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Tennessee’s decision to ban gender-affirming care was prompted by the opening of a transgender care clinic at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in 2018. After some time, conservatives demanded an inquiry into the clinic.
Authored by Emily Cochr
When Vanderbilt University Medical Center announced a new transgender clinic in 2018, it received minimal publicity. The announcement consisted of just four paragraphs providing information on the clinic’s location, operating hours, and the names of two senior staff members.
Four years after the clinic came into the spotlight when Matt Walsh, a conservative political commentator at The Daily Wire in Nashville, shared a series of posts and videos discussing the clinic. In these posts, it was mentioned that a staff member at the clinic had referred to gender-affirming medication and surgery as profitable and used harsh language to criticize the center’s treatments.
The medical center, which is not affiliated with Vanderbilt University, disagreed. In a statement, the center explained that their clinic is focused on providing care for a group of people who are at a high risk for mental and physical health problems and have historically not received adequate care from the US healthcare system.
The hospital stated that they do not treat children under 18 without parental consent and will not require any employee to provide care if it goes against their personal or religious beliefs.
Right-wing individuals demanded an examination of the clinic, and GOP officials addressed a gathering arranged by Mr. Walsh in Nashville in October 2022 to protest against gender-affirming treatment for minors. During the January 2023 session of Tennessee lawmakers, a proposed prohibition 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 for The Times who reports on news in the southern region of the United States, with her home base being in Nashville. Learn more about Emily Co
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