Gavin Newsom signs several pro-LGBTQ+ laws, vetoes gender-affirming care and HIV coverage
https://web.brid.gy/r/https://www.advocate.com/politics/gavin-newsom-lgbtq-bills-veto
#TransgenderHealthcare
Massachusetts foster parents lose license after refusing to properly care for LGBTQ+ youth
https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://www.advocate.com/news/foster-parents-lose-license-lgbtq
57% of LGBTQ+ people have made major life changes since Donald Trump's election: report
https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://www.advocate.com/news/lgbtq-life-changes-trump-election
Will Dempsey, LICSW on Barriers to LGBTI+ Healthcare Access
Author(s): Scott Douglas Jacobsen
Publication (Outlet/Website): The Good Men Project
Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2025/04/18
Will Dempsey, LICSW, is a social worker, drag queen and queer rights advocate. He is the founder of Heads Held High Counseling, a LGBTQIA+ virtual group therapy practice supporting queer and trans individuals across Massachusetts and Illinois. Will’s innovative approach to social work seamlessly blends his creative flair with his commitment to advocacy, making mental health care both accessible and affirming for marginalized communities.
Scott Douglas Jacobsen: How have regional differences influenced legal frameworks’ stipulations for access to gender-affirming healthcare?
Will Dempsey: Regional differences in the United States have had a significant impact on the legal frameworks governing access to gender-affirming healthcare. In many states, political ideologies and cultural attitudes have driven policies that restrict access to these services. Notably, transgender youth are often highlighted as a justification for these restrictions—even though clinical guidelines suggest that only a small fraction of transgender youth pursue medical interventions. For example, studies and guidelines from organizations such as the American Academy of Pediatrics indicate that hormone replacement therapy and similar interventions are typically recommended only for a select group, with estimates suggesting that approximately 1–5% of transgender youth actually receive such treatments.
This focus on a small demographic appears to serve as a basis for broader policy restrictions. Historically, targeted policies—initially aimed at a narrowly defined group—have sometimes paved the way for more extensive limitations on rights. In the end, the focus on transgender youth seems less about genuine healthcare concerns and more about pushing a clear political agenda to restrict gender-affirming care.
Jacobsen: What challenges face transgender people seeking gender-affirming treatments?
Dempsey: Transgender people seeking gender-affirming treatments face a range of growing challenges. For example, patients are often required to obtain one or more letters from healthcare providers before undergoing procedures, yet these letters are increasingly being denied or are subject to more stringent conditions, such as requiring longer-term relationships between the provider and patient. At the same time, insurance companies are raising deductibles and increasing the frequency of premium adjustments, which disproportionately impacts transgender individuals given their statistically lower incomes.
Moreover, several conservative states have introduced restrictive legislation that labels gender-affirming treatments—especially for minors—as experimental or unapproved. Such legal measures not only add bureaucratic hurdles for healthcare providers but also threaten criminal penalties, creating a chilling effect that discourages professionals from offering these essential services.
Jacobsen: What legislative protections impact healthcare policy for transgender communities?
Dempsey: Legislative protections for transgender healthcare in the U.S. come from both federal and state measures. At the federal level, the Affordable Care Act prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex—a provision increasingly interpreted to include gender identity. In addition, many states have enacted laws that explicitly protect transgender individuals in healthcare settings. However, during the previous Trump presidency, federal protections under the ACA were rolled back and there was opposition to expanding non-discrimination safeguards. With the current Trump administration favoring state-led decision-making, only 17 states have enacted shield laws specifically safeguarding gender-affirming healthcare. This means that while protections exist today, their future remains uncertain.
Jacobsen: How can urban and rural healthcare systems provide access to comprehensive gender-affirming services?
Dempsey: Urban and rural healthcare systems can enhance access to comprehensive gender-affirming services by investing in provider education and expanding telemedicine Providers should receive regular training on transgender healthcare—covering hormone therapy, surgical procedures, and culturally competent communication—to ensure they meet the community’s unique needs. In rural areas, telemedicine and mobile clinics can bridge the gap where local specialists are scarce.
Additionally, integrated care models that combine primary care, mental health, and specialty services can streamline treatment. By partnering with local transgender organizations and advocating for protective policies and increased funding, healthcare systems can ensure that everyone, regardless of location, receives equitable and informed care.
Jacobsen: What adaptations are required for the integration of mental health supports for transgender patients?
