Across the world, access to gender affirming care has been challenged. The Endocrine Society is a leading voice providing information to policy makers and courts about gender dysphoria/incongruence, the standard of care, and evidence-based medical treatment options. Recent activity includes:
- Position Statement on Transgender Medicine: The Society published a position statement to educate policy makers about transgender medicine. Endocrine Society members Joshua D. Safer, MD and Stephen M Rosenthal, MD led the development of the position statement. The position statement has been a key reference point for policy makers and the courts.
- Friend of the Court: The Society has joined several court cases challenging access to care and services for transgender people and the use of puberty delaying medication for minors experiencing gender dysphoria/gender incongruence. While these cases continue, many courts have been influenced after hearing from medical experts and organizations, such as the Endocrine Society, in their decision making.
- Bell v Tavistock: The Society intervened in a UK case concerning the use of puberty delaying medication and played a pivotal role in reversing a previous decision that did not acknowledge that transgender teenagers should be able to give informed consent to treatment the same way teenagers with other medical conditions can.
- Educating the Media: The Society is working to better educate members of the media about transgender medicine so that they can better report on the issue and not spread misinformation. We partnered with the Association of Health Care Journalists to provide a webinar and have provided educational resources and materials to the media. Society members Sean Iwamoto, MD, Abby Walch, MD, Caroline Davidge-Pitts, MB, BCh have worked with the media and policy makers to help them better understand transgender medicine.
