The County of Santa Clara has declared their full support of gender-affirming care for transgender, nonbinary, and gender-diverse individuals. Under the lead of Supervisor and Board President Susan Ellenberg, the County's Board of Supervisors approved a resolution earlier this week, providing a response to other states passing anti-LGBTQ+ laws that negatively impact the lives of transgender people across the nation, according to the Santa Clara County Government news release.
Today, Aug. 29, the County of Santa Clara's Board of Supervisors approved a resolution supporting gender-affirming care, solidifying protections for the community against harmful anti-LGBTQ+ laws passed in other states. https://t.co/XWnaTCg6YQ pic.twitter.com/puy6tSND2K
— County of Santa Clara (@SCCgov) August 29, 2023
As difficult conversations around the availability and necessity of gender-affirming care reach a fever pitch, the County of Santa Clara states that it with human rights advocates, health agencies, and leading medical organizations around the world. The World Health Organization and the American Medical Association have both recognized gender-affirming care as medically necessary and are crucial to respect, understanding, and empowerment for the transgender community, as reported on the Santa Clara County Government news release.
In an attempt to ameliorate these health crises and provide a safe space for transgender, nonbinary, and gender-diverse individuals to receive care, the County opened the Gender Health Center in 2019. This facility, the first of its kind in the South Bay, caters to the unique health needs of this population across all age ranges. Expanding upon this initiative, the Board of Supervisors approved funding in January 2022 for the Behavioral Health Services Department to create a specialty mental health Gender-Affirming Care Clinic, an extension of the services offered at the Gender Health Center. Not to stopping their, recently, in May, the Board approved the Mental Health Services Act Innovation Project to establish a Transgender Wellness Center in Santa Clara County, as outlined in Santa Clara County Government news release.
The commitment by the County of Santa Clara has been met with support from leaders in the community. Supervisor Sylvia Arenas of District 1 stated in the news release, "Our county thrives when our young people feel safe and empowered to lead their lives as their authentic selves – in medical environments and beyond." Furthermore, Supervisor Cindy Chavez of District 2 underscored the importance of such resolutions by drawing attention to the state attorney general's recent lawsuit against the Chino Valley Unified School District as an example of how the LGBTQ+ community is still very much under legal attack, even in California.
Supervisor Otto Lee of District 3 further emphasized the critical nature of gender-affirming care in the news release, stating, "This resolution is so important. Gender-affirming care is not merely medical care; it’s a lifeline, validating a person’s authentic identity and ensuring their mental and physical well-being. Politicians without medical expertise interfering with a family doctor’s care is not only foolish but dangerous."
