Label
Support of the Transgender Community
Council Members Gadus & Komives
Title
Expressing Toledo City Council’s commitment to affirming the rights and intrinsic value of members of the transgender community; and condemning the gerrymandered General Assembly’s extreme and prejudiced override of Governor DeWine’s veto of H.B. 68; and requesting that the State of Ohio adopt policies to support and encourage access to all medically necessary healthcare that promotes each individual’s physical wellbeing and mental health.
Summary
SUMMARY & BACKGROUND:
WHEREAS, the City celebrates diversity and promotes equitable policies that make Toledo a welcoming and inclusive community for all, including people of all gender identities and expressions; and
WHEREAS, gender-affirming healthcare is evidence-based and can be medically necessary and lifesaving according to the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, the American Academy of Pediatricians, the Endocrine Society, the American Psychiatric Association, and the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, among other institutions; and
WHEREAS, studies have shown that access to gender-affirming healthcare improves the overall wellbeing of transgender people and that access to gender-affirming healthcare for youth is associated with better mental health outcomes and lower risks of suicide; and
WHEREAS, over 94 percent of LGBTQIA+ youth surveyed by the Trevor Project in late 2021 said recent politics have negatively impacted their mental health, and 93 percent of transgender and nonbinary youth surveyed by the Trevor Project in 2022 said they have worried about transgender people being denied access to gender-affirming healthcare due to state or local laws; and
WHEREAS, nearly half of states have passed laws to restrict access to gender-affirming care, and according to the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio, “While 22 states have passed age restrictions on gender-affirming care, only Florida has adopted restrictions that attempt to deny care to transgender people of any age. Most transgender people already struggle to access the care they need by virtue of poverty, discrimination, and a shortage of providers;” and
WHEREAS, laws like H.B. 68 cast doubt on healthcare providers’ ability to provide treatment to patients legally and sustainably, creating a chilling effect that further restricts transgender people’s access to healthcare generally; and
WHEREAS, Governor DeWine has argued, “parents should make those decisions and not the government;” and
WHEREAS, Toledo received a 94/100 on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Municipal Equality Index in 2023 for its policies regarding the LGBTQIA+ community, demonstrating a longstanding commitment to the safety and inclusion of queer people, including transgender people; and
WHEREAS, H.B. 68 explicitly bans transgender-specific surgical procedures for transgender people under the age of 18, which doctors, surgeons, and children’s hospitals repeatedly testified were neither regarded as the standard of care nor performed at any hospital or clinic in the state of Ohio at the time of the passage of H.B. 68; and
WHEREAS, survey data has shown that 80 percent of Ohioans support nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQIA+ people; and
WHEREAS, the National Association of Social Workers, Ohio Chapter, is developing a training program to educate healthcare providers about how they can navigate Ohio’s regulatory environment in light of H.B. 68 to provide care to transgender youth; now therefore be it
NOW THEREFORE, Be it resolved that by the Council of the City of Toledo:
SECTION 1: That this Council affirms the value and identity of transgender people and encourages the Mayor and the Mayor’s administration to adopt policies that support and encourage access to all medically necessary healthcare that promotes an individual’s physical wellbeing and mental health; that we call upon Ohio’s Congressional delegation to pass legislation to protect access to gender-affirming care.
SECTION 2: That this Council affirms the value and identity of transgender people and encourages the Mayor and the Mayor’s administration to adopt policies that support and encourage access to all medically necessary healthcare that promotes an individual’s physical wellbeing and mental health; and
SECTION 3:That we call upon Ohio’s Congressional delegation to pass legislation to protect access to gender-affirming care.
Adopted: March 27, 2024, as an emergency measure: yeas 11, nays 0.
Attest: Julie Gibbons Carrie Hartman
Clerk of Council President of Council
Approved: March 27, 2024
Wade Kapszukiewicz
Mayor