INTRO

Take a deep breath in. And out.

I know the headlines feel relentless right now, and watching institutions you trusted abandon the patients you serve can feel like watching the ground shift beneath your feet. But here's what I need you to remember: while hospitals calculate risk and politicians play with lives, you're still showing up, still creating spaces where people can breathe freely and be themselves.

This week brought us research that confirms what you witness every day in your practice—that the care you provide literally saves lives—alongside policy chaos that makes your work both harder and more essential. So let's dig into what happened this week and what it means for the people counting on you.

NEWS

The Policy Avalanche Continues

Puerto Rico passed one of the most severe bans yet, prohibiting hormone therapy and gender-affirming surgeries for anyone under 21, with a stunning 15-year prison sentence for providers and $50,000 fines. Meanwhile, disturbing reports surfaced of social workers being recruited to work at DHS internment camps for pay well exceeding the industry average, which is below $60,000—a development that should alarm anyone in the helping professions.

The pressure on other healthcare institutions is showing. University of Chicago discontinued gender-affirming care for minors "effective immediately," citing threats to their Medicare and Medicaid funding, followed by Children's National Hospital stopping gender-affirming medication prescriptions. It's the quiet collapse of pediatric care infrastructure, one institution at a time.

Courts, Borders, and Backlash

Across the pond, transgender healthcare wait times in the Netherlands have reached six years—a crisis that would be laughable if it weren't devastating. Meanwhile, a UN draft report claiming gender dysphoria is "socially contagious" made headlines, though Erin Reed's thorough fact-check debunks this harmful narrative, exposing it as recycled homophobic myths dressed up as science.

Florida continues its Medicaid coverage dispute, with the state arguing that recent Supreme Court decisions should allow them to block coverage for transgender people seeking hormone therapy—though unlike the Tennessee case, Florida's restrictions apply to both minors and adults. Meanwhile, devastating government cuts are affecting LGBTQ+ disabled communities who weren't even consulted before the decisions that impact their lives.

Genuine Victories Worth Celebrating

But it's not all doom and gloom. In a major legal win, the US government was forced to restore $6.2 million in funding to LGBTQ+ and HIV groups after they successfully challenged Trump's executive orders in court. Sometimes fighting back actually works.

A Mexican teen celebrated their town's first gender identity change in Oaxaca—17-year-old Jessie Quiroz became the first transgender teen in his small hometown to formally change his gender identity. "I felt like I was born again," he said, proving that progress happens even in unexpected places.

And in a ruling that could set important precedent, a Canadian Federal Court judge halted a non-binary person's deportation to the US, citing the deteriorating conditions for LGBTQ+ people under Trump's policies. The judge noted that the immigration officer's assessment failed to account for "current conditions for LGBTQ, non-binary and transgender persons" in the US.

Community Resources and Practical Guidance

Point of Pride is seeking partners for their Trans Health Survey, a crucial effort to gather data that actually serves our communities. For providers dealing with current challenges, Transvitae released important safety guidance on topical estrogen and testosterone around children—practical information that helps counter harmful misinformation while promoting actual safety.

If you're looking for ways to support intersectional communities, consider attending "Stronger Together: Mental Wellness in Sex Work," an online event focused on mental health support for sex work communities.

DIGEST

Last week at Well Beings News:

WHY UPGRADE

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