Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Study: 1 In 20 Americans Under 30 Identifies As Transgender Or Nonbinary
The Washington Post: Pew Study: 5 Percent Of Young Adults Identify As Transgender Or Nonbinary
For years, advocates and policymakers have struggled to get a clear picture of how many transgender and nonbinary adults live in the United States. The U.S. Census doesn’t ask about gender identity, and until now, few institutions ventured to estimate this number. Data from the Pew Research Center released Tuesday offers a clearer picture: About 1.6 percent of the U.S. population identifies as trans or nonbinary, the latter term being used to describe people who do not identify exclusively as male or female, the survey found. (Branigin, 6/8)
USA Today: More Than 1 In 4 LGBTQ College Students Consider Dropping Out Because Of Mental Health Issues, Survey Finds
More than 1 in 4 LGBTQ college students have considered dropping out of school because of mental health challenges, a survey released Thursday shows. And a vast majority of LGBTQ students – 92% – say their mental health status has negatively impacted some part of their college experience, the survey by education resource and college ranking website BestColleges.com found. The survey's results raise concerns about the repercussions should fewer of these students complete college, according to BestColleges analyst Jessica Bryant, who authored the report. (Stanton, 6/9)
In other news about LGBTQ+ health —
The Texas Tribune: New Lawsuit Seeks To Block Texas Trans Child Abuse Investigations
A new lawsuit filed Wednesday is challenging Gov. Greg Abbott’s directive to investigate parents who provide gender-affirming care to their transgender children. The lawsuit was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and Lambda Legal on behalf of three families, including the Briggle family, who have long been advocates for trans rights, including hosting Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton for dinner with their transgender son. The lawsuit also seeks to block the state from investigating any families that belong to PFLAG, an advocacy group for parents and family members of LGBTQ+ people. (Klibanoff, 6/8)
Health News Florida: Without Medicaid, Some Patients Will Skip Expensive Transgender Treatments, UF Doctor Says
A pediatric endocrinologist at the University of Florida is speaking out against the state's plans to block people from using Medicaid to pay for gender-affirming care. The Florida Agency for Health Care Administration issued a report this past week that could set the stage for Medicaid to deny coverage for treatments such as puberty-blocking medication and hormone therapy for transgender people. Dr. Michael Haller, UF's chief of pediatric endocrinology, says his team provides gender-affirming treatment to youths and that about two-thirds of the 200 patients are covered by Medicaid. He says paying out of pocket is simply not an option for a lot of these families. (Prieur, 6/8)
The Washington Post: Pride Clinic In Northern Virginia Pledges Affirming Care For LGBTQ People
Jorge Ramallo is lead physician at a primary care clinic devoted to the LGBTQ+ community in Northern Virginia. The Inova health-care system officially launched the clinic on Wednesday, inviting people to access what officials said would be inclusive, culturally competent care. Organizers christened it the Pride Clinic and timed its opening for Pride Month, an annual celebration rooted in the 1969 Stonewall riots, a defining moment in American history and the LGBT liberation movement. (Portnoy, 6/8)
St. Louis Post-Dispatch: St. Louis Sex Ed Instructor Selected As An ‘Innovative Teacher’ By Time Magazine
A sex education instructor with Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri is among 10 teachers across the country to make Time magazine’s Innovative Teachers list, chosen for making a difference for their students in a unique way. Willow Rosen, who uses the pronouns they/them, teaches a curriculum that covers topics like anatomy, hygiene, puberty and sexual consent while being sure not to exclude anyone based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. The lessons can be geared toward those in kindergarten through college. The magazine called Rosen’s shame-free and inclusive approach “revolutionary” in the United States, where sex education is often either not taught or sticks to abstinence-only messages. (Munz, 6/8)
