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Tennessee implemented a ban on gender-affirming care due to the opening of a transgender care clinic at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in 2018. This decision was made after conservatives pushed for an investigation into the clinic years later.
Written by Emily Cochrane
In 2018, Vanderbilt University Medical Center announced the opening of a new clinic for transgender individuals. However, the announcement did not receive much attention, as it simply provided basic information such as the clinic’s location, hours of operation, and the names of two senior staff members in a brief four-paragraph news release.
Four years later, the clinic gained attention when Matt Walsh, a conservative political commentator at The Daily Wire in Nashville, shared a series of posts and videos about it. In these posts, it was reported that a staff member at the clinic had referred to gender-affirming medication and surgery as profit-driven and had used harsh language to describe the center’s treatments.
The healthcare facility, which is not affiliated with Vanderbilt University, disagreed with the criticism. They stated that their clinic is focused on providing services to a group of people who are at high risk for mental and physical health problems and have traditionally not received adequate care from the American healthcare system.
The hospital stated that they do not treat children under 18 without parental consent. They also mentioned that employees who have personal or religious objections to providing certain care will not be forced to do so.
Members of the conservative party demanded an inquiry into the clinic, and Republican officials attended a rally organized by Mr. Walsh in Nashville in October 2022 to oppose gender-affirming treatments for minors. In January 2023, Tennessee lawmakers introduced Senate Bill 1, which aimed to prohibit gender-affirming care. Despite opposition from transgender individuals and the majority of Democrats, the bill was passed.
Emily Cochrane is a reporter for The Times who focuses on news from the American South and is stationed in Nashville. To learn more about Emily Cochrane, click here.
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