COUNCILMEMBER ROWENA BROWN, AT-LARGE DISTRICT (510) 238-7008 • [email protected] City Hall • 1 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza • Oakland, California 94612 www.oaklandca.gov/officials/at-large-councilmember • @ Rowena.brownoakland Subject: Oakland’s Commitment to Protecting Gender Affirming Care Dear Members of the Public and Fellow City Councilmembers, Gender-affirming care is essential, life-saving healthcare. Gender-affirming care ranges from hormone replacement
therapy,
appearance-affirming
surgeries,
medications,
counseling
services,
and
other
treatments
that
support
and
affirm
a
person’s
identity.
Research
consistently
shows
that
when
LGBTQ+
individuals
have
access
to
affirming
healthcare,
their
mental
health
outcomes
and
quality
of
life
improve.
Healthcare and bodily autonomy are fundamental human rights, and gender-affirming medical services must
be
included
within
that
right.
Individuals,
families,
and
their
healthcare
providers—not
politicians—should
be
the
ones
involved
in
making
these
deeply
personal
medical
decisions.
Trump's Administration has advanced discriminatory policies, including Executive Order 14168 and 14187, that aim to eliminate federal funding for hospitals that provide gender-affirming care and restrict access to treatments, particularly for transgender and gender non-conforming youth under the age of 19.
These
policies
will
undoubtedly
have
a
disproportionate
impact
on
the
youth
of
low-income
families,
who
rely
the
most
on
Medicare,
Medicaid,
and
the
Child
Healthcare
Insurance
Program
(CHIP).
Oakland is home to several major healthcare providers, such as Kaiser, Sutter Health, UCSF, and Alameda
Health
Systems,
that
serve
thousands
of
residents
across
the
region.
I
urge
our
healthcare
institutions
not
to
be
pressured
into
restricting
access
to
this
medically
necessary
and
life-saving
care.
California has taken meaningful strides to safeguard human rights and constitutional protections of the LGBTQ+ community. SB 107 established CA as a “sanctuary state” for transgender youth and “shields” families and healthcare providers from out-of-state investigations related to obtaining and providing gender-affirming care. Attorney General Bonta has challenged the unjust capitulation of Rady Children’s Hospital and the US DHHS in respective lawsuits earlier this year, and the California LGBTQ Caucus has continued to advance crucial legislation statewide. I commend their efforts to protect LGBTQ+ rights in Oakland
and
beyond.
It is more important than ever that we restate our commitment to protecting the rights of LGBTQ+ individuals.
This
resolution
affirms
the
City’s
commitment
to
safeguarding
access
to
gender-affirming
healthcare,
defending
bodily
autonomy,
and
standing
firmly
with
the
LGBTQ+
community
against
efforts
that
seek
to
undermine
their
existence.
Sincerely,
Rowena Brown City of Oakland, Councilmember At Large