3393 (www.mind.org.uk). ​Readers in the US are encouraged to contact the National Suicide Prevention Line on 1-800-273-8255.

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Trans Pride flag planted on Antarctica’s highest peak to celebrate community’s ‘resilience’

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The trans Pride flag has been planted on the peak of Antarctica’s highest mountain, Vinson Massif, by trans climber Erin Parisi.

Dedicating her achievement to “the resilience of the trans community” that “took me in when I had no hope”, Parisi said trans people “showed me that it’s better to be visible and free, than live in self-imposed exile, and that stigma withers when we visibly embrace our truth”.

Parisi added, in an Instagram post: “We’ve been pushed down, often even beat up, and faced every kind of coldness through our lives – our resilience keeps us rising to the top.”

She reached the 4,892 metre summit of Vinson Massif on 26 December after setting off for Antarctica on 18 December.

Reaching the highest point in Antarctica is part of Parisi’s years-long attemptto be the first openly trans woman to complete the “Seven Summits”: a mountaineering challenge to climb to the highest point of each of the planet’s seven continents.

Antarctica’s Vinson Massif was Parisi’s fifth peak of the seven summits: she still has Mount Denali, in Alaska, and Mount Everest, the highest peak in the world, left to go.https://www.instagram.com/p/CYG_ja7uTPa/embed/?cr=1&v=14&wp=996&rd=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pinknews.co.uk&rp=%2F2022%2F01%2F03%2Ftrans-pride-flag-seven-summits-antarctica-erin-parisi%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A0%2C%22os%22%3A1040%2C%22ls%22%3A825.0000000000001%2C%22le%22%3A848%7D

Speaking to PinkNews in July 2020, when she’d reached four of the seven peaks, Parisi also spoke about resilience when thinking about ascending Mount Everest as an openly trans climber: “When I look at Everest, I really very much see it as our way to be resilient, and to show that story of strength and recovery and resilience.”

She also described climbing Russia’s Mount Elbrus in June 2018. She didn’t fly a trans flag at the summit – the rainbow Pride flag is considered anti-family propaganda in Russia, and Erin knew she couldn’t face two weeks in a Russian prison – but she made a ‘T’ symbol with her hands at the top.

“That T is kind of my little rebellion where it’s like, you know, I’m trans and I’m on top of this mountain, the highest point in Europe, and this is this is who I am.”

Erin Parisi wants to fly the trans Pride flag on top of Mount Everest
Erin Parisi making a ‘T’ sign for Trans Pride on the peak of Mount Elbrus, Russia – Europe’s highest mountain – in 2018. (Supplied)

As well summiting Vinson Massif in 2021, Parisi has climbed Argentina’s Aconcagua, in 2019; Russia’s Mount Elbrus, in 2018; Tanazania’s Mount Kilimanjaro, on International Women’s Day (8 March) in 2018; and Australia’s Mount Kosciuszko, also in 2018.

For each summit, Parisi takes a trans Pride flag – the pink, white and blue flag designed by trans Navy veteran Monica Helms – to plant at the peak.

Helms is aware of Parisi’s mission: “She said it’s her life’s dream to see it sit on top of Mount Everest. I did commit to Monica that I would bring a trans flag to the top of Everest.”

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Activist and ‘trailblazer for LGBT+ rights across America’ Jim Toy dies, 91

Pioneering Chinese-American gay rights activist and social worker Jim Toy, widely considered to be the first gay man to come out publicly in Michigan, has died at the age of 91.

Toy died on 1 January, according to Washtenaw county commissioner Jason Morgan, who shared the news on social media.

“Jim Toy was and will always be a champion for LGBTQ rights and the our community,” said Morgan. “He was a mentor, friend and someone I admired. I am honoured to have known Jim.”

Morgan added that Toy helped pass LGBT+ protections throughout Washtenaw county, founded the first on-campus LGBT+ resource centre at the University of Michigan, and spent his life fighting for LGBT+ equality – so much so, that he was the namesake of the The Jim Toy Community Center, a resource for the community in Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, and greater Washtenaw County.

Toy came out as gay at a rally in Detroit in 1970, where he was representing the Detroit Gay Liberation Front, of which he was a founding member.

In 2015, Toy described this moment to the Ann Arbor News: “Our speaker at the anti-Vietnam War rally in Detroit said he wasn’t going to speak, so finally I spoke, and I came out. That was April 15, 1970.”

