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Tennessee’s decision to ban gender-affirming care was influenced by the opening of a transgender care clinic at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in 2018. After several years, conservatives demanded an investigation into the clinic.
Written by Emily Cochrane
In 2018, Vanderbilt University Medical Center opened a new clinic specifically for transgender individuals. Despite this announcement, the clinic did not receive much publicity. The news release only included basic information such as the clinic’s address, operating hours, and the names of two senior staff members.
Four years after its opening, the clinic gained attention when Matt Walsh, a conservative political commentator from The Daily Wire in Nashville, released a series of posts and videos discussing the clinic. In these posts, it was mentioned that a staff member had allegedly described gender-affirming medication and surgery as profit-driven and used harsh language to criticize the center’s treatments.
The medical center, which is not affiliated with Vanderbilt University, disagreed. In a statement, they explained that the clinic’s main goal was to help a population that is at high risk for mental and physical health problems and has not received proper care from the U.S. health system.
The hospital stated that they do not treat patients under the age of 18 without parental consent and will not require any staff member to provide care that goes against their personal or religious beliefs.
Members of the conservative party demanded an inquiry into the clinic, and GOP officials attended a rally organized by Mr. Walsh in Nashville in October 2022 to oppose gender-affirming treatment for minors. In January 2023, Tennessee lawmakers met and introduced Senate Bill 1, which aimed to ban gender-affirming care. Despite opposition from transgender individuals and the majority of Democrats, the bill was successfully passed.
Emily Cochrane is a journalist who reports on news in the southern United States for The Times, and she is located in Nashville. To learn more about Emily Cochrane,
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