Trans Care No Matter What

 A petition of laborers at Planned Parenthood,

Addressed to the leadership and board of PPGNHAIK (Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest, Hawai’i, Alaska, Indiana, & Kentucky),

WE THE UNDERSIGNED WOULD LIKE TO BRING YOUR ATTENTION TO THE FOLLOWING PROBLEM,

On November 23, 2022, PPGNHAIK announced a pause on accepting new Gender Affirming Care (GAC) patients. This program has successfully facilitated access to life-saving care for more than 8,500 patients and the demand for services remains high. In their study on GAC access and mental health outcomes, Turban et. al establish that access to GAC is critically important to long-term health. They report an “81% decrease in…past-month severe psychological distress and a 21% decrease in past-year suicidal ideation” among adults who desire it receiving GAC, and even better outcomes among those who access GAC in adolescence (Turban Et al., 2022).  Every day that the affiliate is not able to provide this life-saving care puts trans and nonbinary individuals in our communities at higher risk for adverse health outcomes.

On December 5, the newest GAC program director resigned immediately in protest and other staff later resigned as well. Many staff spoke out against the decision through email and took time to attend open staff forums held during the first two weeks of December. These communications provided direct insight into how unpopular this decision is among staff and how little leadership stakeholders were prioritizing trans and nonbinary centered solutions.

During the Open Forum held on December 13, it was stated that “a timeline will be provided at the end of December.”

The most recent email update from leadership on January 9 states that the task of overhauling the GAC program was delegated to the Quality and Risk Management department and claims there are too many variables to establish a timeline for restarting new intake for GAC at this time.

THEREFORE, WE DEMAND:

1. Trans Care No Matter What: we demand that Gender Affirming Care (GAC) be put on a path to becoming a protected service for PPGNHAIK.
   1. PPGNHAIK must publicly post and recruit for the position of GAC Program Director vacated by Zadock Brand without delay. Update 4/16/23: PPGNHAIK management has now posted this position, but not agreed to a path for GAC becoming a protected service
2. Oversight: PPGNHAIK must commit to accountability in its support for the transgender community and solidarity with them in the movement for Reproductive Justice. We highly recommend considering the options below:
   1. Annual Gender Affirming Organization trainings for all leadership and staff.
   2. Intersectional Staff advisory board which should include a minimum of 50% trans and nonbinary members and prioritize racial diversity.
   3. Screen for anti trans sentiment in all affiliate candidates (staff and board): ask about their level of support for providing gender affirming healthcare.
   4. Conduct a regular Equity Audit of GAC program and PPGNHAIK by a trans led organization.
3. Timeline: Leadership must communicate a timeline for re-implementing GAC for new patients. Update 6/1/23: PPGNHAIK has restarted accepting new GAC patients at most clinics!

 

Update 6/20/23: Our pressure on leadership is clearly working! We continue to hold strong in asking leadership to meet our full list of demands, which we feel strongly are important for the future of GAC at the organization. Please continue to sign this petition as we continue to push for oversight, accountability, and the future protection of this vital health care service.