As draconian anti-trans legislation continues on the rise across our nation, The Episcopal Church has both the opportunity and the responsibility to stand up and speak out for at-risk trans and nonbinary youth. Resolution D066 (Addressing restrictions on access to gender affirming care) comes up for its open hearing in Committee 8 on June 22 at 7:30 p.m. EDT. It is one of the resolutions endorsed by the TEC LGBTQ+ Caucus — and we urge the support of both the Committee and the Convention.

From the Resolution Explanation:

As a Church we celebrate the diversity and glory of God as reflected in every human being. We have also embraced access to necessary healthcare without restriction on gender. The time has come for us to unite these views to advocate for access to healthcare for our trans and nonbinary Siblings in Christ.

We are also a Church guided by science and, in this case, the science is clear. Access to gender affirming care substantially reduces suicidality amongst trans and nonbinary youth (Tordoff et al 2022) and adults (Seelman et al 2017). The compassionate Christian stance is to embrace our trans and nonbinary siblings, advocating for their access to all health care needs.

The text of the Resolution:

Resolved, the House of ________________ concurring,

That the 80th General Convention celebrates the diversity of human experience, recognizing that we are all made in the image of God, and be it further

Resolved, that the 80th General Convention calls for the Episcopal Church to advocate for access to gender affirming care in all forms (social, medical, or any other) and at all ages as part of our Baptismal call to “respect the dignity of every human being”; and be it further

Resolved, that the 80th General Convention affirms that all Episcopalians should be able to partake in gender affirming care with no restriction on movement, autonomy, or timing; and be it further

Resolved, that the 80th General Convention understands that the protection of religious liberty extends to all Episcopalians who may need or desire to access, to utilize, to aid others in the procurement of, or to offer gender affirming care; and be it further

Resolved, that this 80th General Convention supports public policies at the local, state, and national levels in all our countries to support gender affirming care.