Toy was a trained clinical social worker, who graduated from the University of Michigan and then worked at the university, first as a diversity coordinator and then helping to establish the university’s human sexuality office – the first on-campus centre in history dedicated to supporting people from sexual-minority groups.

He also founded the Ann Arbor Gay Hotline in 1972, wrote the city’s sexual orientation non-discrimination policy, and in 1971 was appointed to the Diocesan Commission on Homosexuality by the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan – helping to inspire more support for LGBT+ people within Christian churches.

A regular at political rallies and a trailblazer for gay rights, Toy said in 2020: “I am committed to making as much trouble as I can to create and maintain justice.”

Remembering Jim Toy, many spoke to how he had advocated for the gay community since the 1970s, when he raised awareness of anti-gay discrimination and wrote policies to protect the gay community.

Congresswoman Debbie Dingell said Toy was a “champion for equality”.

“He was a trailblazer not only for LGBTQ rights in Michigan but across the country. And he was a dear friend to me and John. Throughout his life, he worked to ensure that Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County communities were safe spaces where residents could live with pride in who they are and without fear of discrimination.

“Often I think about Jim’s words, ‘I am committed to making as much trouble as I can to create and maintain justice.’ He fought with every bone in his body to support the LGBTQ community, to fight for marriage equality, to ensure protections for so many.

“Love continues to win because of the dedication that Jim put into his work. We owe so much to him and it’s on all of us to ensure his legacy continues. I’m thinking about his family, friends, and the Ann Arbor community as we mourn this great loss.”

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Lithuania will finally allow trans people to change name without surgery

Trans people in Lithuania will finally be allowed to change their legal name without undergoing gender-reassignment surgery.

Justice minister Evelina Dobrovolska signed the order permitting legal name changes on 31 December.

However, trans people who wish to change their name on official documents will still have to obtain a certificate from a Lithuanian or EU healthcare establishment of “diagnosed transgenderism”.

The new regulation comes into force on 2 February and will be “an important step that will help Lithuania to ensure partial implementation of the ruling the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) issued more than a decade ago, as well as the consolidation of human rights standards”, the justice ministry said, according to Lithuanian news outlet Delfi.

Trans rights in Lithuania

In 2007, a 28-year-old trans man won his case against Lithuania in the ECHRover the state’s failure to provide him with legal documents in his correct gender.

The seven judges ruled that Lithuania had to implement new legislation on gender reassignment within three months or pay damages.

During the 2007 case, the Court observed that Lithuanian law had recognised trans people’s right to change not only their gender but also their civil status. However, there was a gap in the relevant legislation: the law regulating gender-reassignment surgery, although drafted, had yet to be adopted.

In the meantime, no suitable medical facilities were reasonably accessible in Lithuania.

Lithuania yet to introduce marriage equality

Under EU law all member states must “facilitate” LGBT+ citizens, meaning they must be kept free from discrimination.

Homosexuality was only decriminalised in the majority-Catholic country in 1993, and the constitution still defines marriage as between a man and a woman.

Gitanas Nausėda, president of Lithuania, has been vocal about his belief in what he calls traditional family values.

He has rallied against what he termed “genderist propaganda” and has said that marriage is between a man and a woman.

“As a president of the Lithuanian Republic, I will use my powers to make sure it is so,” he said at a rally in May 2021, as citizens protested against draft legislation that would permit same-sex civil unions.

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Private schools’ ban on trans girls is legally ‘unwise at best’, experts say

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A leading group of girls’ schools has updated its admissions policy to exclude trans girls from being admitted as students.

The almost-blanket ban on trans girls has been implemented because, the group says, to let trans girls become pupils would jeopardise the schools’ status as single-sex. However, the policy encourages schools to support, affirm and include trans boys and non-binary students.

This decision has been called “unwise at best” by legal experts, who say that case law and statutory guidance suggests that a case-by-case approach – which the policy advises schools to take in the case of trans boys and non-binary people applying to become pupils – is “most legally defensible” as well as “the fairest way to proceed”.

The policy comes from the Girls Day School Trust (GDST), a group of 25 independent schools in England and Wales that charge fees and are subject to fewer regulations than state-funded schools in the UK.

In a December 2021 update to its “Gender Identity Policy”, the GDST says it aims to set a framework for “how the GDST will support students in relation to gender identity, while recognising the fundamental principle that support will always need to be individualised and based upon acting in a student’s best interests”.

