INTRO

Still Here, Still Queer

I’ve got a slightly shorter news roundup for you this week, but lots to see in the research section. Saturday was Pride, and tomorrow is my birthday, so I’m taking some extra hours away from my devices to spend time with my queer community, to take care of myself and each other in the wake of an especially difficult week. What is happening in the US in particular effects so many of us, and our friends and loved ones around the globe.

On Saturday, after marching a total of 11km, from a local queer community space to the parade start and then with the parade downtown, I sat back in our shared space, music playing, people dancing, awestruck by the devastating beauty of coming together and loving each other while the world burns around us. I fought back tears, and then danced until I couldn’t dance anymore.

Pride is nearly over, but we’re still here. I hope you’ll stick around with me.

NEWS

United States v Skrmetti

A massive blow was dealt to trans rights advocates last week as the Supreme Court handed down their decision in the United States v Skrmetti case, in which the Attorney General of Tennessee fought and won the right to continue banning gender-affirming care for trans minors.

Numerous organizations released responses to the decision. There has been a great deal of backlash, and backlash to the backlash (“we should focus on telling kids that this isn’t a death sentence!”), and backlash to that (“we can’t ignore that for many, it may as well be”) as we all try to grapple with what this means—more states will inevitably ban affirming care for young people, many will probably try to ban it for adults as well, and people are going to die as a result.

“Not a death sentence”

I said this on Bluesky and I’ll say it here. Lots of people who have type 2 diabetes can live without insulin, can manage their disease in other ways, with workarounds or lifestyle changes, including people who would probably be better of with insulin. Refusing to diagnose or treat type 2 diabetes can’t make them no longer diabetic, though. What it can do is kill a lot of people.

Recent studies suggest that almost half of LGBTQ+ youth seriously consider suicide each year. The same week that the Skrmetti decision came down, the Trump administration also ordered the 988 suicide prevention line to stop referring LGBTQ+ callers to The Trevor Project for specialized care.

It isn’t enough to say that people are going to die. The reality is that the people making these laws want us to die, and we need all hands on deck to save as many lives as possible.

Additional Reading

Rather than going over even more of the disheartening things happening in queer and trans health last week, I’d like to share a few more resources about this decision that you can hopefully take with you into your practices and your interactions with trans folks.

1. “Counseling Trans Folks in the Immediate Aftermath of Skrmetti: Guidance for Psychotherapists” by Sebastian Barr
   

2. “What Does Skrmetti Mean For The Future? An In-Depth Analysis” by Aleksandra at Transitics
   

3. “‘Your Right to Care Is Not Affected By This Decision’: Blue State AGs Push Back Against Anti-trans Ruling” by Janet Nance at The Washington Current
   

4. “A Letter to the Trans Teen Thinking About Giving Up” by Andy Izenson at Scarleteen
   

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(Our “Pride is over but we’re still here” campaign in August is going to be🔥.)

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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Read More at Well Beings News

• Practicing Radical Safety with Dr. Syd Young

• 5 LGBTQ+ Resources Every Health Worker Should Bookmark

• Is Your Intake Form Sending the Wrong Message?

• The LGBTQ+ Health Data Gap is Widening

COMING SOON

Stories to Watch Out For

• Crossing State Lines: navigating the legal landscape of virtual care

• Improving Clinical Cultural Competency: queer for the culture

• Dysphoria, Dysmorphia and Disordered Eating in Trans People

• PLUS: interviews with a medical worker advocate, a trans support group organizer, a healthcare database expert, and more!

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