Content warning: This article contains discussion of transphobia. See the editor’s note below the article for resources.

On April 13, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey approved a bill that will significantly limit access to gender-affirming healthcare for adults, citing the consumer protection law as his reason and launching an investigation into transgender care. This regulation will take effect on April 27, 2023 and is set to expire in February 2024. 

As we near April 27, Washington University cannot stay silent. Transgender and non-binary students deserve to receive vehement and unwavering support from their university as Missouri lawmakers continue to threaten their safety by attacking their rights to gender-affirming care. 

Restrictions — and in some cases, prohibition — follow a former employee’s accusations of malpractice at Washington University’s Transgender Center at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. The employee’s conclusions were debunked by transgender activist Erin Reed. The University must ensure that WashU’s Transgender Center continues to provide care to their patients amidst restrictions that may be unavoidable. 

Bailey’s actions also appear to be in response to protestors advocating for a ban on puberty blockers, hormones, and transitional surgeries for legal minors, and are happening almost concurrently with the Missouri State House’s choice to ban trans athletes from girls’ and womens’ sports. 

Gender affirming healthcare — a vital resource for many transgender and non-binary people —  will now be mostly inaccessible to Missourians. Before access to care is allowed, the new bill requires that adults will need to undergo 18 months of therapy meant to evaluate “influences” on patients’ gender identities, and be cleared for mental health disorders like depression and anxiety. There is an additional requirement for “social contagion evaluation,” which involves 15 years of medical follow-up, and the law also bans the provision of gender-affirming care to trans adults with autism.

Unlike initial attacks primarily focused on the legality of providing gender-affirming care to minors, this new bill impacts our peers; it impacts our wider St. Louis community; it impacts people across the gender spectrum; it impacts minors and adults; it impacts those who’ve begun treatment and those who haven’t. It impacts us. 

WashU’s words have an effect on the St. Louis community at large — the University directly contributed $2.9 billion to the city in 2021 and accounted for over 47,000 of its jobs — and this same power and influence should be poured into clear statements of support for transgender students as well as the development of community and campus resources that would combat the Attorney General’s extremist measures. 

Additionally, the University should consider increasing the number of free counseling sessions available at Habif Health & Wellness Center to support queer and transgender students who are experiencing increased distress due to these restrictions and to help fulfill new therapy requirements, a service that Habif has been providing under the conditions in existence prior to the new bill. WashU must ensure that this vital care continues to be accessible to students as the bill goes into effect. 

Habif also currently provides training to their staff on LGBTQIA+ student care. However, in addition to these resources, WashU should consider organizing a clinic similar to that at St. Louis University, which is specifically dedicated to providing therapy, advocacy, and validation to queer and trans people of all ages in the St. Louis community. 

Two months ago, we called upon the University to condemn Missouri lawmakers’ assault on transgender rights and show clear support for gender-affirming care and other essential health services. With the introduction of this new bill, we repeat this statement and emphasize the urgency and importance of the University’s words and actions as trangender rights continue to be attacked by Missouri legislators. 

Staff editorials reflect the opinion of the majority of our editorial board members. The editorial board operates independently of our newsroom and includes members of the senior staff. 

Reilly Brady, Managing Forum Editor

Jasmine Stone, Senior Forum Editor

Sylvie Richards, Senior Forum Editor

Ved Patel, Managing Chief of Copy

Hussein Amuri, Managing Sports Editor

Via Poolos, Editor-in-Chief

Editor’s Note: Below are resources to support members of the trans community. 

IMMEDIATE SUPPORT

The Trans Lifeline works to connect trans people with emotional and financial support, along with other community resources. Trans counselors can be reached 24/7 at 1-877-565-8860.

The Trevor Project, a suicide prevention organization for the LGBTQIA+ community, can be reached 24/7 by calling 1-866-488-7386 or texting START to 678-678.

LOCAL SUPPORT

In response to the bill, Planned Parenthood is opening pop-up clinics and additional appointments for transgender care in Missouri. Book an appointment and learn more on their website.

The St. Louis Queer+ Support Helpline offers resources and support from local, LGBTQIA-affirming peer counselors, and can be reached Friday – Monday from 1 p.m. – 7 p.m. CT at 314-380-7774.

The Metro Trans Umbrella Group facilitates St. Louis-based support groups for trans-masculine, trans-feminine, non-binary and genderqueer individuals, as well as LGBTQIA+ people of color. Contact information for each group can be found online.

Pinwheels is a support group with meetings in St. Louis for trans and gender non-conforming children, teens, and their families. 

Growing American Youth is a social support organization for LGBTQ+ youth who live near St. Louis and are 21 and under and can be contacted via Instagram or Facebook.

OTHER RESOURCES

The National Queer & Trans Therapists of Color Network provides a variety of identity-affirming resources, including a directory of queer and trans therapists of color. 

Trans researcher and writer Erin Reed has created an online map of every informed consent hormone clinic in the United States. 

The Gender Affirming Letter Access Project aims to increase access to free letters for gender-affirming medical care by providing a directory of trans, nonbinary, and allied mental health and medical clinicians.

Editor’s Note: This article was updated on 4/20 to include the names of the editorial staff.