While the policy is inclusive towards trans boys and non-binary people, saying that applications from these students should be “carefully considered on a case-by-case basis”, it also places a ban on trans girls from being admitted to a GDST school.

Girls Day School Trust will admit girls ‘based on legal sex’

“The GDST is committed to single-sex education for girls,” says the six-page GDST policy, seen by PinkNews. “Admissions to GDST schools are based on the prospective student’s legal sex as recorded on their birth certificate.”

Under the UK’s gender recognition laws, only trans men and women over the age of 18 are able to correct their legal sex on their birth certificate. In the UK, pupils typically turn 18 in their final year of school – meaning the policy bans all but a tiny, if not non-existent, group of trans girls who have legal gender recognition being GDST students.

This is confirmed by the policy, which continues: “GDST schools are able to operate a single-sex admissions policy, without breaching the Equality Act 2010 on the basis of an exemption relating to biological sex.

“The GDST believes that an admissions policy based on gender identity rather than the legal sex recorded on a student’s birth certificate would jeopardise the status of GDST schools as single-sex schools under the act.

“For this reason, GDST schools do not accept applications from students who are legally male. We will, however, continue to monitor the legal interpretation of this exemption.”

Legal experts warn school trans policy is ‘unwise at best’

The Trans Legal Project, which monitors developments in British law as they affect trans rights, told PinkNews that the new GDST policy is “unwise at best” and that there are two main legal concerns.

“Does admitting a trans girl remove the single-sex status of a girl’s school?” a spokesperson from the Trans Legal Project said. “Our strong view is that admitting a trans girl does not jeopardise the single-sex status of a girl’s school and the GDST is wrong about this.”

And secondly, the spokesperson said, “the law is not clear” on whether “a girls’ school [can] simply refuse to admit a trans girl” – which is why “the GDST policy is unwise at best”.

“Case law and statutory guidance covering gender reassignment in other areas suggest a case-by-case approach should always be taken,” the spokesperson added. “This would seem to be the most legally defensible and the fairest way to proceed.”

Making the law about single-sex exceptions clearer for service providers was one of the recommendations of a recent inquiry by a cross-party group of MP’s into gender recognition laws.

The Women and Equalities Committee, chaired by Tory MP Caroline Nokes, published the results of its year-long inquiry on 22 December.

As well as making various recommendations to improve and streamline the gender recognition process for trans adults, the committee said there needs to be “better guidance on the single-sex and separate-sex exceptions” and urged the government to produce it, including “worked examples and case studies” made “in collaboration with trans rights groups, on best practice to provide trans and non-binary inclusive and specific services”.

Cheryl Giovannoni, chief executive of GDST, said in a statement that “first and foremost” the principle of the policy is to “offer a supportive educational environment to those students who are exploring their gender identity or in the process of transitioning”.

“Our trans students are welcome in our schools and our policy primarily sets out ways in which schools can support them,” she said. “A trans student already at our school can remain at the school for as long as they wish to do so. Young people exploring their gender identity need space and time to make decisions, free of pressure.”

Giovannoni added that GDST schools “are able to operate a single-sex admissions policy, without breaching the Equality Act 2010 on the basis of an exemption relating to biological sex”.

“Under current laws and guidance, the GDST believes that an admissions policy based on gender identity rather than the legal sex recorded on a student’s birth certificate could jeopardise the status of GDST schools as single-sex schools under the act. We will continue to monitor the legal interpretation of this exemption.”

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Gender-affirming hormone therapy saves trans kids’ lives. study proves

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Giving gender-affirming hormone therapy to young trans people who want it significantly decreases the risk of suicidal ideation, suicide attempts and depression, according to a landmark study.

Trans youth who take gender-affirming hormone therapy are nearly 40 per cent less likely to have been depressed or attempted suicide in the last year compared with trans youth who want hormones but don’t receive them, the study has revealed.ADVERTISING

Researchers at the Trevor Project, a US-based LGBT+ suicide prevention organisation, published their peer-reviewed findings in the Journal of Adolescent Health on 14 December.https://cdn.3lift.com/pharma/eylea_0121/index_A.html?w=250&h=47Take Control of Wet AMDSponsored by EYLEASee more

More than 9,000 trans and non-binary young people, aged between 13 and 24, took part in the online study last year.

Half of the trans and non-binary youth surveyed were not using gender-affirming hormone therapy but wanted to, while 36 per cent were not interested. Fourteen per cent of those surveyed were taking gender-affirming hormone therapy.

