Policies Marginalizing Transgender People Run Counter to Science, Public Health

 

David Hardy, MD, Chair of the HIV Medicine Association

Cynthia L. Sears, MD, FIDSA President of the Infectious Diseases Society of America

 

The administration’s reported intention to redefine gender based entirely on sex at birth disregards not only current biologic science but also established, prevailing medical and legal standards, while re-enforcing stigma and discrimination against transgender people.

The members of the Infectious Diseases Society of America and the HIV Medicine Association strongly oppose any laws or policies that discriminate against individuals based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. These policies harm individual and public health by impeding access to personal medical care while further challenging responses to the HIV and sexually transmitted infection epidemics in the U.S. 

Stigma and discrimination are two of the most significant barriers that transgender people face when trying to access health care and other basic services, resulting in serious health disparities and poor health outcomes. Without strong non-discrimination protections for the most basic rights to services, the health of the more than 1.4 million transgender Americans will remain at high risk. We strongly urge the Trump Administration to recognize and respect the standards set by the legal and medical communities and withdraw ill-advised proposals that will only serve to marginalize and deny civil rights to transgender individuals.