Dempsey: Providers must be trained in cultural competency to integrate mental health supports effectively for transgender patients. This means not only mastering affirming language and communication skills but also understanding the unique experiences—such as societal rejection, discrimination, and systemic barriers—that contribute to higher rates of depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation in the transgender community. A trauma-informed approach is essential, ensuring that care is sensitive to past harms and avoids further stigmatization.
Additionally, integrating mental health support into broader healthcare systems is key. This can involve establishing multidisciplinary teams that include both primary care and specialized mental health professionals, as well as leveraging telehealth to reach underserved areas. Collaborating with community organizations and advocacy groups also helps tailor services to the specific needs of transgender patients, ensuring that mental health care is accessible, culturally sensitive, and fully integrated with overall healthcare services.
Jacobsen: What are the examples of best practices for enhanced access to gender-affirming care?
Dempsey: Best practices for enhanced access to gender-affirming care include a combination of provider education, integrated care models, and outreach strategies. Providers benefit from ongoing training in transgender healthcare, ensuring they are versed in best practice protocols and culturally competent communication. Clinics that offer multidisciplinary services—combining primary care, mental health support, hormone therapy, and surgical expertise—help streamline treatment and reduce barriers. Additionally, telemedicine and mobile outreach programs can extend services to underserved or rural areas.
Equally important are inclusive administrative practices and strong community partnerships. This means using patients’ preferred names and pronouns, creating welcoming environments, and ensuring all forms and communications are affirming. Advocacy efforts that push for broader legislative protections and improved insurance coverage further bolster these practices, ensuring that comprehensive gender-affirming care is accessible to all who need it.
Jacobsen: How are, and aren’t, policymakers, healthcare providers, and transgender advocacy groups, collaborating to meet gaps in healthcare services?
Dempsey: Policymakers, healthcare providers, and transgender advocacy groups are not fully collaborating to address the healthcare gaps for transgender communities. Many policymakers, particularly those with conservative views, have dismissed the distinct needs of transgender individuals—often asserting that individuals should only be recognized by their assigned sex at birth. As a result, legislative efforts tend to focus on basic human rights, such as non-discrimination and safety, rather than on advancing comprehensive healthcare policies tailored to transgender needs.
On the other hand, healthcare providers and advocacy groups are actively working together to bridge some of these gaps. For example, they’re collaborating with insurance companies to develop standardized letter templates for gender-affirming surgeries, which has helped reduce denials and streamline the approval process. While these practical measures show promise in improving access to care, the lack of cohesive policy-level support remains a significant barrier to fully meeting the comprehensive healthcare needs of transgender individuals.
Jacobsen: What will be the significant challenges moving forward, whether expressed by patients in practice or in observation/reading of the current culture of healthcare and public opinion?
Dempsey: Significant challenges moving forward stem from a deep-seated refusal by many to recognize transgender people as fully human. Harmful rhetoric—ranging from dehumanizing labels to baseless accusations such as “child molester”—mirrors the past stigmatization of the broader LGBTQIA+ community for the latter half of the 20th century in America and continues to fuel discrimination. This pervasive bias not only hampers efforts to advance nuanced healthcare policies but also shifts the burden to individual states, where protective measures vary widely. Until society reaches a baseline acceptance of transgender individuals, the focus on politically charged issues—especially those centering on youth—will continue to obstruct progress toward comprehensive, equitable healthcare.
Jacobsen: Thank you for the opportunity and your time, Will.
Last updated May 3, 2025. These terms govern all In Sight Publishing content—past, present, and future—and supersede any prior notices. In Sight Publishing by Scott Douglas Jacobsen is licensed under a Creative Commons BY‑NC‑ND 4.0; © In Sight Publishing by Scott Douglas Jacobsen 2012–Present. All trademarks, performances, databases & branding are owned by their rights holders; no use without permission. Unauthorized copying, modification, framing or public communication is prohibited. External links are not endorsed. Cookies & tracking require consent, and data processing complies with PIPEDA & GDPR; no data from children < 13 (COPPA). Content meets WCAG 2.1 AA under the Accessible Canada Act & is preserved in open archival formats with backups. Excerpts & links require full credit & hyperlink; limited quoting under fair-dealing & fair-use. All content is informational; no liability for errors or omissions: Feedback welcome, and verified errors corrected promptly. For permissions or DMCA notices, email: scott.jacobsen2025@gmail.com. Site use is governed by BC laws; content is “as‑is,” liability limited, users indemnify us; moral, performers’ & database sui generis rights reserved.
