In March, Dr. Marc Gorelick, president and CEO of Children’s Minnesota, endorsed joining the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Business Coalition for the Equality Act on behalf of Children’s Minnesota. Recently, the Business Coalition for the Equality Act has grown to be what we believe is the largest business coalition in support of legal LGBTQ equality in this movement’s history (400+ members)!
According to HRC, “The 416 member companies of HRC’s Business Coalition for the Equality Act represent a major swath of America’s economic engine, with member companies overseeing business operations in all 50 states, company headquarters spanning 33 states and a combined $6.8 trillion in annual revenue. The 416 members of the coalition collectively employ more than 14.6 million people in the United States.”
What is the Equality Act?
This pending federal legislation, “Equality Act,” would provide the same basic protections to LGBTQ people as are provided to other groups under federal law. The Act creates clear, consistent protections to:
- Prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in employment.
- Provides protections from discrimination in housing, credit and jury service.
- Prohibit discrimination in public spaces and services, and federal funding on the basis of sex, sexual orientation and gender identity.
While Minnesota law is more advanced than federal law, and Children’s Minnesota has strong equity practices in place with respect to this topic, we know that sweeping federal protections will advance equity and lend to healthier outcomes for the LGBTQ community.
How Children’s Minnesota is joining this fight
Equality is good for our employees, our patients and families and our business. That’s why we joined this fight to protect LGBTQ Americans who lack adequate protections in nearly 30 sates across the country.
While this is just one step in the right direction, there is more to be done. We have a responsibility to continue to support fairness and equality for all. We will continue to fight for the protection of our LGBTQ employees, patients and community members.
Children’s Minnesota experts share how anti-transgender legislation harms kids
A recently introduced bill at the Minnesota state capitol bill seeks to ban transgender athletes from competing in girls’ sports. Minnesota is not the only state to have introduced similar legislation—in fact, some states have passed bills that would prevent transgender or gender non-conforming kids who want to play sports at school.
Because our experts know the harm bills like this can do to kids, Dr. Angela Goepferd, medical director of the Gender Health program at Children’s Minnesota and Dr. Chris Dunne, clinical lead of the Gender Health program, recently joined other local experts in co-authoring an opinion piece for the Star Tribune on the topic: Anti-trans legislation is inhumane.
Children’s Minnesota Gender Health program
Children’s Minnesota Gender Health program is an exclusively pediatric, multidisciplinary gender health program, and includes pediatric gender health, endocrinology and gynecology physicians.
The Gender Health program provides compassionate and comprehensive care for transgender and gender-diverse youth. We’re dedicated to serving as an essential medical partner and resource for transgender youth and families along their journey.