Amid threats, Colorado hospital ends gender-affirming surgeries for adults

[Ivy]

https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2023/07/amid-threats-colorado-hospital-ends-gender-affirming-surgeries-for-adults/

 

"Its website shortened the name of the state’s “TRUE Center for Gender Diversity” to just “TRUE Center,” and the center can’t be searched on the site. Searching for “transgender” on the website also provides several doctors’ names but doesn’t clearly say if they provide gender-affirming care."

 

Looks like trans-care is starting to go back underground.  Guess it's part of the "eradication" process.

[VickySGV]

My alarm system on this one is pretty low for a few reasons.  First being that until this came up, I had never heard of this hospital being a significant source of care for Trans youth and adults.  I have no idea of how many patients it even cares for. It is NOT listed in our site's resource page although we have over 25 listings for the city and I know other places in the state.  No numbers are used to say what the term "unprecedented number" actually means.  To a site normally doing one surgery per month the ideal of a boost to 4 per month could indeed overwhelm the facility and its resources.  I normally trust LGBTQ Nation's reporting, but the publicity for this provider has gotten a little shrill even on the LGBTQ side of things On this site we have talked this incident over pretty thoroughly in another Topic, or I have simply seen it so many other places.  For now at least I will respect the hospital's assessment of its own safety and ability to respond to patient needs.  This is only a single hospital of a much larger number doing those surgeries, not an industry wide practice.  Yes it is the first small snowball that could create an avalanche but we are not there yet.

 

The threats and actual violence happening in all hospitals is real, the hospital where the sister of a  young Trans woman friend of mine works, actually had a shooting incident on Saturday that killed a security officer  The shooter died later in the day in a police shoot-out.  That hospital does not do Trans surgeries but was the victim of gun violence.  As part of my Amateur Radio Emergency Service work with hospitals in my area, I have learned the code color for active shooter and that makes the possibility real just in my life. 

 

What is needed here is a public response to the impunity with which such threats of violence are made and the lack of public consequences for the perpetrators, not to mention the costs involved when added security and denial of service are needed by the institutions to give care.  I am disgusted to think that bomb and life threats on medical providers could in any way be "permitted speech" under our Constitution and cannot be prosecuted for meaningful removal of the makers from our society. 

[Charlize]

It is certainly possible that other hospitals will respond to the threat of violence by pulling back on their support.  I certainly agree with Vicky that this threat goes beyond free speech.  It took a long time for providers to become open about their help.  The medical societies all agree we need that support but the far right has it's own agenda.

Just remember to vote!

 

Hugs,

 

Charlize

[Ivy]

4 hours ago, Charlize said:

Just remember to vote!

Indeed.

[awkward-yet-sweet]

11 hours ago, VickySGV said:

I am disgusted to think that bomb and life threats on medical providers could in any way be "permitted speech" under our Constitution and cannot be prosecuted for meaningful removal of the makers from our society. 

 

Under current laws, threats usually are a prosecutable offense.  I don't believe more laws are needed to accomplish what you'd like to see happen...just better use of current laws.  If the police haven't been able to do anything, maybe they haven't been able to get the evidence they need? 

 

Public places generally need security, as the world is a nutty place.  Hospitals are no exception.  Actually, when I was in the hospital after my assault, my husband made sure that I had personal security from our county.  Back in 2020 with the riots, even our rural grocery store had an armed guard.  I disagree with the idea that it is about guns, or even really about the far-right.  Our nation is becoming like a banana republic.  Corrupt leadership at the top, poverty expanding, and general misbehavior all over.  Law enforcement becomes selective.  For comparison, go to many parts of Central America, and every gas station or grocery store has a guard.  We're getting like that. Unfortunately, I think we're going to see more of this rather than less.  

[VickySGV]

1 hour ago, awkward-yet-sweet said:

.just better use of current laws. 

That indeed is what I was suggesting.  Proper use of current law, but proper is a word that has taken some beatings recently.  We have people tying up time in our courts with frivolous claims of privilege, and I have been there to hear it as a juror recently, and court officer in the past.