For Immediate Release

Alainna Liloia | Equality NC | alainna@equalitync.org

Adam Polaski | Campaign for Southern Equality | adam@southernequality.org

RALEIGH – In the past week, 450+ medical and mental health providers in NC signed a letter opposing legislative attacks on the LGBTQ+ community. The letter states, "As North Carolina health care professionals deeply committed to protecting our patients and preserving the trusting and informed relationship between patient and provider, we adamantly oppose any bans or restrictions on access to and provision of life-saving, gender-affirming care."

In addition to five gender-affirming care bans, the House and Senate have both filed a bill that effectively grants medical providers a license to discriminate or refuse care based on personal or religious beliefs. Tomorrow, one of the gender-affirming care bans (HB 808) is being heard in the House Health committee.

Medical providers have warned of the adverse impacts of anti-LGBTQ+ healthcare bills, which claim to protect healthcare providers, on their ability to provide care. The letter points to the positive effects of gender-affirming care for youth, including "improved body satisfaction, self-esteem, mental health, and relationships with parents and peers."

The 450+ providers who signed the letter urge politicians to stop intruding into private medical decisions and disrupting the patient-provider relationship. "Any legislation restricting or banning life-saving care represents dangerous governmental intrusion into the practice of medicine and will be detrimental to the health of transgender and gender-diverse North Carolinians, including youth," the letter states.

We urge legislators to listen to what our doctors and healthcare providers are saying, and to stop attacking the access of trans youth to medical and mental healthcare.

Kendra R. Johnson (she/her pronouns), Executive Director at Equality NC, said:

"We applaud healthcare providers for taking a stand for trans youth and the LGBTQ+ community. Their voices are a powerful force against the hateful attacks on trans kids. Legislators need to stay out of our private lives and let healthcare providers do their jobs."

Allison Scott (she/her pronouns), Director of Impact & Innovation at the Campaign for Southern Equality, said:

"We're grateful to see this overwhelming chorus of medical providers calling this legislation out for what it is – extreme overreach of government into private citizens' medical care, with no concern for facts or medical best practices. North Carolina's leading medical experts are demanding that lawmakers listen to their concerns, and accepted medical best practices, before rushing through this dangerous anti-LGBTQ+ agenda."

If you're a medical provider in NC, you can sign onto the letter here.

Learn more about anti-LGBTQ+ legislation being considered in North Carolina by visiting the website for NC is Ready.

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Equality North Carolina builds LGBTQ+ power through advocacy, education, and uplifting the stories of queer and trans North Carolinians in pursuit of racial and social justice. www.equalitync.org

Based in Asheville, NC, the Campaign for Southern Equality promotes full LGBTQ equality across the South. Our work is rooted in commitments to equity in race, gender and class. www.southernequality.org