Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

Lurie Hospital becomes first in U.S. to adopt trans-inclusive policy
by Gretchen Rachel Hammond
2016-03-23

This article shared 7579 times since Wed Mar 23, 2016
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email


In another trailblazing move that has become synonymous with the organization, the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago became the first of its kind in the United States to adopt a program and policy initiative safeguarding the civil rights of transgender and gender-nonconforming youth.

Announced March 16, the initiative recognizes the "increased risk of physical, emotional and sexual abuse" faced by gender nonconforming and transgender children alongside the "psychological trauma and physical violence as they transition from their assigned sex and to their affirmed gender identity" and the "significant emotional impact that stigmatization has on transgender children and families."

The policy goes on to highlight some of the appalling results of that stigmatization. "89.5 [percent] of transgender students do not feel safe in their schools," it reads. "50 [percent] of transgender students report regularly skipping school because of safety concerns."

It adds that "78 [percent] transgender and gender nonconforming youth report facing harassment," and that "15 [percent] of transgender and gender non-conforming students face harassment so severe that they drop out of school."

The far too often result of those overwhelming barriers is noted as part of the policy's denouement—a number savagely familiar to the transgender and gender nonconforming communities, but one that society at large seems reluctant to address: "41 [percent] of gender diverse individuals report attempting suicide, which is significantly higher than the national average."

Robert Garofalo is the division head of adolescent medicine at Lurie and a professor of pediatrics at Northwestern University. "Probably unlike any hospital program in the country, when Lurie decided they wanted to establish a gender and sex development program, from the CEO down, this hospital was all in," he told Windy City Times. "They wanted to understand the issue. They wanted to get to know this population. It was a comprehensive commitment to our growth and the work that we do."

Lurie Gender and Sex Development Program Manager Jennifer Leininger said that, in the fall of 2015, staff began to meet in order to take on a litany of questions that would help address the support of transgender people campus-wide.

"What do all students need in order to be successful? What do all children need in terms of access to care?" she recalled. "Where are those states that are less safe and how can we combat that as a medical and mental health institution?"

The resulting initiative set an example with a high bar. It was one easily attainable for Lurie while proving that it is not out of the reach of the 50 percent of medical providers whom transgender Americans report having to teach about transgender care along with the 19 percent who refused care based gender identity—a challenge glaringly noted in the policy's wording.

"Being denied healthcare or having to teach a provider about your needs if not something that anyone should face or have to do," Leininger said. "Just like cisgender people, your job as a transgender individual is to be a patient. It is not to be a teacher all the time. It can be really trying and sometimes makes people less inclined to access medical and mental health facilities even if they need them."

Yet setting an example for other medical and mental health institutions was not the only reason for Lurie's decision.

"The health issues of the transgender and gender nonconforming population bled into civil rights issues," Garofalo said. "We were being asked to take stands on civil rights cases, for example the bathroom case in Palatine. There were repeated requests for us to write an amicus brief or sign a petition and we realized that the hospital had policies in place but they were not generally designed for a rapid response. So we initiated a conversation with Lurie Hospital leadership to adopt a broad, sweeping policy supporting the health, wellbeing and civil rights of the kids that we see. It helps us be more expedient in doing the work that we want to do."

Garofolo added that he worked closely with Leininger as those conversations were held first with Lurie's government affairs office and then the policy committee.

"It was passed unanimously by the policy board and, on March 3rd, it went in front of the main board where is also passed without issue," Leininger said.

As part of her long list of duties, Leininger also regularly visits local schools to offer assistance and transgender sensitivity training for faculty and staff. The cause and effect between wellbeing in an educational setting and health is profoundly apparent.

"We want to make sure that all kids are safe and engaged in their education," she said. "It has a positive impact on their health. Whether its legislation that's coming up or board policies that schools are adopting, we want to make sure that people know that, in terms of medical and mental health needs, young people need to be supported."

While national organizations such as The American Psychological Association, The Pediatric Endocrinology Nursing Society, The National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners and The National Association of School Psychologists among others maintain transgender and gender nonconforming inclusive policies, the move by Lurie as the first children's hospital in the United States to adopt one further heightens the profound regard held by both Garofolo and Leininger in their institution and the work which lies ahead.

"I actually got tearful during one of the conversations when I talked about how proud I was of this hospital adopting this policy for these young people who have been too often overlooked and mistreated," Garofolo said. "I don't think I've ever had more pride in being affiliated with Lurie and this program."

To read the policy, visit: www.luriechildrens.org/en-us/community/government-relations/Documents/transgender_and_gender_nonconforming.pdf .


