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The opening of a transgender care clinic at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in 2018 led to a ban on gender-affirming care in Tennessee after conservatives pushed for an investigation in later years.
Authored by Emily Cochr
When Vanderbilt University Medical Center announced the opening of a new transgender clinic in 2018, it did not receive much publicity. The announcement only included basic information such as the clinic’s location, operating hours, 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 based in Nashville, released a series of content discussing the clinic. In his posts and videos, he mentioned that a staff member at the clinic had referred to gender-affirming medication and surgery as profit-generating, and used harsh language to criticize the center’s treatments.
The medical center, which is not affiliated with Vanderbilt University, disagreed with the claim. In a statement, the center explained that their clinic focuses on providing care to a vulnerable population that often does not receive adequate support from the healthcare system in the United States.
The hospital stated that they do not treat children under 18 without parental consent, and they will not require any employee to provide care if it goes against their personal or religious beliefs.
Those on the conservative side demanded a thorough examination of the clinic, and prominent Republican figures participated in a rally orchestrated by Mr. Walsh in Nashville in October 2022 to protest gender-affirming care for minors. In January 2023, when Tennessee lawmakers gathered, they introduced Senate Bill 1, a proposed prohibition on gender-affirming care. Despite opposition from transgender individuals and the majority of Democrats, the bill was approved.
Emily Cochrane works as a reporter for The Times, focusing on news in the southern United States from her home base in Nashville.
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