How doctors became providers of hope and our kids' last line of defense

If you are a healthcare provider continuing to offer services to gender-expansive children, I'm writing this to thank you. Your steadfast dedication to providing evidence-based care for children is a beacon.

In a climate where many organizations have already shied away from providing essential care for our children, your leadership demonstrates a commitment to ethical healthcare practices and the well-being of all patients.

I don't need to tell you the importance of the healthcare you provide to our children. We just learned of a child who died by suicide, fearful of her future and of losing access to care in a suit filed by the state of Washington.

Your work saves lives, especially young ones. And as parents of one of those young lives, we are so grateful.

Our children are not statistics or concepts. They are not mentally ill, manipulated by social media, or coerced into their beliefs. They are our children, each of them an individual whom we love dearly. As parents, all we want is to see them thrive, to be happy and healthy, and to live their best lives. Gender-affirming care helps make this happen.

It is often difficult for parents of gender-expansive youth to stand up and publicly fight for their children. We walk a delicate balance of supporting them and protecting them. Publicly outing our children is not protection, particularly in the current climate. We need allies and support, and I want to let you know how powerful your work is for every family you treat. I want the public to hear how grateful families are for your care and stalwart support of our children.

You believe that our children have the right to exist. You help our children see a future in which they have a place, a future where they are themselves as they need to be, a future in which they are alive.

For in today's climate, it's that simple.

With the possibility that transitioning may be taken away from them, some children's worldviews have been so altered that they can't see a future that holds themselves in it. As parents, we do all we can to paint the future as a welcoming one for them. What providers offering gender-affirming care do, however, is essential to creating that reality for our children.

You build trust with our children, creating a partnership and ensuring they are always seen as themselves. Having access to gender-affirming care in a safe, trusted environment benefits our children enormously, leading to a significant downward impact on rates of depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. Plenty of studies show this positive impact, and parents can see the evidence directly in the changes in their children as they live their authentic selves.

Your work holds enormous power for many families; without you as a guide and ally, we will suffer.

The headwinds the gender-expansive community faces are serious, but we believe in the evidence our own children hold in themselves—that affirming care is life-giving care—and we know that you think this, too. Thank you again for your staunch support and strong position on life-giving care for our children.

Tina Neal is not just a writer, speaker, and podcaster; she's a dynamic advocate committed to transforming the narrative surrounding gender-expansive youth. With over a decade of personal experience as a parent navigating the evolving landscape of acceptance, she has a profound understanding of the intricate challenges faced by gender-expansive youth and their families.

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