 urging them to do more to protect anti-trans threats to children's hospitals.){kind=link}
A group of Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives wrote the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) urging them to do more to protect anti-trans threats to children’s hospitals.
U.S. Reps. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), Dwight Evans (D-Penn.) and Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) wrote the letter that was signed by 36 other members.
“Our trans youth deserve to receive essential, life-saving, gender-affirming health care and our medical personnel should be able to provide it without fear of being attacked,” Pressley said in the letter. “From the brutal nightclub shooting in Colorado Springs this weekend to the latest bomb threat against Boston Children’s just last week, anti-trans and anti-LGBTQ+ violence is on the rise and must be taken seriously. That’s why we’re calling on the DOJ to immediately step up efforts to help keep health care providers, patients and community members safe. As we work to ensure accountability for these acts of violence, intimidation and fear, we won’t stop fighting to affirm the dignity and humanity of our trans, non-binary and LGBTQ+ siblings.”
In the letter, the representatives urged DOJ to outline the steps the agency is taking to counter the threats and provide further guidance to health care providers on how to protect their staff and patients from such threats. They also asked DOJ to respond to several specific questions about its response to the threats, including whether the agency plans to coordinate its response with trans advocacy organizations.
“All people deserve equality, dignity, respect, and safety, especially in medical settings,” Norton said. “I look forward to DOJ’s response to this important letter and thank Rep. Evans and Rep. Pressley for their work on this important issue.”
Illinois representatives Marie Newman (D-La Grange), Jan Schakowsky (D-Chicago) and Danny K. Davis (D-Chicago) signed the letter.