#genderAffirmingCare #mentalHealth #queerAdvocacy #telemedicine #transgenderHealthcare
I'm excited that my latest paper has just been published!
I looked at the legal language used attempting to restrict access to healthcare for transgender people in the U.S. last year. Lawmakers seem particularly interested in sexualized appearances, functioning genitals, and, ahem, "protecting reproductive organs of minors."
#newResearch #sociology #transgenderHealthcare #uspol
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13178-025-01176-7
Transition - The Estrogen Rollercoaster.
— Помимо недвижимости, какая самая дорогая вещь, которую вы купили?
— Операция по подтверждению гендера (gender-affirming surgery). Вопреки распространенному мнению, она не так широко доступна в NHS, и большую её часть вам приходится оплачивать самостоятельно.
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/jul/05/munroe-bergdorf-model-trans-activist-gender-affirming-surgery-interview #MunroeBergdorf #citations #GAS #transgenderhealthcare #LGBTQ
Gender Affirming Care petition for the Queensland government, because those fucking arsehole politicians keep fucking around with peoples lives for votes from hate filled bigots.
https://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/Work-of-the-Assembly/Petitions/Petition-Details?id=4202
#transgenderhealthcare
#transgenderchildren
#queensland
#fuckinggovernmentgettingintheway
Gender Affirming Care petition for the Queensland government, because those fucking arsehole politicians keep fucking around with peoples lives for votes from hate filled bigots.
https://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/Work-of-the-Assembly/Petitions/Petition-Details?id=4202
#transgenderhealthcare #transgenderchildren #queensland #fuckinggovernmentgettingintheway
Today we talk about what Labour have done to Trans right since being in power for the last few months
Tories might shout about it, and conservative types are blaming pregnancy deaths on trans people in the Telegraph.
But Labour are the evil ones enacting this on the sly
Labour transphobia enacted but not included in its manifesto;
- Puberty blocker ban,
- Transphobic prosecution guidelines,
- Asking transphobes to produce NHS exclusion guidelines
- Misleading, dishonest & dangerous child safeguarding “guidance”
- Forced outing of trans kids by schools to parents
- Exclusion of trans people from Levy “inquiry”
- Revision of Equality Act guidance
- Reappointed Falkner to the transphobic EHRC
- Updated, deeply dangerous transphobic prison housing 'guidelines'
- Changed the CPS guidance to be able to catch trans people dating https://skywriter.blue/.../jessothomso.../post/3ldjew4fsas2t
This is why we have a 4 year plan, because we are being targeted relentlessly under the radar.
#LGBT #queer #LGBTQ #pride #TransRightsAreHumanRights #NonBinary #Portsmouth #bisexual #lesbian #lesbianpride #gayman #TransDay #transfeminine #transfemme #transwomenarewomen #transpride🌈 #transpride #transmasc #transman #TransgenderHealthcare #transgenderawareness #transgenderlivesmatter #transgenderrights #transgender #transition #trans #transproud #transprideflag #notofascism #nonbinary
Nachdem das #Regenbogenportal (https://www.regenbogenportal.de/) am 29.11. dicht macht, ziehe ich hier mal etwas raus, was ich noch nicht kannte:
---
LSBTI* in Pflege und Medizin
Grundlagen und Handlungsempfehlungen zur Versorgung queerer Menschen
Eine gute #Gesundheitsversorgung ist bedarfsgerecht, möglichst niedrigschwellig erreichbar für alle, die sie benötigen, und frei von Diskriminierung. Dazu gehört auch, dass die individuelle Lebensweise der behandlungssuchenden Person mitbedacht wird. Das Buch „LSBTI* in Pflege und Medizin. Grundlagen und Handlungsempfehlungen zur Versorgung queerer Menschen“ füllt eine Lücke, die hier bisher bestand und gibt Mitarbeitenden im Gesundheitswesen Handlungsempfehlungen zu einem diskriminierungssensiblen Umgang mit queeren Menschen.
erschienen: 2024
Verlag: Georg Thieme Verlag
Autor_in: Volker Wierz, Michael Nürnberg (Hrsg)
Materialart: Sachbuch
--- Quelle: https://www.regenbogenportal.de/materialien/lsbti-in-pflege-und-medizin/show
---- #Regenbogenportal #Finanzchaos #falscheSparsamkeit statt #Reichensteuer #transfeindlichkeit #transminority #transgendermedicine #transgenderhealthcare #transgenderneeds #Umfrage #lsbttqia #Informationsquellen #Seriositaet
---
@scatty_hannah@queer.party @michaela@lsbt.me @christin@lsbt.me @regenbogenfamilien@muenchen.social @transworld@masto.ai @trans_rescue@mastodon.social @queerde@mastodon.social @lsvd@mastodon.social: startet ihr eine Protestaktion? @leah@chaos.social @queerbildung@lsbt.me @QueeresZentrumMannheim@chaos.social @queeruferlos@muenchen.social: berichtet ihr über die Schließung des Portals? @SWR2Wissen@ard.social oder ihr?