The study also found that parental support of a young person’s trans identity plays a strong role in whether or not they can access gender-affirming hormone therapy, with nearly 80 per cent of those on hormones reporting that at least one of their parents supported their gender identity.

“It’s clear that gender-affirming care has the potential to reduce rates of depression and suicide attempts, while banning this vital care and exposing young people to harmful political rhetoric can cause real harm,” said Amit Paley, CEO and executive director of The Trevor Project.

“It’s critical that all transgender and non-binary youth across the country have access to medical care that is affirming, patient-centred and evidence-based.”

The study comes as a wave of Republican-backed anti-trans bills are seeking to restrict trans youth’s access to gender-affirming healthcare in multiple US states.

In a statement about the Trevor Project’s latest study, Dr Amy Green, vice-president of research, said: “This study emphasises the potential benefits of gender-affirming hormone therapy as a mechanism to reduce feelings of gender dysphoria and minority stress among transgender and non-binary youth – thereby working to improve mental health outcomes and prevent suicide.

“These data should serve as a call to action to resist blanket bans on gender-affirming medical care and to invest in more research on this topic so that youth and their families can make evidence-informed decisions regarding care.”

Multiple studies show giving trans kids gender-affirming healthcare saves lives

While it’s the first study of this scale to look at hormone therapy and trans and non-binary youth, the findings are supported by several studies from recent years that also found giving trans youth access to gender-affirming care has a positive impact on their mental health.

These include a 2020 study in Pediatrics that found access to puberty blockers for trans youth who want them reduces their suicide risk in the short- and long-term, as well as reducing their likelihood of developing mental-health problems; a 2021 study in PLOS One that found the majority of trans teens who take puberty blockers to treat gender dysphoria are happier and report having a positive experience of the treatment; and a 2021 study in Pediatrics that found shorter gender clinic waiting times – getting trans youth access to gender-affirming healthcare sooner – leads to lower levels of depression and anxiety.

Gender-affirming healthcare includes hormone therapy and surgeries, and also speech therapy, family therapy, counselling, puberty blockers and hair removal.

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UK urged to change ‘outdated and discriminatory’ birth certificate rules for LGBT+ families

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The British government’s policy on birth registration “is outdated and discriminatory” against LGBT+ people and their children, a new petition states.

Currently, the children of many queer and trans parents face a lifetime of disadvantage because birth registration policy doesn’t legally recognise their family structure. This means these children have inaccurate birth certificates, putting them at risk of discrimination and harassment for their entire lives.

This situation is particularly acute for families where one or more parents are trans or non-binary: as PinkNews reported last month, an archaic UK law from the 1950s insists whoever gives birth to a baby can only be recorded as the mother on the birth certificate.

“UK birth registration is outdated and discriminatory,” says a petition calling on the government to equally recognise LGBT+ parents, which has been signed by more than 2,000 people.

The petition continues: “Birth certificates should record legal parenthood. Parents need the choice to register according to their legal gender or gender neutrally. The gender neutral ‘parent’ label should be available to anyone to choose.

“All legal parents, including through surrogacy, must be recognised from conception and allowed to register on their child’s birth certificate.”

The petition is part of a campaign by trans dad and journalist Freddy McConnell, who lost a four-year legal battle to be named his child’s dad on their birth certificate.

McConnell is now planning to give birth to his second child abroad, in Sweden – where trans men who give birth can be listed as parent or father – so that his baby will have an accurate birth certificate. This journey will be documented by filmmakers as part of the campaign for equal recognition for LGBT+ families in the UK.

You can support the campaign for equal recognition for LGBT+ parents by signing the petition here and donating to the crowdfunder for documentary My Trans Family here.

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Parents sue school for letting kids use chosen name and pronouns without their permission

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A group of parents in Wisconsin, US, have filed a lawsuit against their children’s school over a policy that allows students to go by their chosen name and pronouns without telling their parents.

The parents claim that by allowing children to use different pronouns or a different name, the school has violated their “fundamental constitutional right” to “raise their children”.

Studies have found that consistently using the correct name or pronouns for young trans people reduces the likelihood they will become anxious, depressed and suicidal. Attempting to persuade a child not to be trans, also known as “conversion therapy”, has the opposite effect and has been found to cause “severe psychological distress”.

