Rachel Levine, assistant health director, said in a speech on Saturday that young trances were “pushed into the depths of despair” and committed suicide at an alarming rate about the dangers of anti-trans laws being passed in the red states across the country. He said he was.
Levine, the first openly transgender federal official confirmed by the U.S. Senate, said in a speech at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth that LGBTQ youth were “attacked” and had few places to seek help. Said.
“I want to say this very clearly. Lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgenders, and queer Americans commit suicide at a rate that should shock our conscience,” Levine said. Said at the Four Health Conference.
“Even after decades of progress, our most vulnerable women continue to suffer … color transgender women not only continue to be harassed, but also more violent and more violent than the general public. You are more likely to suffer even murder. “
Her remarks are after a new law, criticized as anti-trans, was enacted this year, including the controversial “Don’t say gay” law in Florida. School year.
Arkansas has also passed a law banning gender-identified youth with gender identity disorder, and some Republican-led states have similar bills in their pipelines. Texas has ordered a parental investigation to allow children to receive gender-verifying care. The state prosecutor’s chief said this was equivalent to “child abuse.”
Levine, who was a doctor for decades before becoming the Secretary of Health in Pennsylvania, said in a Saturday speech that gender-verifying care was an established medical practice “based on decades of research.” Claimed to be safe and legal.
“Gender-affirming care is medical care. Mental health care. Suicide prevention care. It improves quality of life and saves lives,” she added.
Assistant Health Secretary himself faced an anti-trans attack, such as when Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) called Levine a “man” after being elected USA Today’s Woman of the Year. Levine equates with her / her pronoun.
While the Biden administration is promoting equality and acceptance, Levine said it is becoming increasingly clear that “not everyone feels that way.”
“Many politicians and their supporters have publicly described our LGBTQI + community as damaging our culture. Many of the targets of this type of speech are to commit suicide. “I’m driven by,” Levine said. “We know that the medical fact is that transuses, in particular, are being cornered in public and driven to the depths of despair at an alarming rate.”
According to the Trevor Project, in 2020, about 40% of LGBTQ children reported suicide, and 46% said they needed some form of counseling.
Levine tells LGBTQ kids that “it was okay to be you,” and equates them with the community, saying that “one supporting adult” can make a big difference in saving lives. I asked my parents to help me.
She also called on medical doctors and others to oppose “accusation, prejudice, and gender-violating hate speech.”
“The words of medicine and science are used to drive people to suicide. The mantle of children’s concerns is claimed to destroy their lives,” Levine said.
“We have to stand up. We have to stand on behalf of the injured. We have to be doctors. Even in difficult times, this is our job.”
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