Welcome to Episode 7 of The Spectrum.

This was recorded on February 4, 2025.

The fallout from Trump's attempt to ban gender-affirming care for minors is starting to be felt.

On February 1, 2025, VCU Health and

Richmond Children's Hospital at VCU suspended gender-affirming care for anyone under 19 years old. UVA

Health has also suspended gender-affirming care for patients under 19 years old. Both cited Trump's executive order, the subject of our last episode, and guidance from Virginia's office of the Attorney General. Neither has provided any details on what that guidance was, however. I've looked on the website for the

Attorney General and not found anything, so any guidance has not been made public. It is disappointing that these healthcare providers did not immediately go to court asking for an injunction.

It's bad enough that children are being denied healthcare because of the prejudice of a bunch of transphobic politicians.

It's even worse when patients who had been under a doctor's care and receiving hormones will now be left without any recourse.

What will be the fate of these innocent victims?

Some may find a doctor willing to provide medication in defiance of an obviously illegal order, but let's face it. Most doctors, and most especially the organizations they work for, they'll be cowards. This will force desperate people to turn to the black market for medication.

They will be taking it without the proper medical care. This is a recipe for tragedy.

The news is not all bad, however. Several organizations are suing over these discriminatory orders. This includes the

ACLU, HRC, Lambda Legal, and PFLAG. There may be others that I'm not yet aware of. If you can support these organizations, now is the time. If we fail to protect our transgender and non-binary siblings, then they will just be the first group to fall to Trump's fascism. We must all stand together. That Ben

Franklin quote I mentioned in the introductory episode about needing to hang together or we will hang separately is sounding more appropriate every day. If you have been impacted by this and would be willing to share your views, please contact me at spectrumpodcasthost at gmail.com. If you're a healthcare provider and your ability to take care of patients has been impacted, we need to hear from you as well. You may remain anonymous if speaking publicly would put you at risk.

My heart goes out to all of those who have done nothing wrong except tell the truth about who they are. To be met with this kind of systemic discrimination is terrible. Know that you are not alone and that we care about you.

Stay safe and stay strong.