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The opening of a transgender care clinic at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in 2018 eventually led to Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care, as conservatives called for an investigation years later.
Written by Emily Cochrane
When Vanderbilt University Medical Center announced the opening of a new transgender clinic in 2018, it received minimal publicity. The news release only included basic information such as the clinic’s location, operating hours, and the names of two key staff members.
Four years later, Matt Walsh, a conservative political commentator at The Daily Wire in Nashville, brought attention to the clinic by posting videos and articles criticizing their staff member’s comments about gender-affirming treatments being seen as profit generators. Walsh used harsh language to describe the center’s approach to these treatments.
The medical center, not affiliated with Vanderbilt University, responded by saying that their clinic’s focus is on providing healthcare to a group of people who are at high risk for mental and physical health problems and have historically not received adequate care from the healthcare system in the US.
The hospital stated that they do not treat children under 18 without parental consent and they will not require any employees to provide care that goes against their personal or religious beliefs.
Those with conservative views demanded an inquiry into the clinic, and GOP officials spoke at a rally that Mr. Walsh arranged in Nashville in October 2022 to protest gender-affirming treatments for kids. During the January 2023 session of Tennessee lawmakers, a proposed ban on gender-affirming care was labeled as Senate Bill 1. Despite opposition from transgender individuals and the majority of Democrats, the bill was approved.
Emily Cochrane is a journalist who reports on news from the American South for The Times. She is located in Nashville.
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