Gender Affirming Care: Evidence-Based Reviews of Legislative Actions

In the face of a recent unprecedented wave of state legislation that has targeted the well-being of gender-expansive youth, faculty members from the Yale Law School, Child Study Center, Department of Psychiatry, and Department of Pediatrics came together to synthesize and disseminate scientific and legal knowledge in support of LGBTQ+ youth and their families.

Along with exclusionary measures in school and in sports, new laws have sought to deny access to well-established, lifesaving medical care. During the first half of 2022 alone, 20 states have introduced medical bans with worsening punishments directed towards healthcare providers and parents. The new laws criminalize standard medical care and interfere in relationships among providers and families, vetoing shared healthcare decisions.

In our cross-departmental and interdisciplinary work, we marshal scientific and legal knowledge to lay bare the misinformation used to justify these medical bans. Our team includes specialists in law, child psychology, child and adolescent psychiatry, pediatric endocrinology, and adolescent medicine. Our detailed, evidence-based reports inform litigators, policymakers, journalists, and medical professionals with a common language that upholds the integrity of science, law and public policy. Joining us are colleagues nationwide, including Dr. Laura Kuper (University of Texas Southwestern) and Dr. Hussein Abdul-Latif (University of Alabama Birmingham).