This article shared 7579 times since Wed Mar 23, 2016
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

NATIONAL Political candidates, flag controversy, HRC gala, New York Times, Disney
2024-03-29
In California, of the historic 30 LGBTQ+ legislative candidates who ran in the March 5 primary, more than half are moving on to the fall ballot, The Bay Area Reporter noted. Based on the still unofficial ...


Gay News

WORLD Israel court, conversion therapy, death sentences, Georgia bill, fashion items
2024-03-29
Israel's Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the Population Authority must register female couples as mothers on the birth certificates of their children they have together, The Washington Blade reported. The decision was made following a petition ...


Gay News

Lambda Legal Launches "Speak OUT" awareness campaign uplifting trans, nonbinary voices
2024-03-28
--From a press release. VIDEO BELOW - (NEW YORK, NY — March 28, 2024) In advance of Transgender Day of Visibility, Lambda Legal, the nation's oldest and largest legal nonprofit working to achieve full equal rights for LGBTQ people and everyone living with ...


Gay News

Nex Benedict's autopsy report released
2024-03-27
The full autopsy report for Nex Benedict (he/they)—a 16-year-old transgender and Indigenous student from Oklahoma's Owasso High School who died in February a day after a school fight—has been released. The Oklahoma Office of the Chie ...


Gay News

Brown Elephant Returns To Northalsted
2024-03-26
Brown Elephant's Lake View location is moving to Northalsted and already accepting donations. Howard Brown Health, the largest LGBTQ+ health center in the midwest, operates three Brown Elephant resale shops in the Chicagoland area to help ...


Gay News

An interstate trans healthcare crisis: Illinois prepares for influx of people seeking gender-affirming care
2024-03-26
With hard-won rights, such as access to hormone replacement therapy or permission to use one's chosen pronouns in school, breaking down in states across the country, trans residents of all ages are left with a choice: ...


Gay News

Planned Parenthood of Illinois expands Orland Park health center
2024-03-26
--From a press release - ORLAND PARK, Ill. - Planned Parenthood of Illinois (PPIL) announces the expansion of its existing Orland Park Health Center at 14470 S. LaGrange Rd., Suite 106. The 1,800-square-foot expansion is projected to increase sexual and reproductive ...


Gay News

Wyoming is latest state to ban gender-affirming care for minors
2024-03-24
On March 22, Wyoming became the latest state to prohibit gender-affirming care for minors, The Hill noted. In doing so, it joined 23 other states that passed laws restricting or banning the treatment. Legislators in both ...


Gay News

No charges filed in Nex Benedict fight; campaigns call for Walters' removal
2024-03-22
In Oklahoma, Tulsa County District Attorney Stephen Kunzweiler announced that no charges will be filed in connection with the fight that happened the day before transgender, nonbinary high school student Nex Benedict died by suicide, NBC ...


Gay News

JP Karliak morphs into non-binary character for Disney+'s X-Men '97
2024-03-22
series X-Men '97, a revival of the popular X-men: The Animated Series that's both continuing the ongoing mutant storyline and breaking new ground along the way. The character of Morph now looks more like the comic ...


Gay News

NATIONAL Va. marriage bill, AARP, online counseling, Idaho items, late activist
2024-03-21
Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed bills protecting same-sex marriages at a state level, surprising some, WRIC reported. The bills—passed out of both chambers along mostly party lines—will require clerks ...


Gay News

Chicago's LGBTQ+ Advisory Council sets a new course
2024-03-18
Chicago's LGBTQ+ Advisory Council held its first meeting of the calendar year on Feb. 28 at City Hall in the Loop under the leadership of the recently appointed chair Jin-Soo Huh. The LGBTQ+ Advisory Council is ...


Gay News

Almost 8% of U.S. residents identify as LGBTQ+
2024-03-16
The proportion of U.S. adults identifying as LGBTQ+ continues to increase. LGBTQ+ identification in the U.S. continues to grow, with 7.6% of U.S. adults now identifying as LGBTQ+, according to the newest Gallup poll results that ...


Gay News

WORLD Leaked messages, Panama action, author dies at 32, Japan court, out athletes
2024-03-15
Hundreds of messages from an internal chat board for an international group of transgender health professionals were leaked in a report and framed as revealing serious health risks associated with gender-affirming care, including cancer, according to ...


Gay News

NATIONAL Missouri measure, HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, judge, Texas schools
2024-03-15
In Missouri, a newly proposed law could charge teachers and counselors with a felony and require them to register as sex offenders if they're found guilty of supporting transgender students who are socially transitioning, CNN noted. ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.