Peggy Flanagan, the Democratic lieutenant governor of Minnesota, said earlier this month that giving children gender transition therapy is what it means to be a good parent. The statement has since surfaced and gone viral.
The remarks were delivered by Flanagan at a celebration honoring Governor Tim Walz’s signing of an executive order designating Minnesota as a sanctuary state for such procedures.
The Minnesota Department of Health is mandated by Executive Order 23-03 to compile a report that summarizes the literature on the scientific evidence about the safety and effectiveness of gender-affirming health care and its public health effects as well as the approaches that other entities have taken to support gender-affirming health care services.
Several health institutions are required to offer these treatments, and further rules prohibit them from exchanging information with neighboring jurisdictions that have outlawed such therapy for children.
In his remarks, Governor Walz added, “Hatred has no place in this state. We teach inclusion and love in this state. The father of a 6-year-old who has received gender-affirming treatment gave a speech at the occasion, and according to a local CBS affiliate, he was “grateful” for Walz’s deed.
As the medical community’s criticism of the affirmation approach grows, Walz has asked for a report on how other jurisdictions have supported such care. Finland, Sweden, France, and the United Kingdom have all recently retreated from Flanagan and Walz’s quick-to-affirm, quick-to-treat strategy.
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Extreme Medical Caution is Needed
The French National Academy of Medicine stated in February 2022, “Great medical caution must be exercised in children and adolescents, given the vulnerability, particularly psychological, of this population and the many undesirable effects, and even serious complications, that some of the available therapies can cause.”
Republican-led states around the nation, according to LGBTQ rights activists, are working to eliminate the legal status of transgender individuals and limit their ability to express themselves.
More than 150 pieces of legislation aimed at trans rights have been submitted in other states, according to the Human Rights Campaign. Walz specifically mentioned the neighboring state of South Dakota, whose governor, Kristi Noem, banned gender-affirming childcare last month.
In order to protect trans people, their families, and healthcare professionals from a variety of legal repercussions for traveling to Minnesota for gender-affirming care, which includes a wide range of social and medical interventions, Walz’s executive order parallels legislation that is awaiting a floor vote in the state House.
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