Meet the only two doctors in Alabama providing gender-affirming care to trans youth

A Muslim and a Jew face the Bible Belt: Meet the only two doctors in Alabama providing gender-affirming care to trans youth

There is just one clinic in the state of Alabama providing gender-affirmative medicine for trans youth, and it is jointly run by two pediatric endocrinologists — one doctor who is Muslim, and one who is Jewish.

It has not been easy providing care for trans youth in a deeply conservative (and Christian) state like Alabama. Despite the challenges, these doctors have successfully treated hundreds of patients for gender dysphoria, most of whom were referred to the clinic directly from the psychiatric unit after suicide attempts.

All that changed in early May, when the state criminalized the discussion of gender identity and sexual orientation in elementary schools, students ages K-12 using a bathroom that does not correspond to their biological sex, and the administration of puberty blockers and hormones “for the purposes of attempting to alter the appearance of or affirm the minor’s perception of their gender” to persons under the age of 19 by medical professionals.

With a stroke of the pen, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey made it a felony for doctors to provide care to trans youth, meaning the providers could face jail time for practicing medicine.

Barely a week later, a federal judge put an injunction on this part of the law, allowing medical providers to prescribe these medical treatments for minors.

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