Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney signed Executive Order number 4-23 this October which bars the local government from supplying information about individuals pursuing gender-affirming care. It also disallows them from supporting any inquiry to punish individuals who are pursuing gender-affirming care. The protection is extended to both Philadelphia citizens and visitors.
“We won’t help those who seek to discriminate against trans people,” Kenney says of the order, as reported by The Advocate.
Pennsylvania now joins states including Colorado, Illinois, New Mexico, California, and Maryland in adopting and expanding protections for transgender individuals. These protections generally center around ensuring access to health care and making it unlawful for clinics to deny transgender youth gender affirming care.
A statement from Kenny’s office asserts that, “More than 60,000 Philadelphians identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and/or queer. The city of Philadelphia has a long history of LGBTQIA+ activism, and it is now one of the most accepting cities in the United States for LGBTQIA+ people.”
Hopefully Philadelphia sticks to their commitment to the community, especially as nationwide campaigns continue to decrease access to health care for transgender individuals. GOP-controlled states have been limiting access to gender affirming care, especially for transgender youth, at an alarming rate over the last year.
Currently, 21 states have banned best practice medical care for transgender youth. Five states have bans that include making it a felony crime to provide gender affirming care for youth. In general, 26 states have no protections at all for transgender healthcare and two states, Arkansas and Mississippi, explicitly allow providers to deny trans health care.
Now more than ever, states and cities need to take action in ensuring that their transgender citizens retain their legal right to access gender affirming health care. When access to health care is denied, transgender individuals are alienated and disallowed from something that should be an inherent right of every person.