Ich glaube nicht, dass im Transgenderbereich nun alles wichtige "getan" ist, wie das Portal vorgibt und den Unterschied zu der Zeit von vor 5 Jahren betont.
@queerwiki@mastodon.social
Daher meine Umfrage (gerne teilen!): Ist das Regenbogenportal im Blick auf trans* Personen wichtig und sollte es weiter bestehen?
So, overly careful doctor and bad luck on endocrinology got me to the state that not even on 5th appointment I got prescription.
There are worse thing. Couple of decades long waiting lists. Yes.
But this was supposed to be 3 appointments. And from what I heard, it wasn't always like that with him.
Do I need the prescription? No. I go DIY. Tbh, I wanna stay on it. The injections are better than free pills and cheaper than official injections.
Why do I do it? Stuff happen. I may get in very bad finance situation. There may be issues with getting DIY. Or who knows, i may end up in hospital. And blood tests aren't free. And progesteron (idk what it does, i heard half of things may be an urban legend) is pretty expensive and not that easy to obtain.
I don't need to hurry. But why wait pointlessly?
I just today (well, technically yesterday) returned from appointment and was just disappointed.
People. We don't need all of this. Informed consent when?
#elonmusk #transgender #TransgenderHealthcare #son #daughter #dead #antitrans
“Elon Musk, the billionaire tech mogul who whined about the Oscars turning “woke” and removed protections on his social media platform against targeted misgendering, says his 20-year-old trans child is “dead” — because she transitioned from male to female.”
Excellent expert piece by Dr Aidan Kelly on the importance of keeping #politicsUK out of #TransgenderHealthcare
Will #WesStreeting listen to the #trans #nonbinary and #intersex community and genuine experts such as Dr Kelly rather than the #transphobic haters?
with the weather perfect for our second trans pride portsmouth BBQ on sunday we had a great turn out and far to much food and omg the buns, so much bread.
thank you all that came along for the event, we had fun, love, jokes and bonding, oh and a swan who sat with us most of the afternoon, the Valkyries where with us on the day
#trans #transition #transgender #transgirl #transisbeautiful #transgenderrights #TransgenderHealthcare #transgenderawareness #transgenderlivesmatter #transman #transmasc #transpride #transproud #transpride🌈 #transprideflag #transwomenarewomen #transfemme #transfeminine #bisexual #instagay #gaymen #Queer #loveislove #TransRightsAreHumanRights #nonbinary #lesbianlove #sapphic #lgbthistorymonth🌈 #bi #TransWoman
My significant other had a horrible experience with wisdom teeth removal because the clinic did not respect transgender rights.
I left a Google review of the clinic. Feel free to upvote and react to it to help others avoid situations where their identity will be ignored and disrespected.
#transgender #TransgenderHealthcare #TransgenderRights #Trans #LGBTQIA
News from Texas A&M University:
“University Health Services to stop offering gender-affirming care starting Aug. 1”
For some added context: Last week, the Texas Supreme Court ruled to uphold a state law prohibiting doctors from providing gender-affirming care to minors. Texas A&M also closed its LGBTQ Pride Center and Diversity Office back in January to comply with SB 17, the ant-DEI bill that got passed into law.
Fachtag trans* Gesundheit: http://projekt-gelebt.de/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/GeLebT_Fachtag_Programm.pdf
#transgeschlechtlich #transgendermedicine #transgenderhealth #transgenderhealthcare #transidentität #transgesundheitsversorgung #transsexualität #genderincongruence #f64.0 #transgesundheit ##Hamburg @stephie_hamburg@norden.social @michaela@lsbt.me @christin@lsbt.me @QueerLexikon@toot.queer-lexikon.net @queerde@mastodon.social @QueeresZentrumMannheim@chaos.social @queeruferlos@lsbt.me @queeruferlos@muenchen.social @queerstatus@botsin.space @scatty_hannah@queer.party @queerwiki@mastodon.social
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Server: https://mastodon.social
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