The parents’ lawsuit is being brought by the Alliance Defending Freedom, a Christian law firm that supports making consensual LGBT+ sex illegal and has been designated an anti-LGBT+ hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center since 2016.

Conservative non-profit Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, known for opposing trans student Gavin Grimm’s long-running legal fight to be allowed to use the boys’ bathrooms at school, is also backing the case. In August, after seven years of court cases, Grimm won $1.3 million in compensation for the school’s refusal to let him use the boys’ bathrooms.

“The Kettle Moraine School District has violated this foundational right by undermining and overriding parents’ decision-making role with respect to a major and controversial issue,” the lawsuit states.

It continues: “Specifically, the district has adopted a policy to allow, facilitate, and ‘affirm’ a minor student’s request to transition to a different gender identity at school – without parental consent and even over the parents’ objection.”

The lawsuit also cites Kenneth Zucker, a discredited Canadian doctor who was sacked from a gender identity clinic because of concerns about his attempts to “cure” trans children, referencing his 1995 book as evidence that “the causes of transgenderism and gender dysphoria are still largely unknown”.

The parents claim that one of them was “forced” to withdraw their child from the school in order to “protect [him] and to preserve their parental role”.

The lawsuit suggests that this 12-year-old is a trans boy, who, according to the legal filing, had begun questioning his gender in December 2020. After expressing his wish to “adopt a new male name and use male pronouns” at school – which his parents decided would “not be in their [sons] best interest” – the parents called the school to ask that staff continue using his legal name and female pronouns.

The principle of the school refused, saying that “school staff would refer to [him] using whatever name and pronouns [he] wanted while at school, even over [his] parents’ objection”.

This policy of “allowing minor students to socially transition to a different gender identity at school without parental consent, and even over the parents’ objection”, the lawsuit alleges, violates their rights as parents.

According to The Guardian, the school did not respond to requests for comment, citing the pending litigation.

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Texas’ only gender clinic for trans kids closes after campaign of hate

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The only public gender clinic for young trans people in the US state of Texas has closed after attacks by anti-trans activists.

The move comes amid rising tensions in the state over gender-affirming care for young trans people, with transphobic activists targeting officials at the hospital where the gender clinic was based and accusing them of promoting child abuse.

Last month, Texas became the 10th US state to sign into law a transphobic bill banning trans students from playing school sports on the teams corresponding to their gender.

The GENder Education and Care, Interdisciplinary Support program (GENECIS) was the first clinic of its kind in the Southwest, bringing mental health services, hormone specialists and young adult care together in one place.

GENECIS confirmed in a statement that existing patients would continue to receive treatment, but that while new patients referred into the hospital would be seen for diagnosis, including evaluation for gender dysphoria, they will not be offered puberty blockers or hormone replacement therapy.

“Pediatric endocrinology, psychiatry and adolescent and young adult care coordinated through this program are now managed and coordinated through each specialty department,” the statement says, according to the Texas Tribune.

It continues: “We do not anticipate any interruption of care or services for our existing patients who already receive care with these specialty teams.

“The choice to remove branding for this care offers a more private, insulated experience for patients and their families.”

The GENECIS closure comes less than two months after officials at the Children’s Medical Center Dallas, where the program was based, told The Dallas Express that the service was vital for young people with gender dysphoria and was helping to reduce the “significant suffering and extraordinarily high suicide” rates among trans youth.

“With a suicide attempt rate of up to 41 per cent for children and adolescents with gender dysphoria, there is a need for comprehensive care for these youth,” officials were quoted as saying in an email to the Dallas Express.

The email continued: “Given the significant suffering and extraordinarily high suicide rate in these children, offering a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach is needed to help treat this medical problem.”

Anti-trans activists who had targeted GENECIS repeated many of the Republican talking points opposing gender-affirming healthcare for young trans people, including falsely claiming that it is dangerous, irreversible or experimental.

The fact that doctors trying to “save lives” by treating young trans people had been harassed is “heartbreaking”, said Ricardo Martinez, the chief executive of LGBT+ campaign group Equality Texas.

“Accessing healthcare can be a courageous act for many LGBTQ+ people because of how difficult it is to find providers who are knowledgeable about our needs and the poor treatment we have experienced by insurers and/or providers in the past,” Martinez said.

News of the gender clinic closing comes at the end of Trans Awareness Week, during which billboards reading “Protect trans youth” and “Trans lives are precious” were towed on trucks around Austin, Texas, in solidarity with trans Texans.

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