I’ll never forget the first time I brought my kids to the polls with me. It was 2016 and they were just about to turn 3 years old. I explained to them as simply as possible what voting was and why it mattered. While a lot has changed in the world and for them over the last 10 years, what hasn’t changed is the impact that going to the polls every year has on kids’ health. It is in this spirit that this blog is designed as a letter to candidates who will be on the ballot this year. Kids need health policy solutions for solvable problems now more than ever. They need our policymakers focused on the issues and information that are rooted in science and evidence.
As someone whose clinical work is rooted in protecting evidence-based and high-quality healthcare for transgender and gender-diverse youth that has been shown over and over again to help them thrive, I have seen firsthand the impact that policies can have on the everyday lives and health of the young people we love and who make up our vibrant communities. When policymaking isn’t rooted in science and best practice medical advice, it not only hurts transgender and gender-diverse kids, it hurts the health of all our kids.
When we are distracted by loud voices making false and scary claims about transgender youth, it pulls our attention from urgent threats to kids’ health. I would ask candidates to consider examples like this: During the end of the WNBA season this year, loud debates about transgender athletes were dialed up. These were attacks based in fear and not about real athletes. There are currently no transgender athletes competing in the WNBA. Of more than half a million athletes competing in the NCAA, fewer than a dozen are transgender. Transgender youth athletes are barely competing anywhere, representing less than half a percent of the millions of young people competing in youth sports. The focus is on a perceived threat that is not supported by evidence and fact. Meanwhile, we do know that gun violence is the number one killer of kids in the United States. A year ago, our communities experienced that threat firsthand and we are still recovering.
When I went back to coaching basketball this fall, I wasn’t worried about transgender athletes, I was worried about the fifth graders I coach who attend Annunciation School in Minneapolis; how they are doing mentally and emotionally after last year when, inside their church, hundreds of rounds of gunfire rained down on them in seconds. There are real, preventable threats to kids’ health that should be on your minds as you make decisions about public policy. Common sense gun laws would go much farther in protecting all kids than any transgender youth sports ban.
As a pediatrician, I’m also thinking about vaccination and making sure families have accurate, evidence-based information to protect their child’s health and the public health of our communities. I’m thinking about the ongoing mental health crisis facing our country’s youth, and making sure we have insurance coverage and access to therapists and resources that ensure any child or teen who is struggling can get help. I’m thinking about emerging research on the impact of social media on teenagers’ mental health, the burgeoning presence of artificial intelligence in our lives and in the lives of my three tweens, and how we can access the information and create policies to protect them going forward. You should be thinking about these things too.
When I talk to candidates and others about transgender youth and gender healthcare, what I most want you to know is that it is healthcare first and foremost, guided by the same principles and quality of evidence that guides all pediatric healthcare. This care is thoughtful, individualized, developmentally appropriate, and made in partnership with the young person and their parents. If you’ve heard something that sounds scary or scandalous, it’s probably not true. The reality is that healthcare for transgender youth has high rates of satisfaction, high-quality outcomes and is backed by every major medical association in this country.
Not all policy decisions you make impact kids’ lives. But many do. Your choices can determine whether hospitals close or stay open, whether insurance companies will cover a child’s care, whether parents feel safe while their kids are at school. We need your decisions and these outcomes to be based on facts and not fear.
As a longtime pediatrician and a parent of three kids, what I know more than anything is that children need adults to act on evidence and to ignore harmful rhetoric. Children need adults to address the real threats affecting their lives now, not fear-based hypothetical threats designed to divide us. Children need adults to seek information from qualified pediatric experts, resist false claims and support policies that make every child healthier and safer.
Let’s put our attention where it belongs: helping every child grow up healthy, safe and fully supported.
Dr. Kade Goepferd
Clinical vice president of health equity
Dr. Kade Goepferd (they/them) founded the Gender Health program at Children’s Minnesota and continues to advocate for advancing equitable healthcare for all children. They have received several local and national awards for their work in advocacy and education and gave their first TED talk, “The Revolutionary Truth about Kids and Gender Identity” at TEDx Minneapolis in 2020.
