Press Release...

This afternoon there was a protest against trans children healthcare by a little known group and here is the press release from the Connecticut TransAdvoacy Coalition against the protest...

February 14, 2020

For Immediate Release:

We at the Connecticut TransAdvocacy Coalition (CTAC) are strongly committed to supporting our transgender, non-binary, gender diverse, and gender-nonconforming youth, and so denounce a protest happening today at the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center. This protest, happening from 1:00 to 2:00 pm at the Washington Street entrance of the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, supports harmful and scientifically inaccurate rhetoric that denounces the use of gender-affirming medicine, and in particular, puberty blockers, for youth. Such rhetoric is a threat to the health, happiness and essential human rights of transgender, non-binary, gender diverse, and gender-nonconforming youth.

The World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), a leading health organization for transgender healthcare, routinely produces international clinical protocols outlining the recommended assessment and treatment for transgender, non-binary, gender diverse and gender-nonconforming individuals. Puberty suppressing hormones have long been tested and used to benefit youth, as they are a safe and effective way to provide youth with more time to explore their gender, and to prevent the traumatic experience of undergoing a puberty that does not fit with their own experience, and which may make unnecessary bodily changes which may require extensive treatment to address. Puberty suppressing hormone treatment is also endorsed by impartial medical organizations, such as the Endocrine Society and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Contrary to what proponents argue, these treatments are not only safe, but life-saving for transgender, non-binary, gender diverse and gender non-conforming youth. A 2020 study in the Journal of Pediatrics found that gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth is associated with better mental health in adulthood. This study adds to a growing amount of peer-reviewed, evidence-based research that tells us what we at CTAC, and our communities, already know: gender-affirming medicine is not only crucial for our communities, it is an essential human right for all transgender, non-binary, gender diverse and gender non-conforming individuals. 

In the coming weeks, CTAC will be connecting with other organizations in Connecticut to reaffirm our commitment to our youth population. With the recent blow to the rights of transgender athletes in Connecticut and the specific targeting of the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center for this national protest, it is clear that those who oppose the rights of transgender, non-binary, gender diverse and gender non-conforming individuals now see Connecticut as a battleground state for lawsuits and policies that they hope to take nationwide. We must come together to protect and support some of our most vulnerable community members: our youth! Please follow CTAC’s website and social media for future releases.