According to a recently unsealed court document, a trans-identifying Biden official was allegedly behind the push to remove age limits from the official care standards for transgender procedures.
The document in question, unsealed as part of Boe v. Marshall — a case challenging the Alabama law banning certain gender transition-related treatments and procedures — was titled “Appendix A To Supplemental Expert Report Of James Cantor, Ph.D.” In the document, Cantor — a Canadian sex researcher — claimed that trans-identifying Assistant Secretary for Health Dr. Rachel Levine pushed for the age restrictions to be removed from any official guidelines.
“Assistant Secretary for Health Dr. Rachel Levine strongly pressured WPATH leadership to rush the development and issuance of SOC-8, in order to assist with Administration political strategy,” Cantor wrote of the changes to World Professional Association for Transgender Health’s Standards of Care Version 8 — which omitted previous age recommendations.
The document also included evidence — in the form of communications between WPATH members — that pointed back to Levine as the source of pressure. Most suggested that Levine, born Richard Levine, was pushing to do away with any age limits that could make it easier for states to restrict access to transition-related puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and even surgeries.
“I have just spoken to Admiral Levine today, who—as always is extremely supportive of the SOC 8, but also very eager for its release—so to ensure integration in the US health policies of the Biden government. So, let’s crack on with the job!!!” one read.
Another stated, “I am meeting with Rachel Levine and her team next week, as the US Department of Health is very keen to bring the trans health agenda forward.”
Sarah Boateng, who is Adm. Levine’s chief of staff [said the] biggest concern is the section below in the Adolescent Chapter that lists specific minimum ages for treatment, she is confident, based on the rhetoric she is hearing in DC, and from what we have already seen, that these specific listings of ages, under 18, will result in devastating legislation for trans care. She wonders if the specific ages can be taken out and perhaps an adjunct document could be created that is published or distributed in a way that is less visible than the SOC8, is the way to go.
The issue of ages and treatment has been quite controversial (mainly for surgery) and it has come up again. We sent the document to Admiral Levine … She like [sic] the SOC-8 very much but she was very concerned that having ages (mainly for surgery) will affect access to health care for trans youth and maybe adults too. Apparently the situation in the USA is terrible and she and the Biden administration worried that having ages in the document will make matters worse.
The WPATH members reportedly responded to Levine’s concerns by saying that it was too late in the game to make such changes, but somehow, when the new guidelines were published, the age recommendations had been omitted.
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