BROADview in Brief

What have you read?

Alejandra Q is away this week, so it’s just little ole me, sifting through what has turned into an endless eruption of articles. Please share articles you’ve read this week in the comments!

Let’s start with this fantastic piece by Jennifer Block in the BMJ, “Gender medicine in the US: how the Cass review failed to land.” Block notes how Cass has reverberated throughout Europe, leading to institutional introspection and more careful approaches to treating gender dysphoric youth. But here in the US? Mostly crickets!

“But in the United States, where the gender affirming model is the norm, the effect of Cass’s four year investigation and final report isn’t yet obvious,” writes Block. “‘Unfortunately, Cass does not seem to be penetrating the public consciousness,'” says Zhenya Abbruzzese, cofounder of the four year old Society for Evidence Based Gender Medicine (SEGM).”

Block and I have both been working on some media analysis recently, charting how activist claims have twisted into “truth” that journalists repeat. Among her insights:

The oldest continuously published magazine in the US, Scientific American, has run several articles favourable to the affirmative model in recent years. In “Why anti-trans laws are anti-science,” written in 2021 and republished in 2023, the magazine’s editors stated that it is “unscientific and cruel” to claim that treatments are “unproven and dangerous” or that “legislation is necessary to protect children.” According to a 2022 article, “What the science on gender affirming care for transgender kids really shows,” data “consistently show that access to gender affirming care is associated with better mental health outcomes.” “Decades of data support the use and safety of puberty pausing medications,” declared one 2023 piece.

The magazine’s editor in chief, Laura Helmuth, has promoted these pieces on Twitter/X with declarations like, “The research is clear, and all the relevant medical organisations agree”; policies that restrict treatments are “dangerous, cruel, bigoted, and contrary to all the best scientific and medical evidence.” She’s also disparaged inquiries on the subject.In a February 2023 tweet, Helmuth included gender affirming care among a list of “things we don’t need to be both-sidesing, be ‘objective,’ or be ‘just asking questions!’ about.” Neither Helmuth nor the magazine’s publisher, Nature Springer, responded to a detailed email referencing the articles and more than 15 tweets.

What did WPATH have to say about Cass? Um… “The Cass Review relies on selective and inconsistent use of evidence, and its recommendations often do not follow from the data presented in the systematic reviews.” Every accusation a confession much?

Some news for the kiddos!

NBA great Dwyane Wade launches Translatable, an online community supporting transgender youth (AP) “Wade hopes Translatable, which is funded by the Wade Family Foundation, will provide a community to “support growth, mental health, and well-being, and that this space ignites more conversations leading to greater understanding and acceptance.” He said he will use the $250,000 in unrestricted funding that comes with The Elevate Prize Catalyst Award for Translatable.”

and:

Nintendo includes transgender character in new ‘Paper Mario’ video game “The Nintendo Switch remake of the iconic role-playing game “Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door” features a transgender character, the game’s creators confirmed. The trans character, Vivian, originally appeared in the 2004 version of the game, which was released for Nintendo Game Cube. In the new update of the game, released on Thursday, Vivian — who was born male — initially appears as a villain alongside her sisters, Marilyn and Bedlam.” (NY Post)

In other news, it’s a constant tennis game:

State health care plans can't exclude gender-affirming surgeries, court rules. “State health care plans must cover gender-affirming surgeries, a federal appeals court in Virginia ruled Monday. The ruling marks a major victory for transgender rights at a time when many states have cracked down on gender-affirming care for children and adults. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit ruled Monday that North Carolina's and West Virginia's denial of some health care services via government insurance for trans people was discriminatory.” (Axios)

Judge threatens to jail lawyers challenging state’s law banning gender-affirming care “District Judge Liles Burke, a Trump appointee, has ordered a group of lawyers to hand over an otherwise confidential document or potentially face sanctions and even imprisonment. Burke is the judge overseeing Boe v. Marshall, the lawsuit challenging an Alabama law that criminalizes the provision of gender-affirming care to minors. The numerous lawyers involved in representing the plaintiffs—about 40 in all—have been under the microscope for nearly two years over allegations that they participated in unlawful forum-shopping.” (Alabama Political Reporter)

An urgent call to protect gender-affirming care “While efforts to ban or severely limit access to gender-affirming care are blunt and sweeping, gender-affirming care is anything but, writes Human Rights Watch's Yasemin Smallens.” (The Advocate)

Ohio ban on gender-affirming care remains paused after Wednesday ruling “A ban on gender-affirming care for minors in Ohio remains blocked after a decision from the Ohio Supreme Court on Wednesday. The Ohio Supreme Court denied Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s request to overturn a Franklin County Judge’s ruling that blocked the legislation from taking effect. That lower court previously stopped the ban from taking effect after advocacy groups filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the new law.” (13ABC)

Remaking America: Texas’ ban on gender-affirming care, one year later Nearly one year after Texas’ ban on gender-affirming care for minors was put in place, families are still figuring out how to cope with their new reality. (1A)

RFK Jr. says he opposes gender-affirming care, hormone therapy for minors “Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is taking a more conservative stance on gender-affirming care, though he says it won't be a central issue in his campaign. "It's abortion, it's the border, it's trans rights. These issues are all important," he said at a rally in Austin last week. "None of them are the issues that really matter to you, to me, to our children." Kennedy recently called gender-affirming care a "non-existential" issue, but he has weighed in on it, backing a ban on certain treatments, including puberty blockers and hormone therapy, for minors. His running mate, Nicole Shanahan, agrees.” (CBS)

South Carolina governor signs into law ban on gender-affirming care for transgender minors “South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster on Tuesday signed into law a ban on gender-affirming care for transgender minors. When the ink dried, South Carolina became the 25th state to restrict or ban such care for minors. The governor announced the signing on social media and said he would hold a ceremonial bill signing next week. The law bars health professionals from performing gender-transition surgeries, prescribing puberty blockers and overseeing hormone treatments for patients under 18.” (AP)

Vatican strengthens views on gender-affirming surgery “Gender-affirming surgeries are a conversation happening in many LGBTQ+ and religious communities. It has been one month since The Holy See reaffirmed its stance opposing gender-affirming care.” (Spectrum)

After failed veto override, gender-affirming care for trans youth remains legal in Kansas (Kansas City Star)