Assistant Secretary for Health Dr Rachel Levine, who is male-to-female transgender, said last week that giving minors who identify as trans “gender-affirming” care is not only “life-saving,” but “medically necessary,” and that people should vote Democrat in November to make sure children get these medical interventions.
Speaking to an online Pride Month Town Hall organised by the Democrats, Levine, who was introduced as a “true trailblazer” within the LGBT community, praised the “Biden-Harris” administration for “ensuring the LGBTQ community has a seat at the table,” standing in “stark contrast” to actions taken by Republicans at the state and local level.
“Opponents of LGBT equality have targeted trans and queer youth to score political points, all to distract from the fact that they don’t have any solutions to the problems that we face today,” Levine said, attacking legislation and orders made by Republicans to protect children from so-called “gender-affirming” care, something Levine argued was actually a good thing. “Every major medical association agrees,” Levine added.
“Gender-affirming care is life-saving, medically necessary, age-appropriate, and a critical tool for healthcare providers,” said the transgender official. “As a paediatrician, when it comes to making sure kids are healthy and happy, I know how important care that affirms someone’s true identity can be.”
Biden official Rachel Levine: Sex reassignment surgery and puberty blockers for KIDS is “lifesaving, medically necessary, age appropriate, and a critical tool” pic.twitter.com/OwSOA3cjj8
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So-called “gender-affirming care” for trans minors includes not only psychological therapy, but also puberty-blockers, hormone therapy, and surgical procedures, such as mastectomies and penectomies.
Earlier this month, the Florida Health Department, under Governor Ron DeSantis, warned of the dangers of “gender-affirming care,” arguing that despite Levine’s assertions that it is “life-saving [and] medically necessary,” the evidence that actually supports such a conclusion is “extraordinarily weak.”
“The current standards set by numerous professional organizations appear to follow a preferred political ideology instead of the highest level of generally accepted medical science,” wrote Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo, arguing that “children and adolescents… will continue to face a substantial risk of long-term harm” if they are treated with “gender-affirming care.”
Levine finished the speech by confirming that those who vote Democrat in November will allow them to “continue to fight to ensure that everyone, including trans and queer youth, can access the healthcare that they need.”
