Clinical laboratories key to breaking down the health care barriers faced by transgender patients

WASHINGTON — Clinical laboratories could significantly improve healthcare for the transgender community by using both sex and gender identity to make decisions about clinical testing, and by determining normal lab values for healthy transgender patients. A review published today in AACC’s Clinical Chemistry journal emphasizes these as critical steps on the road to eliminating the many…

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Pentagon delays new transgender recruitment policy by six months

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Department of Defense (DoD) is delaying the implementation of a new policy that will eventually allow transgender people to enlist and commission into the military. The delay will not prevent the thousands of currently serving transgender troops from continuing to serve. According to a report last week, the service chiefs recommended the six…

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Defense Department may delay new recruitment policy allowing transgender people to enter the military

WASHINGTON, D.C. — AP has reported that the Pentagon may delay implementation of the final piece of a policy put into place by the Obama administration that allows qualified transgender people to serve in the Armed Forces. While transgender service members serve openly today thanks to a change implemented last year under the previous administration,…

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New study shows transgender actors effective in teaching new doctors to provide respectful care

NEW YORK— By acting out scenarios commonly seen in the clinic, real-life transgender actors can help residents learn to provide more sensitive care to people with a different gender identity than the one they were assigned at birth. This is the main finding of a study published online June 15 in the Journal of Graduate…

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Texas governor signs discrimination into law

AUSTIN, Texas — Thursday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed HB 3859 into law  — a patently discriminatory bill which allows child welfare organizations, including adoption and foster care agencies, to turn away qualified Texans seeking to care for a child in need, including LGBTQ couples, interfaith couples, single parents, married couples in which one prospective…

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Trans candidate Danica Roem wins historic primary in Virginia

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Tuesday, Danica Roem beat three Democratic primary challengers to become the first out transgender candidate to win a state legislative primary in Virginia, and taking her one-step closer to becoming the only out trans state legislator in the entire nation. As the Democratic party representative in the District 13 Virginia House of…

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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announces new ‘Special Session’ to target LGBTQ Texans

AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott today announced  a special session at the Texas State Capitol with an agenda that includes passing a so-called anti-trans “bathroom bill” which openly targets and discriminates against transgender Texans for living their lives according to their gender identity. The so-called “bathroom bill” has already received negative attention as…

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Oregon Gov. Kate Brown signs transgender equality bill into law

SALEM, Ore. — Oregon Gove. Kate Brown has signed into law House Bill (HB) 2673 — legislation that streamlines the process for transgender people to update their birth certificate. HB 2673 updates existing Oregon law to ensure that transgender Oregonians have access to a safer, more affordable and streamlined process for obtaining corrected birth certificates…

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Landmark LGBTQ legislation advances in the California Senate

SACRAMENTO, Calif.— Two bills authored by Sen. Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) that enhance rights for transgender Californians passed Wednesday on the Senate floor. SB 179, the Gender Recognition Act, would make California one of the first states in the country to create a third gender marker on state-issued identification documents for people who identify as…

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